# Flatmaster 24" Drum Sander



## Gene01

Great review, Earl. Mine is from their kit, and I echo everything you said. It's a great tool.


----------



## Ottacat

Good information in this review. I've been looking to a practical solution for end-grain cutting boards without breaking the bank. Approximately how long does it take to sand one on this? Using a ROS takes me about an hour to an hour and half of mind numbing boredom.


----------



## retfr8flyr

I used 120 grit paper and then switched to 180 grit. I did 2 boards in about 45 minutes but 1 of my boards had some shift on a couple of rows during glue up and that board took me about 40 minutes by itself to make it all flat. I could have gone to 80 grit paper for that one board but I knew the 120 would get the job done. I then final sanded with my ROS using 220 grit. The boards came out great and as I said I was very impressed with the job this sander does.

I received the wings I ordered but haven't tried them out yet. They are very easy to set up and I think they will be a nice addition to the sander.


----------



## rvicelli

Thanks for your review, i Have the kit and it has its uses, not for everything but what it does it does well. I use it mostly for picture frames (4×6) .


----------



## Ken90712

Great review, I have had the 18 inch model for years now. I then bought a delta 18/36 drum sander to go along with stockrooms sander. This is when I realized how much I liked my Stockroom sander compared to my delta… I soon got over the manual portion when comparing results.


----------



## retfr8flyr

Just an update. I have used the wings several times now and I like them. It makes getting the piece from the other side a little harder but they really work well for holding an even pressure while moving the piece through, especially with wide and longer pieces. I would say they are well worth getting


----------



## Surfside

This a great review. Thanks for posting. Good luck.


----------



## Charlie75

I made a 24" from a kit offered by the same company. Works great. The only thing I wish I had done was bought their top. I make my own and I'm not sure if it's exactly flat. It's made from a piece of baltic birch with a formica top. In spite of the top I really like it.

Charlie


----------



## RichInSoMD

Earl;

Do you have anything to add to your review, after almost two years? I am considering getting a Flatmaster drum sander. I was leaning towards the kit but, I haven't made up my mind yet.

Rich


----------



## retfr8flyr

> Earl;
> 
> Do you have anything to add to your review, after almost two years? I am considering getting a Flatmaster drum sander. I was leaning towards the kit but, I haven t made up my mind yet.
> 
> Rich
> 
> - RichInSoMD


I am still very happy with my purchase. The Flatmaster has it's good points and it's bad points but I think, for me, the good ones far outweigh the bad ones. It works very well for doing flat surfaces and keeping them flat. It's not like a belt sander and you have to physically run everything through, you can't just start it and let it run like a belt sander. It's also not very good at taking a lot of material off, just because of the time involved, it doesn't remove very much material each pass, regardless of the grit, so you have to run it through many times. I do this for fun so time is not a problem for me. It's extremely easy to change the paper and the paper also lasts forever because it isn't getting hot a burning. I have found that making small adjustments, for the lower number paper, works the best. Due to the thickness difference between say 1200 and 60 paper, it really doesn't work as well if you don't make a little adjustment.

I opted for the full metal unit, instead of making my own. I don't think it would make any difference when you use the machine. I added the extra wings to mine and they really help with longer pieces, to keep them flat across the drum. It's very important to keep the piece moving at a steady pace. If you stop it for something, the roller will make a small spot, across the piece, where the piece stopped moving and you will have to work to get it out. I think it's a very good unit for what it does. Just recognize it's drawback and don't expect it to do everything and you will be very happy with it, I know I am.


----------



## RichInSoMD

Earl;

Thanks for the advice. I plan to go to a Woodworking show near Baltimore very soon, where STOCKROOM Supply will have a booth. So, I expect to see a demonstration and talk to a rep.

Rich


----------



## Charlie75

Hey Rich, I bought a 24" kit about 2 1/2 years ago. I made the box and top following the video that came with it. Very easy to follow. I have used it a lot and am very satisfied with my purchase. Sure, I would love to have a better one but this is what I could afford. I would certainly do it again and would recommend it to friends unless they can afford a bigger sander. 
I make a lot of end grain cutting boards and a few butcher block top kitchen carts and used my flat sander to make it smooth a powdered babies butt. 
Hope this helps.

