24" V-Drum Sander

I always thought that this type of sander would be a good addition to the shop.

It looks like you did a great job building it.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Cool sander. I could have used this yesterday. Thanks for sharing

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

I will be building one of these kits myself soon. Thanks for posting.

-- Julian, Park Forest, IL

Sweet setup. I would love to be your neighbor.

-- so much wood, so little time. Bradford.

That is an amazing tool you built there. How much were the parts (motor ect) I just may have to build one

-- Ben Kahmann Dayton, OH

I’d love to make one of these! I was going to ask the same question as Ben…. How much were the parts?

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Great job on yours : ) I’ve seen some of them with a fence attached. Any plans on adding one to yours ? Is there any adjustment table height on yours ?

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Ben & Charlie,

I bought the 24” kit on eBay for $267, the motor from my local repair shop for $20, the aluminum angle from HD for ~$7 and the piano hinge for $6. I had the box materials laying around the shop and I always have some MDF around. If you compare this to the cost of a Sand Flee at $699; this one is a bargain. Mine is also bigger with a 24” drum compared to 18” on the Sand Flee.

Looks like a great tool super job

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Dusty,

I am planning to attach 2 fences that will hold feather boards and aid in edge sanding. They will just have brackets that slide back and forth along the table and clamp underneath.

The top is adjusted by a couple of screws in the box side that you turn in or back out to adjust the sander. Once set you shouldn’t have to change them. They are NOT used to alter sanding depth. To change the depth of cut you change sanding grits. The coarser the grit the heavier the cut.

What size motor is it and RPM?

Do you just feed the job over by hand or do you have an overhead feed press?
How do you controll the amount to be taken off without a steady feed and pressure?
Just inquisitive !
Damn fine job… I also want one.

-- "Even small steps makes a distance." (Shawn Phillips, musician)

I Should of read your comment properly about depth of cut.
But if your job is wider than the drum, what then?

-- "Even small steps makes a distance." (Shawn Phillips, musician)

thanks for the feedback ! : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

notottoman,

The motor I used was a 1/2 hp 1725 rpm motor.

I am feeding the stock by hand and the tabletop is absolutely flat. The stock is always in contact with the table. When you set the table, you set it so that the stock “just” brushes the sanding grit but without moving the drum. You do this with your finest grit. When the drum spins the centrifugal force raises the hook and loop paper enough to take a light cut.

Keep in mind that this is NOT a thickness sander but more what I would call a finishing sander. There is no pressure on the drum and the sandpaper lifts just enough to take a smooth even cut. Feeding hasn’t been an issue so far.

Supposedly, you can sand wider than the drum by moving the stock side to side on subsequent passes. I haven’t done this yet so I don’t know.

Interesting. I have been looking at the Jet and Delta models but cost is more than I want to spend. I have a motor, and extra wood. This is worth a shot. Thanks for posting. This one is going on my winter project list.

-- Phil 4:13------Our family motto

I think Yorkshire Stewart made one from Shopnotes. It had a top and worked great for him. He even vented it out the top through a dust suction hose.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

I picked up the kit for an 18” V-Drum sander at a WW Shop in St. Louis area last winter. Mine is very similar BUT not quite as wide as yours, boo hoo. ;-) I picked up my motor for about $4 at a local auction. Mine works great and I’m happy to have it. You’ve done a great job thanks for the post. I’ll get around to posting mine one of theses days.
Oh if anyone else is building one I got my switch form Grizzly it’s surface/internally mounted, G2899 Safety Switch, it comes wired.
http://www.grizzly.com/products/g2899

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

$699 ???? Whewwww
Please say you left out the decimal point.
I can see why you built your own

-- David South FLorida

Great job, I’ve been thinking about making a sander for a long time. I’m waiting to find a cheap motor. Anyway, I was wondering what the difference between this design and a thickness sander is. Another Lumberjock did a fantastic job, but I don’t know if these two machines are interchangeable. Some advise please…

I can see how the “sand flee” design wouldn’t limit you on thickness, but the other type lets you change your depth. Unless there is an obvious reason that I am missing, then it might require a forum question.

treeman, its not my intention to “hijack” your thread. You did a fantastic job and will soon reap the benefits.

-- Tom, Simsbury, CT

”Keep in mind that this is NOT a thickness sander but more what I would call a finishing sander.”
Thanks for adding this statement to your post , because some people seem to be mistaking this for exactly that. : )

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Well done looks great.

-- David '65

Thanks treeman, I’m gonna start looking for a motor.

-- Ben Kahmann Dayton, OH

I am also building one of these now. 30 inch model. Where did you find your motor? I’d love to get a used one but looks like I may have to buy a new one.
Thanks

-- Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.

chairman,

I just got out the phone book and started calling motor repair shops looking for a used or abandoned motor. I got lucky on my third call and found a repaired motor that was never picked up. It had been sitting for a couple of years and he was ready to get rid of it.

that is very cool. great job!

I built one of these also about 1 1/2 years ago, very handy to have around.

When you set the table, you set it so that the stock “just” brushes the sanding grit but without moving the drum. You do this with your finest grit. When the drum spins the centrifugal force raises the hook and loop paper enough to take a light cut.

This makes the sand paper last and last, because the grit doesn’t dig in, it doesn’t heat up or load up. Almost all of the dust lands (and stays) in the drum box.

-- Tim: Remember, if it doesn't say Binford, someone else made it.

nice work on this, the top looks super slick and would definitely be helpful around my shop….if only i had more room. Nice job!

TIP – I was sanding out some planer blade marks on a piece of Maple yesterday and couldn’t get them out sanding with the grain. Turned the piece “sideways” and sanded across gain and WA LA the marks disappeared then I sanded with the grain to remove the cross grain scratches and was finished in no time…...we were always taught to sand with the grain. ;>)

-- Only the Shadow knows....................