Question for those with drum sanders

[beachbowhunter]

I have the small Grizzly drum sander and overall I like it. Heavy duty and affordable. However, I have been having trouble getting my lams to have an even thickness all along the length (not side to side). As much as 0.005. I mentioned this to Kenny and he said he had a similar problem with smaller drum sanders due to the seam in the conveyor belt.

Has anybody else had this issue and if so, how did you solve it?

[Roy from Pa]

My drum sander doesn't have a seam in the belt. But I can see that happening.

[beachbowhunter]

What kind do you have?  I haven't looked closely at the belt since I heard that from Kenny. Never noticed a seam, but there must be some kind of connection/weld or whatever...

[LittleBen]

I would imagin if you put the lams on a sled it would fix the problem ... altought I'd also imagine you were already doing this ...

[kennym]

The seam on mine is about 8" long, you can easily see it. I marked the first end to pass into sander with 2 arrows to give me a heads up that the lam grind starting line is coming.

You still have plenty of non-seam belt to make the last pass or 2 with on a 36" lam.

You can let the sander head down and grind the belt(learned from Big Jim) , but it didn't take it all out, the seam is softer or something.

Easier to just make the last pass NOT on the seam.

Roy, I could see the seam on my baby drum, they must have changed it.

Ben, I run my parallels directly on the belt, easier and good results if you watch the seam, if you used a thick parallel sled , it would prob eliminate the prob,but its just one more thing to mess with....

[snapper1d]

Beachbower I have a grizzly also and found this same problem but solved it by making a sled to grind lams on.I use a red oak board and glued on the about 4" from the end a piece of an old lam as a stop for the lam.Well I am getting ahead of myself here.First run that board which doesnt have to be red oak it was just what I had handy at the time,run it through the sander to get it running flat and the same and then add the piece of lam on the end.You add it about 4" from the end so you dont get the snipe on the end of your lam.Then when you grind your lam it will be true to the thickness.I wish I could do a video to explain and show this.

[beachbowhunter]

Snapper, not sure what you mean. I do get a little snipe but that is not the problem.  The thickness varies before the very end. I use a plexiglass sled thinking it is about as uniform as I can get.

[Roy from Pa]

I have the G0459 12" and after Kenny told me about the seam a couple months ago, I looked very closely and I can't see a seam anywhere.

[Furtaker]

Just a thought because this happend to me.
Check the out feed roller to make sure it didn't work its way up higher than the bed.I wasted alot of wood till I found out what the problem was.

[Buemaker]

Harry Elburg once upon a time gave me a drawing of his drum sander. It was the one he mention in Traditional Bowyers of America. It was constructed as a planer with a sanding drum instead of the knife block. The pressure rollers was also acting as the feed rollers, alas no feed belt. The lams was sliding on the polished steel table like a planer. He said he could split a hair with it, no chance for dust buildup under a belt. I have not seen such a sander sold commercially. For various reasons I never had one built. Bue--.

[snapper1d]

beachbowhunter the length of the sled is what will help.Longer sled and it contacting both rollers before it hits the lam and still hitting both rollers after it gets past the lam.If you are getting that then you have something loose or even maybe a bearing with slack in it but not enough slack to make noise yet.

[bamboo]

have you run the plexiglass through?--it could vary
check the feed roller adjustments also [loose?]

also you probably know this-but you really have to sneak up on the final grind!

  with the rubber fingers on the feed belt you can't be greedy or in a hurry--the fingers deform and cause variances in the thickness of your stock
       good luck

[beachbowhunter]

I use the plexiglass for a sled. It is 1/4".

The rollers seem very tight to me, they really clamp down on the piece. Maybe I could back it off a bit.

[snapper1d]

That 1/4" plexiglass may be your problem.You need something thats hard and doesnt give.This is the reason I use a 1" thick red oak.When you make a sled run it through to true it up with your belt.Then it should work fine.

[Roy from Pa]

You need something thats hard and doesnt give.This is the reason I use a 1" thick red oak.When you make a sled run it through to true it up with your belt.Then it should work fine.

X's 2 on the Oak sled here too.

[beachbowhunter]

Kenny's theory is that the flexibility is good if the sled is true. The rollers would even out any warping....

I will look for some oak...how do you know it is square and flat?

[snapper1d]

Run it through your sander till it has ground it down smooth from end to end and it will be true. Then when you put your lam on it it will be true also when you grind on it.With that plexiglass and the rubber belt the pressure from the rollers could be flexing the plexiglass and causing your problems.That board being hard and flat it wont give any up and down.It really doesnt have to be red oak.A pine 2x4 would even do because it wouldnt flex under the pressure you are doing.Talking about this reminds me I need to call Grizzly tomorrow.Do you use the sanding belt cleaners they have.Man they sure help keep your belt clean.

[snapper1d]

By the way what thickness are the lams you are grinding?

[Roy from Pa]

I will look for some oak...how do you know it is square and flat?

You take a thicker piece of oak than what you want your sled to be. You run it through your sander taking off very little on each pass until the sander takes off wood the entire length, and you flip it over on each pass to make each side flat. That makes the sled equal thickness. Being square doesn't really matter as long as the lam you are grinding lays with in the perimeter of the sled. How do you grind for the taper? You have a pattern you lay under your lam?

[snapper1d]

Roy is dead on.Thats what I was wanting to say but couldnt explain it as well as he has.