A New Tool

[Sycamore67]

I finally ordered a drum sander.  I am getting the Supermax 16-32 and will pick it up this week.  It will be nice especially for preparing thin wood.  I typically will resaw a board and then use a planer.  With the drum sander it will be easier to get thin woods like 1/8" or 3/16" wood. It does make a lot of dust so a good dust collector is needed.  I have been looking at this for a long time and the CFO finally approved it.

 

[Scrappile]

Congratulations,,, I would love to have one.  Maybe some day.

[meflick]

Congratulations on your new toy err tool.   Glad the CFO saw things your way.  We got one a while back.  I really like it.

[oldhudson]

Congrats. I'm sure it will be an excellent friend in the shop. On my Bucket List I have a item that reads "Make a drum sander...."

[Phantom Scroller]

Neat sander automation works for me. Roly

[Scrolling Steve]

Congrats !.....Enjoy  !

[new2woodwrk]

Nice - I'm jealous and I have no room for something like that :(

[amazingkevin]

On 3/26/2018 at 6:36 PM, Sycamore67 said:

I finally ordered a drum sander.  I am getting the Supermax 16-32 and will pick it up this week.  It will be nice especially for preparing thin wood.  I typically will resaw a board and then use a planer.  With the drum sander it will be easier to get thin woods like 1/8" or 3/16" wood. It does make a lot of dust so a good dust collector is needed.  I have been looking at this for a long time and the CFO finally approved it.

 

Lucky you! Enjoy!

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

That is the tool I use the most in my shop besides the tablesaw. I mill my own lumber and I have one of the original Performax 16/32 sanders and love it. Could not be without. You do have to remember though this is a sander and not a planer so little at a time is the way to go. I have my shop vac hooked to mine. 2-1/2" hose. Easy to clean and I have 2 micron  filters and when one gets to the point I can not shake the dust from I just take outside and hose it off and replace with the next and keep rotating them and they have been through many of BF of wood. I buy the rolls of sandpaper and cut my own. I use the piece I take off as the template and go from there. Good luck and that is a beauty. 

[Sycamore67]

My Supermax 16-32 requires 600 cfm and I will hook it to my 5 hp cyclone.

I will be using it as a final touch up after planing. It will be really good for making some thinner woods for projects.

[tgiro]

You will find the Supermax to become one of your "Where have you been all my life" tools. I installed that same machine a little over a month ago and I have used it almost every day I spend in the shop. It replaced a planer that got used once or twice every three months.

Look to Klingspor for rolls of paper for it. They are a lot cheaper than the Supermax boxed rolls and Supermax gets their sandpaper rolls from Klingspor.

[RabidAlien]

Nice!!!!  One of these days, when I save up my allowance and grow up (yeah...never gonna happen!) and get an actual SHOP (garages are great....but small...), this is on my list.  Anyone got a winning Powerball ticket they're willing to donate?  LOL

 

Slightly-related-but-possibly-off-topic question....I've heard/seen Youtube videos where various dust/shaving-producing tools are discussed, and several have talked about the byproducts (ie, dust/shavings) and mentioned that they're GREAT for spreading on lawns/gardens.  Is there any truth to this?  I would be worried about any chemicals in the wood leeching into the soil and killing the valuable plants (weeds seem to be immune to all forms of anti-weed treatment, up to flamethrowers).  Just curious about this aspect, as I have the least green thumb of anyone on the planet and have been known to even kill plastic plants in my time.

[Sycamore67]

I just dump the stuff from my dust collector in a place I do now want things to grow.  A couple of inches deep and the weeds die.  I do notice that after the stuff sits for a month or so the birds start digging in it.  My guess is that grubs and bugs like the sawdust and are very tasty for the birds.  This becomes a unique compost pile that turns itself over.

If airplane or sand walnut, I am careful where I put the shavings. 

[Scrappile]

About spreading shaving, there are two concerns that I am aware of.  Some wood chips/dust are not good for the garden if you want to grow things, i.e., Walnut.  Least that is what I have always heard.  It supposedly has something in it that retards growth of other things.  Maybe true, maybe not.  And, I know from experience that sawdust/chips attract termites.  I use to dump mine out in a field and I was out there once, stirred up some of the emptying from my dust collector and it was full of termites!.. Glad I didn't dump it close to my house or other buildings.

[RabidAlien]

Well, that answers that question, then!  Thanks Scrappile and Sycamore67!