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A while back I posted a project on my completed V-Drum Sander. This sander has become one of the most used machines in my shop. I think I have used it on every project I have worked on since it ws built.

I finally got around to building some fences that enhance the functionality and overcome a couple of shortcomings. One shortcoming is that if you are working with long or heavy pieces they were sometimes difficult to hold flat without lifting on either the infeed or outfeed side. These fences have ledges that act as additional infeed/outfeed support. They are also built exactly 90 degrees to the table which provides the ability to edge sand square edges. I also incorporated t-track to hold featherboards.

The fences are constructed from mdf and plywood. I basically constructed an "L" shape with braces on the back side to keep everything square. The third picture shows the bottom of the fence with a small section of t-track and clamps that lock the fence to the table. The fences can be slid along the table and adjusted to the work at hand.

If you have one of these sanders, I believe you can make good use of these fences.

Gallery

Comments

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Very creative and function able, I've been think about building one myself for sometime now. With this added dimension it may be worth the effort. Do you get a reasonable amount of use out of the paper before having to change? Thanks for sharing your idea of the fence…Blkcherry
 

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blackcherry,

I haven't worn out a piece of sandpaper yet. It seems the design of this sander prevents the paper from loading up. There is no pressure or heat build up on the paper or drum. You can remove and reuse the paper many times.
 

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That is one cool sander. As blackcherry said, very creative and functional. I am adding to my favorites as yet one more tool I hope to build soon. Thanks for posting!
 

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Treeman,

Great job! What advantages or disadvantages do you see for a V-sander over a drum sander? I've been thinking about building a drum sander, but this seems like a more simple build.

Thanks,
Gary
 

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A beautiful work of functional woodworking. Looks great!
 

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Garyb6,

In my opinion a regular drum sander and a v-drum sander are two different animals. The v-drum sander is NOT a thicknessing machine. To me, it is more of a finishing sander. One thing you can do with the v-drum sander that I don't think you can't do with a normal drum sander is to joint wide boards. My jointer is only 4" wide. I have been using my v-drum sander to joint wider boards by loading a 60 grit wrap and using it like a wide jointer. It takes a little longer than a jointer but it gets the job done. The v-drum sander tries to make everything it sands flat and it does a good job at that. Sandpaper is available from 60 grit to 2000 grit so you have a lot of options. Changing grits takes less than a minute.
 

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Great post!!! I too built a V-Drum sander and this looks like a great project.
 

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Treeman,

I was going to build a drum sander because I thought that was the best way to joint glueups wider than my planer and flatten end grain glue ups. You comment on using it as a jointer function (I don't have a jointer) which makes me think about the end grain glue ups. Seeing the featherboard mounting also makes me think that a V groove may be more functional for me than a drum.

Would the v groove be good for surfacing an endgrain glue up?

Steve.
 

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SteveMI,

I certainly believe it would be good for endgrain. You certainly won't get any tearout and it will make the surface flat. I think it should work just fine.
 

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So if you can use it like a jointer, is the outfeed table slightly higher than the infeed?
 

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rareddy,

The answer is no. The table is dead flat but you have to understand how the v-drum sander works. When the machine is off, the table is even with the top of the sandpaper. When you turn the machine on, the paper rises slightly and takes a light cut. With fine paper only a thousandth or so; with course paper only a few thousandths. It really tries to make everything it sands dead flat.
 

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intersesting idea
 

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The fences are a great idea. I wondered how someone could sand a long board on these machines. You have solved the problem and made the thing very accurate to boot.
 

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treeman,
Very nice fence system. It greatly enhances the overall ability to use the "v" drum sander to it's maximum capabilities. What is the drum diameter and width on the one you built? Is the drum made of PVC? I've seen several different build versions. Yours looks like it is the best accessorized one to date. Keep on keeping on.

Sincerely,
Ken McGinnis
 

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woodbutcher,

The drum measures 24"x4". I'm not sure what it is made of but seems to be some kind of plastic or phenolic. I purchased the kit from Stockroom Supply and built my own box and top.
 

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Fantastic job building and explaining the V sander. I been thinking about this for a year now. After seeing yours and the results you get I am now going to purchase one. The owner was at a trade show last year and said that cabinet shops where buying his sander and attaching powered out feed tables to them. Have you ever heard that.
 

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Thanks for sharing. I made my sander from the kit and use it a lot as well. Absolutely no regrets about buying mine. I will surely use your idea for the fences too.
 

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Great fences you have made here. I think your design is very cleaver! Thx for sharing and I'll post the pics once I make mine.
 
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