Charlie


----------



## RichInSoMD

Charlie,

Thanks for the information. 
When I made some end grain cutting boards, at first I would take them to a cabinet/furniture maker I knew, and paid him to run them through his beautiful drum sander. Later, someone on Lumberjocks told me to get a big router bit and make a jig to flatten the cutting board surfaces. I found videos on that, and I did that before I used my ROS to finish up. If I get the Flatmaster, it will be easier to make a lot of things, although I will still dream about that big drum sander.

Thanks
Rich


----------



## Charlie75

Rich, your very welcome. Before I got my Flatmasster I took my flat work to Woodcraft and had their guy run it through their drum sander. It cost me, if memory serves, about $25. Cost me nothing now.

Charlie


----------



## Charlie75

What are the "wings" some of you guys are talking about? Just curious.

Charlie


----------



## retfr8flyr

> What are the "wings" some of you guys are talking about? Just curious.
> 
> Charlie
> 
> - Charlie75


I should have used better wording. I was talking about the metal fences you can get from SS. http://stockroomsupply.ca/shop/drum-sanders/fences-pair.html They work very well for helping to hold down whatever you are sanding.


----------



## ejmeier

Can you comment on how the flatmaster performs with higher grit sandpaper?

I have a Performax 16-32 traditional drum sander, and I've noticed that it isn't terribly useful at higher grits. It's very easy to burn the wood or bog down the motor, and the sanding still leaves grooves or channels that have to be sanded out with a handheld sander. I'm wondering if this centrifugal design would eliminate these issues.

I was hoping to get the 30" model and load up a wide array of grits and just go through the grits one after another and totally avoid following up with a hand sander. Do you think this would be possible on the flatmaster? I'm only sanding smaller pieces that are a maximum of 3" wide, so I think I could get quite a few grits on that 30" drum.


----------



## retfr8flyr

Loading multiple grits isn't any problem with this sander. I have found that it works great with higher grit paper. The only thing you need to watch for is stopping the work. If you keep a nice steady pace through the sander it does a great job. If you stop at a spot, it will make a mark and require more work. I just wrap the finer grit rolls a little looser on the drum, to decrease the air gap without making any adjustments to the drum. I have been very happy with mine. Like I stated it's not for every project but it does a great job at what it was designed for.


----------



## DustyM

Earl, I came upon this review while looking for solutions to flatten rings for segmented bowls (just got into them!). Do you still hold the unit in high regard, and would it work well for that purpose?

Also, as a general question, I'm curious how this avoids sniping the ends. I understand how my jointer works, with the outfeed dead level with the top of the cutter and infeed lower, but how does this sander avoid snipe if the roll projects (even slightly) above the surface of a level table?


----------



## kelvancra

I bought the 30" version, so I could load three different grits, if I wanted. As it is, I, generally, run two.

The more I use this beast, the more I love it.

Unlike with my 89" belt, 48 belt, belt sanders, hook-and-loop sanders and so on, and as they claim, it doesn't load with paint, poly or what have you.

The ONLY problems I've encountered are:

1) All I had was a 3400 RPM, 3/4 horse motor, so I had to go to a bigger pulley, to slow the drum down to around the speed a 1,700 RPM motor would run it.

The swap was simple, but did require cutting the table top a bit to allow the pulley and belt to clear it. A jig saw, a file and some sandpaper later, all is fine. I just cannot run wood over that end, however, issue to addresses that, somewhat.

2) Avoiding the start and end spot of the cloth. If you don't, you learn how quickly you can mangle and render useless, for further use on the Flatmaster, a few feet of cloth back sanding material.

Of course, the cloth is of superior quality and is great for hand sanding other projects.

To avoid running over those sections, I have rare earth magnets mounted that interfere with any attempts to do so.

Interestingly, it hasn't been a problem (running over an end) in the middle sections where two different grits join.


----------

