Sanding SPF

Sounds to me like you’re dying to have a drum sander.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

John,

Why are you starting at 80 grit and is 120 as far as you go? What kind of finish do you use and what are you buying; rough from the mill? Do you use a planer and jointer? Answers to these questions, at least, will help us help you. Post a picture of what you’re doing, too.

Steve

-- Steve in KY. 44 years so far with my lovely bride. Think I'll keep her.

SPF = spruce/pine/fir, it’s a generic term for construction lumber… 2×4, 2×6, 2×8, etc.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

when i normally sand something i have five grits to go through, 60, 80, 120, 220, 320.
maybe you need to add some lower grits, and use one of those big rubber erasers.
maybe a half sheet sander would work well too

-- Ben L

There are several options that I see.
Drum or wide belt sander
Thickness planer
Jointer
Hand planes
Use any one or combination of these, finish sand and you are ready to go.

I would buy a drum sander(already own two) start with 100(80 if rough) and go to 180. Over that seems like overkill for spruce/pine etc.

-- Life is good.

Ok, thanks for all the help.

I only sand to 120 grit and my only finish is Minwax stain, no clear coat after that.

My concern with a drum sander is do the abrasive strips get gummed up easily with SPF? I will probably be sanding 150-200 8’ 2×6’s each month.

The beds are some what rustic looking, so I am not looking for smooth as glass.

I’ll get some pics up Monday….getting new home Internet tomorrow.

I buy the SPF right off the truck just like framing crew would do if they were building a house.

I can order the stock pre sanded from my supplier for about 4 bucks more per 8’ board. I am trying to determine if an investment in a drum sander or even a wide belt is worth it due to the costs of replacement abrasives.

If I buy a dual drum sander with 80 on the front drum and 120 on the back, about how many linear feet of 2×6 SPF can I sand before I need to change the abrasive on the drum?

I currently use a 5 inch Bosch ros with each grit and it takes me about 5 hours to sand 1 bed.

Thanks for all your help!

A normal drum sander pinches the wood between the conveyer belt and the sanding drum. An alternative is the V-Drum sander from Stockroom Supply . They claim that their version will not clog the sandpaper.

I own both the Proformax 16-32 and the 30” V-Drum sanders. I find that the sandpaper on the Proformax will clog with dust and can start to burn the wood. The V-Drum sander is not as aggressive but the paper does not clog.

-- Jesse, Saint Louis, Missouri

Noting that you only need a 120 grit finish, I have a few thoughts. First, are you using open-coat paper for the 80 grit – it will not clog as fast as a closed-coat paper? Also, stearate-coated or non-coated? And, of coarse, hopefully not garnet.

Second, for dimension lumber (construction grade 2×6’s) I would probably start with 100 grit so I wouldn’t spend as much time sanding out the rougher surface an 80 grit paper leaves behind.

Have you considered a hand-held belt sander for the coarser paper and then switching to a ROS for the finish (120 grit) sanding.

Finally, if only sanding to 120 grit, I ponder if a planer might be a less expensive alternative than a belt sander. Or even, quite frankly, if there would be a need for you to do sanding on planed boards unless the sanding would be needed to create the rustic look.

But, of coarse, there is a great pride of ownership for having a drum sander in one’s shop and they do their job very, very well.

-- I dream of a world where a duck can cross the road and no one asks why.

I agree that a planer might be your best option and eliminate the need for sanding. Grits finer than 120 on a drum sander do tend to load up when sanding high moisture pine/fir/cedar. Taking very light passes on the drum sander does help.

-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm