DIY Drum Sander project

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nkwak
Posts: 650
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Pittsburgh PA suburbs

Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by nkwak »

Yes, I'm not sold on the PVC drum so I cut out a couple dozen plywood circles instead, reamed out the center and threaded them all on the rod. I've mocked it up with them only set by friction to see if it's not too out of balance. The axle is just long enough to fit in the chuck of my hand drill but I'm on the hunt for a 1HP motor and will need to narrow the drum in order to be able to fit a pulley.

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~ Neil
Bob Gleason
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Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 2:45 pm
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Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by Bob Gleason »

One of my sanders does have a solid core PVC drum and it works great. I don't think thin wall would work. Wood discs in the end with some plumbing hardware that support the 1/2" shaft. It is about 18" wide and the 1/2" shaft actually works O.K. Been running for at least the last 20 years with cheap exposed ball bearings. A 1/2 horse motor is sufficient, but I don't think it would work very well with less than that. It excels for doing bridges, nuts, saddles, and other small parts. When I used to use it for T/B/S , my finger tips were a wreck! I'm leaving the island for a few days, but I'll try to post a photo of the worlds ugliest sander when I get back. My other sander is a wide belt and it works about $7,000 better!
JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by JLT »

JLT wrote: Tue Oct 13, 2020 6:32 pm One more thing:

I found this thread on the "Official Luthiers Forum" to be invaluable:

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/view ... 01&t=31794

Well, it looks like the Luthiers Forum is defunct. You still might be able to get there via the Wayback Machine.

I've spent the last few days trying to rig up a puller for my sander, something that will take over hand-feeding the stock into the drum. It's been pretty much a waste of time so far, although I may be getting closer to an actual solution to the design process. Needing a motor that turns slowly, I started with the guts of a Jelly Belly ice shaver but found it to be too puny. Then somebody gave me an old ice cream maker that had a cracked tub, and I've scavenged the motor for that. Most of the other complications have been trying to come up with a method of gently pulling the roller down, just enough to grab the wood without straining the motor. I'll keep you all posted on the quest.

Did I say a waste of time. At least it's kept me off the streets and out of trouble.
JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by JLT »

I thought I'd post a few pictures of my pride and joy, which I've used now with good results on the back and soundboard of my latest guitar.

This is a picture of the completed sander, with dust hood in place. (Note the belt guard, made out of what was left of the side of a destroyed guitar.)
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JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by JLT »

And here's what it looks like with the dust shield gone and the sanding surface exposed.
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JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by JLT »

With the velcro-equipped sandpaper removed, here's the bare-naked drum showing the black hook velcro. The white lines are a guide to me when I affix the sandpaper.
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JLT
Posts: 296
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:13 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Re: DIY Drum Sander project

Post by JLT »

Finally, a picture of the puller I contrived to help feed the stock through the sander. The motor is actually from an ice cream maker, which already had its reduction gearing installed, and spins with the proper speed. At first, I dicked around with using a belt drive to power the puller, but it didn't have the power to do a good job. It eventually dawned on me that the motor could drive the puller directly.

It isn't a perfect solution... I still have to watch the feed carefully to make sure that the stock doesn't stall when going through the sanding surface, but at least it prevents it from rocketing backwards on me. I'm thinking of replacing the motor with something a little more powerful but still going at the right speed... maybe scavenged from an old paper shredder?
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