Drum Sanders: When You Need One
A drum sander flattens boards by running them under a spinning sandpaper cylinder. It’s what you use when you need to sand wide panels flat – something that’s awkward with a belt sander and impossible by hand at scale.
What It Does
Feed a board in one side, it comes out sanded on the other. Removes material evenly across the width. Makes glued-up tabletops flat. Sands veneer without burning through. Cleans up tear-out from planing.
A drum sander doesn’t replace a planer – it’s for finish work, not dimensioning rough lumber. You still need to mill boards flat first.
The SuperMax 16-32
Popular prosumer model. 16 inches of sanding capacity, or 32 inches if you flip the board and sand both halves (open-ended design).
What it has:
- Variable speed conveyor belt
- Intellisand technology (auto-adjusts speed to prevent gouging)
- Quick height adjustment
- 4-inch dust port
Handles most home shop needs. Big enough for tabletops, small enough to fit in a garage shop.
When You Need One
Making furniture with large flat surfaces. Tables, desks, benchtops. If you’re sanding glue-ups regularly, a drum sander saves massive time versus belt sanding or hand sanding.
Also useful for consistent thickness on thin stock that a planer would snipe or chatter on.
When You Don’t
Occasional small projects. If you’re making cutting boards and small items, a random orbital sander handles it fine. Drum sanders are expensive and take up space.
Operating Tips
Take light passes. Trying to remove too much at once causes burns and uneven sanding. 1/64″ to 1/32″ per pass is typical.
Keep the conveyor moving steadily. Stopping with the drum engaged creates a line.
Connect to dust collection. These create massive amounts of dust.
Check sandpaper condition. Worn paper clogs and burns instead of cutting clean.
Cost vs Value
A good drum sander costs $800-2000. If you’re making furniture regularly, it pays for itself in time saved. If you’re a casual hobbyist, it’s probably overkill.
