Sander question

[GrampaJim]

Looking for the pros  cons of the Flat master vs a regular drum sander for scroll saw and intarsia.  Obviously $$$ is one.  Thanks in advance.

[Dave Monk]

8 hours ago, GrampaJim said:

Looking for the pros  cons of the Flat master vs a regular drum sander for scroll saw and intarsia.  Obviously $$$ is one.  Thanks in advance.

I've never owned a flat master sander but I would never give up my drum sander. I inlay a lot of boxes and the drum sander works great for cleaning them up. I also resaw a lot of wood and the drum sander works great after that. Most of the things I make are small so a 16-32 works great. I thought about a bigger one but they take more paper. Two years ago I bought a Super Max. The best thing it had going for it was the wixey digital thickness scale. A few months ago it shot the craps. It took a week before tech support called me back. I use it every day so needless to say I was pissed off.  Meanwhile I went ahead and ordered a new Jet. Got the part to fix the Super Max and sold it. 

 

What do you think you would use the Flat Master for?

[GrampaJim]

From the videos on Youtube it looks like it can do everything the drum sander can, so I would use it to flatten boards and remove fuzzys on fretwork.  I can flatten longer boards on my planer, but that is a pain and a lot of setup time. - And I can't flatten short pieces.

[barb.j.enders]

I have the flatmaster but don't use it as often as I thought I would.  Mostly because it is in a very inconvenient location in the shop.  I have used it to flatten boards.  

[Gonzo]

On 7/20/2022 at 7:59 AM, barb.j.enders said:

I have the flatmaster but don't use it as often as I thought I would.  Mostly because it is in a very inconvenient location in the shop.  I have used it to flatten boards.  

Are you happy with it when you use it?  I too have been looking at drum sanders and the flat sander seems pretty economical 

[barb.j.enders]

Overall I am happy with it.  It just takes more passes than I think is should!  I am an impatient person though.

[ChelCass]

I have a flat sander and a spindle sander.  I use the flat sander the most and I really like it.  Hubby snitched my flat sander so I just recently bought one at a auction for my shop.  You can never have too many sanders so maybe watch Marketplace or your local online auctions for a sander or two.