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Boys and Girls,

This article is aimed at people that claim they are a proud owner of a drum sander and those that tell the truth and say they own "one of those bloody" drum sanders.
If you haven't had the pleasure of changing out a drum sander's belt you don't know what you are "missing " and for all those that say it's not an issue, I'd like the name of the mechanical genius who changes yours.

If anyone out there (in the sane world) knows of a simple, foolproof way of mounting the belt on your first 5 tries, please make me a tutorial video… I'll pay… Text explanations will not be accepted as they only emphasise how it doesn't work for the reader.

The article is not in the how to use but rather the how to make…

In my preparation form my forthcoming T & J build, one cannot have enough 1/8", 1/16" and 1/32" thick timber. consequently while building up my stockpile I had to load a new belt of sandpaper onto my drum sander (at this point I will mention I hate sanding nearly as much as reading). I had to cut a new belt and as an after-thought, decided to make a presentation for all those that follow a non-regimented ordeal.

In the past, every time I needed to cut a belt from bulk stock roll (I am too cheap to buy individual belts), I am reminded of all those TV adds about rebellious tangled garden hoses and the poor housewife struggling up some stairs with a recalcitrant vacuum cleaner so I was determined to make my life easier (... no not vacuuming… sanding). While now days I still face the challenge, the struggle is less arduous than it used to be.

If you are content in using an old, bought pre-fab roll as a template, then your next wardrobe habiliment might finish up in the form a white cushioned jacket with shiny metal buckles and heaps of leather straps and you should ask your therapist to read the rest of this article to you… s l o w l y. . .

Armed with my trusty ruler (which was not long enough so I relegated it for my not-so-trusty tape measure), I measured up a pre-fab roll of paper and dexterously drew it up using SketchUp. From that, I designed a layout and cutting jig/template.

It turned out NOT to be too pocket sized so I placed a hinge in the middle (the hinge eventually fit much better after I cut the plank in 2). The jig was still big but it enjoyed it's piggy back on my mobile 16" drum sander cabinet.


Being a masochist, I thought that if a 16" drum sander can give me nightmares, I'd hit the jackpot with a 22" upgrade.

I bought a 22" Jet (I'm still talking drum sanders) and quickly found that no matter how hard I pulled on either end, the 16" belts would not fully cover the 22" drum. Looking at a ruler (preferably the imperial side) I realised that 22" is 6" longer than 16" (even on a metric rulere) and being a mathematical genius I quickly realised that the new sander's belts would need to be maybe 1 or 2 inches longer (or maybe even more). Plagiarising the measurements of a 22" pre-fab belt I updated my SketchUp model. After lengthening my fabricated template I quickly realised I created a "Game of Thrones" monster…Dragin' on the ground when folded in half. I had to sacrifice two more butt hinges to be able to fold it into bite sized pieces. This in the link to the SU model anyone interested (just reply "no thanks" when prompted to create an account). It does include dimensions for both 16" and 22" belt creation. One of the "cutting heads" is relocatable depending on size of belt required. Here is an animation of the jig in use I was just getting into SU at the time and was stoked by its "animation" capabilities and my creative juices (hey I was younger and open to radicalization back then).

The jig brags the following features:
  1. 3 hinged operation for near pocket sized storage that fits into the minimal drum sander's base compartment.
  2. 2 pieannie (foreigners might call them piano) style hinged head for end shaping with 1 head movable to 16" dimensions.
  3. Hinged heads have aluminium reinforcement to assist in blunting your cutting implement.
  4. English written prompts to confuse non-English speaking people.
  5. Magnetic latches to stop the hinged heads from flapping like the lips of my…. I'll stop here for self preservation and I'd like to eat tonight with all my teeth.
  6. Sexy velcro straps instead of boring bondage ropes.

Here are a few pickies of it in operation.

First you roll out the jig. Your workshop must be big enough.

The other end is way over there in the distance. Hate to own a 34" sander. The end would be 2 blocks away.


Observe the precision of the machining and construction. Close tolerances prevent the hinge's bulging profile from adversely distorting the precise length of the belt.

For accurate belt lengths ensure you use a sharp box cutter to minimise the need for the blade's kerf allowance.


The final product. A good impersonation of that tangled vacuum hose syndrome. This picture still makes the missus cringe.


Secrets revealed…
This is THE magical optional extra, but must have accessory.


It stops the roll from rolling off your workbench


If you bothered to read this far, here is a very handy hint as a reward for perseverance (if you don't already know it).
To stop then end from slipping out, bend it over itself before you manouver it into the tensioning clip.


The sandpaper face on both sides inhibits slip

Gallery

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.... scufed up my thumbprint enough that I could not open my phone …

- AZWoody

Instead of having a "password" for a backup, why not scan another fingerprint and have THAT as your backup?

- JoeinGa
Better still, why not just scan a toe you don't use when changing the sandpaper.
 

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Great idea! Good to know.
 

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I ll tell you a bad side effect of changing the sandpaper is if you have a fingerprint scanner on your cell phone.

After changing mine out, it scuffed up my thumbprint enough that I could not open my phone and had to use the backup password…

Now I just have someone that does odd jobs for me change it out for me as needed… Lazy, I know….

- AZWoody

Instead of having a "password" for a backup, why not scan another fingerprint and have THAT as your backup?

- JoeinGa
I would if it let me but you can only scan one fingerprint and the one I have is my right thumb which lets me open the phone with one hand. After a few days I was able to use it again, but was a lesson learned.
 

