LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Drum Sanders questions/issues

3K views 25 replies 9 participants last post by  jgt1942 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have found several postings regarding drum sanders but so far I have not found answers to questions I have.
I currently have a Delta Drum Sander 31-255X and I'm far from happy with it. However, I'm about to make some changes/upgrades to it and hopefully, it will resolve my issues.

Often as I'm sanding the drum will stop rotating and the belt is slipping. My first attempt to resolve the issue is to replace the belt, this has been ordered and should arrive this week. I ordered the belt from https://www.biedlers-belts.com/ The current belt is well used and has slipped numerous times. If this does not resolve the issue I will try changing the pullies and belt to a synchronous-belt and pully system. I'm assuming I can get the pullies of the correct diameter. I'm not going to worry about this until I test with the new belt.

Currently turning the crank to move the table up/down is much harder than it should be. I've completely disassembled the sander and lubed the corner post. All corner posts seem to turn freely when I rotate them with the belt removed. A few years ago I was able to use another identical unit and it was very easy to raise and lower the table by turning the crank. Any suggestions?

I've ordered and received a kit from Grizzly to convert to a Hook and Loop for the drum, see https://www.grizzly.com/products/Grizzly-Hook-Loop-Conversion-Kit-for-Model-G1066R-and-G1079R/H5037. I'm now waiting on the sandpaper I've ordered (3M Hookit Purple Clean Sanding Sheet Roll 334U, 30701, P600, 70 mm x 12 m, see https://www.amazon.com/3M-30701-Hookit-Purple-Sanding/dp/B005RN7WDI/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=3m+34442&qid=1603727188&sr=8-1) before installing the conversion kit.

Ultimately if I cannot resolve the issues I will be in the market for a new drum sander.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
I have had one of these for several years without any problems. I use it mostly for end grain cutting boards so it takes a lot of shallow passed on that hard wood grain to get a smooth finish which I usually still have to clean up fine scratches with a random orbital sander.

My biggest complaint is the sand paper mounting clips which are difficult to use and easy to bend out of shape. I like your idea of hook and loop which I may look into.

I looked at the 3M paper and I would be concerned about those tear off sections coming apart on the drum type sander.

As far as the table asjustment I would have to suggest reviewing the manual to see if there is some misalignment that you missed.
 
#4 ·
Your corner posts don't use a chain?

Generally machines with moving tables use a chain to keep the sprockets moving in lockstep. If one of the sprockets is set to the wrong tooth, one corner could be low or high and that could cause a problem.

There have been a lot of reports of difficult issues with those Delta sanders.
 
#7 ·
When you had it apart, you checked the corner screws to the table, but did you turn the crank without the belt on to see if it moved freely?

- Fred Hargis
Yes, I did check the crank without the belt and it did turn freely. Before installing the belt I also ensured that all four corner screws were at the same height using a digital caliper.
 
#8 ·
Your corner posts don t use a chain?

Generally machines with moving tables use a chain to keep the sprockets moving in lockstep. If one of the sprockets is set to the wrong tooth, one corner could be low or high and that could cause a problem.

There have been a lot of reports of difficult issues with those Delta sanders.

- Loren
Mine has a toothed belt (I'm not sure what to call this type of belt) that slides over a toothed gear/wheel attached to each corner screw. Also, in the path of the belt is a tension adjuster.
 
#9 ·
Yesterday I received two new belts to drive the motor to drum. Only one is used, I ordered the other as an extra.
I tested today and it seems that it drives the drum better and it seems that I had less binding, e.g. the drum would stop rotating BUT I did encounter one stoppage. It seems that the depth of cur MUST be very shallow and a slow feed speed should be used.

Thus the new belt did NOT resolve the issue.

I'm now leaning toward getting a new drum sander.
I've seen some great reviews for the SuperMax, see https://supermaxtools.com/products/wood/19-38-drum-sander-71938-d/

I've not look to see what else is available, I'm open for suggestions.
 
#10 ·
I have none past the Supermax. I had sold my Delta, and went without for maybe 6 years, then a need for a DS popped up again. I went straight to the Supermax 19/38, and frankly it's way ahead of the Delta in terms of features and quality. My biggest complaint if that Laguna moved the production overseas, so it's not USA made anymore. Even so, the one I have is very good.
 
#11 ·
Thanks, Fred, I'm sold on the Supermax 19-38. Currently, there is a small sale where I can get about 10% off. I'm looking at the 19-38 with the DRO and infeed/outfeed tables.

