Drum Sander

One thing I'd add here, I got the small pack of assorted sanding drums & bands from screwfix for a measly £11 or so. I only use them in my cheapy pillar drill; I have found them extremely helpful and good value. I only do smaller stuff so that may be why they have not given me any issues - I'd imagine larger items might cause me some head scratching though! Given the price, I accept the limitations they have, but they have been my number one bargain so far.

They surely do and they surely can be! ;O)

Take Care, Gnube {too thick for linux}

Thanks for your response... Ahh - yes I understand vertical drum sanders - they were talking about large horizontal machines. I guess like the Axminster one you indicated. I think they were probably talking about larger professional machines.

Any idea of the Pros/Cons of different mfgrs and what to consider when purchasing? Thanks, Roy

Good article in FWW some time ago.

They all seem to work pretty well. The difference is in how easy to set up they are, how easy to change belts, and how accurate for horizontal alignment.

Some are cantilevered, some closed frame. The obvious diffference is that an open-ender can be used to double the width by turning the board. You need to set the drum slightly upward-pointing to do this, to avoid a step along the center.

The Performax 16/32 seems well regarded at the cheap end. This machine pops up under other names too.

For any power sanding, get good abrasives. CSM Abrasives are my favourite supplier - a huge great catalogue, full of different sorts of sandpaper. The anti-static coatings are well worth having, to avoid clogs.