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I would if it let me but you can only scan one fingerprint …

- AZWoody
Easily solved AZW… carry two phones…
 

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Its easier on the fingers if you turn the machine off first then change the belt!

besides you should not be using a phone when doing wood working, ...same as driving a vehicle

I saw the vice ad again, this time I paid attention for a while, its called The Renovator "extra pair of hands",
maybe the patent has expired and a knock off has been made.

They also have a "Joiner Jig" which is a yellow version of the Kregtool Pocket hole Jig. I am guessing its again a patent expired replicant.
 

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Its easier on the fingers if you turn the machine off first then change the belt!

- robscastle
Damn, I always thought a pair of ear plugs discretely placed on the conveyer belt was all I had to do for total safety. Thanks for the tip, always willing to learn and will save electricity.

besides you should not be using a phone when doing wood working, ...same as driving a vehicle

- robscastle
Again thanks for the heads up, but I learned the hard way not to drive a car while woodworking… or at least use a good quality glove on your free hand to gently operate the accelerator and brake.

... its called The Renovator "extra pair of hands",
maybe the patent has expired and a knock off has been made.

- robscastle
Yes, the patent must have expired… My original one came with an instructional tape. My second one came with and instructional CD and the third with an instructional DVD. I had to upgrade my cassette player twice to learn how to use the new clones.
 

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You mean to say the instructions are not going to be compatable with my 8 track cartridge player!

So I take it you have at least three of these tools? they must be OK then.
I sometines see them demonstrated at the annual Wood Expo too.

More trivia, whilst on the topic of clamps I have a elderly neighbour Wally (even older than me) who I got some sash clamps and edge clamps from.

The are Branded Dawn Australia, Saxon and ones with no brand at all but look like Saxons

L to R 1 and 2 Dawn Australia 3 unknown 4 and 5 Saxon



Then the edge clamps, which I would like to buy more of but cannot find them (in the same FFF)
They have patent numbers on them but no actual brand shown, and my searches to ID them turned up nothing.

 

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You mean to say the instructions are not going to be compatable with my 8 track cartridge player!

- robscastle
It is but, but with the tape your hear the commentary in 8 times and the CD and DVD do a great "silent picture" impersonation.
So I take it you have at least three of these tools? they must be OK then.

- robscastle
Only 3 (couldn't stand listening to the instructions again). However, if I lost just one, I would replace it (even if I had to buy a Blu-ray player for the "how-to" instructions).
...(even older than me)...

The are Branded Dawn Australia, Saxon and ones with no brand at all but look like Saxons

- robscastle
Know the feeling, at my age the Australian Dawn is a great sight… just to wake up and see it… and as for Sax (Kiwi's pronounce it "Six")... is just a fond memory..

PS. That edge clamp looks like a nice solid unit.

PPS. Still sticking with the clamps digression… A close second, for favourite clamps, are these "Frontline" clamps. They have a two way action… Unfortunately they are much dearer than cheaper versions and you need to mortgage your house to own a set (but then they deserve a topic by themselves… if I was a spruiker).
(Picture, curtesy of my previous workshop.)
Having said that, the only cheap things in woodworking are the bruises.
 

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Ha ha !!

you are a very humourous woodworker !!

Oh yes very nice clamps….. just like my Backline ones (_talk about patents expiring
)



Created out of necessity when building my sons 1500mm x1500mm Table top.



2m long and clamp anything! possibly cost about $200 to $300

Any way can you shed any light on the history of my "Wally Clamps collection"? neither company seems to be around these days and I am yet to find the edge clamps which are even similar as I wanted to buy more.
 

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Great innovation, RC… and much cheaper than just 1 of mine. Furthermore I have the little ones with only 900mm width capacity though at a pinch I could probably crank that up to a whopping 902mm and if I butted them together they wouldn't work at all. However, in their defence (of my clamps), they are so efficient that too much pressure can apply such force that it can starve the joint of glue without much effort and they are too bulky to band so I get a perfectly flat surface with virtually no levelling/planningrequire. I wouldn't swap them for the world… though I might trade for a self parking car for the missus, to avoid all those car accident litigations.

In keeping with the current topic of Drum Sanding…
I have a set (4) of these Bessey clamps that you attach to a standard quick clamps (if there is such a thing as "standard").

As you can see from their patina they are not overused, however, when required they serve me well. Those are just "stunt" bits of timber hired specifically for this one off picture shoot.
An alternative is to get a set of (or just 1 preferred size) of thread cutters and make your own. This picture of a routing jig I use, for variable sized pen boxes, might give you some idea of how to incorporate into your own clamping system.

If you have some spare shekels (to cover shipping costs) these clamps from Rockler are advertised as the bee's knees, however, wearing the missus' panty hose under her army boots, my knees are not exposed so I cannot comment on them any further. Though there is no reason why you cannot plagiarise and attribute it to a badly worded patent.

But again we digress, back to my sanding jig… I use clamps to hold it down.
 

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This was one interesting post, will have to come back to it.
 

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LBD, you are so much fun to have on this forum. I like to read just about everything you post even if I don't have any interest in that particular subject. Thanks for making me laugh even though this CV-19 is so depressing.

I don't own a drum sander and was wanting one, so I did a search to see what others had to say about them. I wonder if using some carpet tape (about a 1.5" square) on the drum just below the clip would prevent the paper from coming loose. I know this is an old post, but I felt I had to respond.
 

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..... I wonder if using some carpet tape (about a 1.5" square) on the drum just below the clip would prevent the paper from coming loose. I know this is an old post, but I felt I had to respond.
- awsum55
Thanks for the kind words aw+...

Interesting concept though never even thought about it, however, with the bendover/twist

I've never had to use carpet tape, even to replace hair that people that don't use that techniques need to, due to frustration hair tugs.
 

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