After a bit of research, I think the Wixey WR510 Digital Planer Readout and the DRO offered by Laguna are the same. Can anybody confirm this? I found one source the Wixey at https://www.tigersupplies.com/Products/Planer-Digital-Readout__WIXWR510.aspx?invsrc=adwords_ts&gclid=CjwKCAjw0On8BRAgEiwAincsHAX7Ca7HcERAz_MF4VBpxyR9fBZjSmU4qLYZnw2k4nY-zCPPearjWxoCT9sQAvD_BwE for $53 BUT I think it does NOT include two brackets. I don't think it would be very difficult to make the brackets. Any suggestions?
 
#13 ·
Thanks, Fred, I m sold on the Supermax 19-38. Currently, there is a small sale where I can get about 10% off. I m looking at the 19-38 with the DRO and infeed/outfeed tables.

After a bit of research, I think the Wixey WR510 Digital Planer Readout and the DRO offered by Laguna are the same. Can anybody confirm this? I found one source the Wixey at for $53 BUT I think it does NOT include two brackets. I don t think it would be very difficult to make the brackets. Any suggestions?

- jgt1942
No idea, I was unaware that Laguna offered a DRO. So I searched it and found one…it was clearly labeled "Wixey" on the front vertical bar.
 
#15 ·
You mentioned switching to hook and loop. I have a DIY DS and went with hook and loop. It was a mistake. It works fine for end grain, but for surface sanding if you do not have very consistent feed it will make a dip in the work where it pauses or slows.
 
#16 ·
You mentioned switching to hook and loop. I have a DIY DS and went with hook and loop. It was a mistake. It works fine for end grain, but for surface sanding if you do not have very consistent feed it will make a dip in the work where it pauses or slows.

- TDominy
This is interesting feedback and has me thinking I don't want to do this. On my current Delta I DO NOT have HnL and don't always get a nice flat surface, I think it sounds like what you have encountered. Because of all the other issues I've not look for a solution. So far what I have been sanding was not critical and I just lived with the issue also I assumed it was related to the poor performance of the sander.

I might take a closer look and see if I can resolve this but at this time I have too many projects and cannot take on another one. However, I will NOT install HnL on the Supermax until I do more research. Much thanks for the FB.
 
#17 ·
I recently bought a Superman 16/32. I take it there has been an upgrade has the DRO built in.

What I'm most impressed with is the dust collection.

- Robert
I just looked and you are correct, see https://lagunatools.com/classic/sanders/16-32/ On this page under Features it states "Built-in DRO (digital read out): maintain material thicknesses to increase accuracy and quality."
 
#18 ·
I just talked to a Laguna tech rep. Yes, the 16-32 does come with the DRO. Other than the bigger size of the 19-38 which has a cast iron frame and the 16-32 is a cast alum frame. I'm now questioning if the 19-38 is worth the near $500 cost difference.
 
#19 ·
In the discussion with the tech rep I ask about the HnL sandpaper. He said they had tested with it and "sometimes" it did produce a wavey surface and he suspected it was because the HnL was not tight on the drum and felt that it would be a good choice assuming you ensured it was tight on the drum. He was not aware of why they don't offer it as an option.

It would be very interesting to hear from other users that have used HnL. At this time I'm on the fence. I have ordered some 80 grit HnL but I can use it as regular sandpaper on the drum after cutting the ends. I'll test on my Delta if I have not ordered and received the Supermax.
 
#20 ·
You mentioned switching to hook and loop. I have a DIY DS and went with hook and loop. It was a mistake. It works fine for end grain, but for surface sanding if you do not have very consistent feed it will make a dip in the work where it pauses or slows.

- TDominy
TDominy - Do you know if you had the HnL tight on the drum?
Did you tape both ends of the drum with fiber-reinforced tape after applying the sandpaper to ensure the sandpaper did not come off at the ends?
Did you run the HnL in the direction opposite the velcro backing?
Is the backing material on the drum firmly attached with no areas not attached? It is easy to get an air bubble trapped when applying the material.
 
#21 ·
In the discussion with the tech rep I ask about the HnL sandpaper. He said they had tested with it and "sometimes" it did produce a wavey surface and he suspected it was because the HnL was not tight on the drum and felt that it would be a good choice assuming you ensured it was tight on the drum. He was not aware of why they don t offer it as an option.

It would be very interesting to hear from other users that have used HnL. At this time I m on the fence. I have ordered some 80 grit HnL but I can use it as regular sandpaper on the drum after cutting the ends. I ll test on my Delta if I have not ordered and received the Supermax.

