# 26" Of Awesome



## longgone (May 5, 2009)

You will really appreciate your drum sander. 
I bought a Jet 22-44 drum sander several months ago and I use it much more than I thought I would. I recently sanded a desktop I am building that is 37- 1/2" wide and 84" long. It took a lot of fine tuning on the sander to make the drum perfectly parallel to the conveyor. Sanded it starting with 80 grit, then 120 and finally with 220 grit paper. It cut down my sanding time tremendously. However, I still went over the top with my ROS afterwards.That was the largest piece I have run through it. I had to use outfeed and infeed rollers plus a friend to help. Mostly use it on much smaller pieces.


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## Dustin (Dec 14, 2008)

I think in the world of wide belt sanders drum sanders are underestimated! Before I talked to a few people that owned a drum I thought I was going to HAVE to buy a wide belt to handle what I needed for cabinet production but no! This one actually handles material removal better than many wide belts I've used. I just have to hit it with a ROS afterward. Saves me so much time. I was thinking about getting an open end but I can't use up time making sure everything is parallel. I just got to go. Plus I needed the 5hp because I do a ton of sanding, not just a few boards now and then.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

Wow. I can only image what that puppy could remove.
That sucker is big.

Congrats,
Steve


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## PineInTheAsh (Jun 14, 2009)

By any measure, an impressive piece of gear. 
Good review, Dustin, our genuine thanks.

Going forward, to be more relevant to all members, all reviews should always include the MSRP or the LJ's purchase cost. It would simply present a clearer picture.

Thanks,
Peter


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## ToddTurner (Apr 20, 2009)

Im with you Dustin! I bought a used Grizzly 24in a month ago and I dont think I will ever part with it! It has given my planer a rest. Noisy-not a lot. Powerful-hell yeah! you have to be careful though, it will burn the belt off and at 1750 rpm, an 8ft belt flopping around isnt pretty. I had to offload mine by myself too-from my truck which has a 6in lift kit. It slid down my ramp and landed on its feet! Scared the crap outta me! Wide belt sander? Nah. I will spend that money on rough material for my dual drum sander! I can relate to every single thing you wrote about on your sander. Enjoy, I know i sure have. And you talk about a dust monster?! You wouldnt believe till you see it. But I take mine outside because i dont have dust collection.
Todd


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I have the same model Dustin Its a big powerful machine.congrats on your new sander enjoy.


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## deeman (Dec 19, 2009)

I wish you were my neighbor. Good luck


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## SPW (Sep 15, 2013)

Hey Dustin, how about an update on the drum sander? How big of a deal do you think it is that this sander has 5hp where as most others have 3hp?


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## Dustin (Dec 14, 2008)

Well, I do cabinet working, where in my opinion 5 hp is the bare minimum in order to handle harder than average woods like hickory and maple. I prefer a double drum to a single head wide belt with the same hp rating.

In order to grow my little cabinet business I would need a far stronger, far wider sander and I think this next time it will end up being a double head wide belt.

This is not a bad unit, but it has a few maintenance issues. I have to keep a good eye on the front and back rollers to make sure they are aligned. On mine the bushings are wearing them out so they might need to be replaced. One of the rollers had a rod break loose so I need to weld it back in place.

I'm not a huge fan of Taiwan and China made machinery when used for a production shop, but it's where we all seem to start.

In the perspective of a hobbyist, this machine is by far more than you'll need. I'll probably run more lumber though it in a month than most will in the time they own their machine. It is strong, and may just replace your planer in most situations. You may do fine with a 3hp unit, but I would personally just it annoyed with anything less than a 5hp.


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## JerrySats (Jul 7, 2008)

Curious how this machine is running after a few years ?


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## Dustin (Dec 14, 2008)

@JerrySats

It has required some maintenance, usually just requiring a little welding on the roller side bars. Other than that, it has been a great machine. The only thing I'd want to replace it is a larger one.


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