- jgt1942
I had a Grizzly 18" very similar to your Delta. One of the first changes I made was to add HnL. It not only made the sanding belt install easy it improved the quality of the sanding. This was primarily due to the cushion that HnL adds. It eliminated belt burns and rarely developed any buildup on the belts. because of this the belts lasted much longer between changes. I never regretted the HnL. However I had constant problems with the feed belt and never made it through a session without having to screw with the tracking. I dealt with the problems for about 12yrs. Last year I scrapped that sander and bought the Supermax 16-32. The smaller size fits my shop better and it has performed great without any problems. The belts are much easier to change, I like the DRO, and the quick height adjustment and dust collection are wonderful. I wish I had made the switch long ago.
 
#22 ·
I had a Grizzly 18" very similar to your Delta. One of the first changes I made was to add HnL. It not only made the sanding belt install easy it improved the quality of the sanding. This was primarily due to the cushion that HnL adds. It eliminated belt burns and rarely developed any buildup on the belts. because of this the belts lasted much longer between changes. I never regretted the HnL. However I had constant problems with the feed belt and never made it through a session without having to screw with the tracking. I dealt with the problems for about 12yrs. Last year I scrapped that sander and bought the Supermax 16-32. The smaller size fits my shop better and it has performed great without any problems. The belts are much easier to change, I like the DRO, and the quick height adjustment and dust collection are wonderful. I wish I had made the switch long ago.
- Bob5103
Bob, much thanks for the FB, you answered one question for me that I never ask regarding the Grizzly. I was looking at them but could not find a good fit for me. The Supermax 16-32 or 19-38 is a better fit for me. The Delta that I currently have is almost 19", so far I've not used the full width in one pass, mainly because it is necessary to make a super light pass where I rotate the crank 1/8 of a turn. A few months ago I did a project where the finished board was 25" wide, it was made from 2×4s and 2×6s which had been planned and sanded as individual pieces. I then glued them up and just used my ROS on the glued up boards. I did not even think of doing it with the Delta (DUH….).

Changing the belt on the Delta is a royal pain! It is good to hear that the belts are easy to change. This would make it easy to start with coarse grit and move up to a finer grit.

On the Supermax I'm enthralled with the INTELLISAND Technology: Automatically adjusts conveyor speed based on load. This has been one of my major issues with the Delta.
 
#23 ·
You mentioned switching to hook and loop. I have a DIY DS and went with hook and loop. It was a mistake. It works fine for end grain, but for surface sanding if you do not have very consistent feed it will make a dip in the work where it pauses or slows.

- TDominy

TDominy - Do you know if you had the HnL tight on the drum?
Did you tape both ends of the drum with fiber-reinforced tape after applying the sandpaper to ensure the sandpaper did not come off at the ends?
Did you run the HnL in the direction opposite the velcro backing?
Is the backing material on the drum firmly attached with no areas not attached? It is easy to get an air bubble trapped when applying the material.

- jgt1942
I have done all of that but the wrapping opposite of the hook wrap. The waviness is not in one spot, it is across the work piece.
 
#24 ·
I have done all of that but the wrapping opposite of the hook wrap. The waviness is not in one spot, it is across the work piece.
- TDominy
You have a very interesting problem and I'm out of suggestions.
I've watched several videos about adding HnL to a drum sander and all seem to be issue free.

Saturday I talked to Glen at the Raleigh Woodcraft, he has the Supermax 19-38 he does NOT have HnL but did say that the sandpaper is very easy to change (this is one of the reasons I was thinking about using HnL) and he has started with coarse grit and worked his way up to fine grit for the finish. With my current Delta changing the belt is a royal pain.

Currently Woodcraft only has a demo Supermax, I'm going to call them and see if they will sell it to me. I'm not sure if it is a 16-32 or 19-38.
 
#26 ·
I'm not sure when I ordered my SuperMax 19-32 from Rockler but I'm finally getting it assembled. My son and grandson will help me set it on the stand. I'm a bit too old and no longer strong enough to lift almost 200 lbs, even with help, I'll let them do all the heavy lifting!

I finally gave up on the Delta 31-255X. I did convert it to HnL and did one project with it. The HnL was destroyed, I have not idea as to why. Also, I had to make very light passes, e.g. less than 1/4 turn. I'm bouncing between a few projects and it may be a day or so before my son/grandson can help me with the SuperMax. No problem, I have a lot of other things to do.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top