Oscillating Spindle Sander questions

[Ted Soldan]

Hello. I am interested in some information from experienced users of oscillating spindle sanders. I plan to build some pedestal tables, and the legs will not be turned, but will have curves in them. Looking over my options for finishing these pieces, the OSS looks like a good candidate.

My first question is, can one attach a pattern to the piece to be finished, and just run it along the sanding drum somehow, similar to a router with a bearing end following a trim edge? If not, how would one use this machine to finish a piece with a long curve in it without getting chatter?

I have narrowed my choices do the Grizzly G1071, and the Jet JOVS-10 machines. Are there opinions out there about these machines?

Finally, could you please respond directly to me via email, rather than to this newsgroup? For some reason, my news reader can't handle the large volume of messages on this list.

Thanks in advance. [e-mail]

[Steve Wilson]

Yes, OSS is good for this.

Hmmm, not on an OSS. If you use a sanding sleave on a shaper then I guess you could add a rub collar so that you can do pattern work.

Practice and use as large a radius drum as you can.

Both are good machines but I think the Grizzly is the equal to the Jet and it's a whole lot less money. This is one of Grizzly's better machine deals.

[anthony diodati]

Agreed, because it will be going up and down. They have a deal like your talking about for a drum sander that goes in your drill press. Wood craft and Rockler IIRC. ____________________________________________________________________________ _________________ If not, how would one use this machine to finish

Practice and use as large a radius drum as you can.

Yea the larger radius the drum is the smother you will get large curves. Another thing I do, Is to sand aggressively, I will feed against the direction of rotation; at 1st. Then to help smooth a long curve, I will then feed my stock *with* the direction of rotation, Letting the drum Kind-of pull the stock past it. This tends to smooth out any possible slight "ripples" you may have . Kind-of like climb cutting with a router on climb cutting on a mill. Hope that makes sense And normally I work to a finish line.

Thanks, Tony D.

[Ehvee8or]

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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

- Arthur C Clarke

[Doug Miller]

A drum sander in the drill press leaves a bunch of parallel scratches in the workpiece. You can reduce this by moving the workpiece up and down as the drum turns, but it's tough to maintain a consistent position and angle while doing so. The OSS performs the same task by moving the drum up and down while the workpiece remains flat on the table.

-- Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?

[Greg G.]

Ehvee8or thus spake:

Although I love my DP sanding drums (best $10 I ever spent), they DO have disadvantages. I believe the primary benefits are less heat buildup and less clogging of the abrasive, a cleaner cut and less wear on your DP, which was not designed for lateral loads. IMHO.

Greg G.

[anthony diodati]

As well as more efficient use of the sanding sleeve, and a smoother finish,(no 'parallel scratches") also sands faster! Drum sanders are said to be hard on drill press bearings, Don't know that

1st hand though. Stands to reason though.

Thanks, Tony D.

[George]

You can have your kids, or the spouse perform the oscillations, cutting down on the surface burnishing, but, as noted elsewhere, your DP isn't designed to load sideways. You also have sawdust removal problems, or at least I did, even when I tried a hose through the center of the DP table and sanding cutout.

Other things, like longer drums, tilt ability, even, as in the issue of FWW that arrived today, thicknessing jigs, are possible with a dedicated machine.

I had SWMBO do the oscillations for several curved pieces one evening, and the approval for my JET the next day. When I think of all the years the kids and I suffered....

[Ehvee8or]

My SWMBO is excellent when it comes to letting me buy tools, so I probably won't even have to put her through the "Here, move this up and down for me" routine. (There's probably a joke in there somewhere).

Thanks to everyone for the responses. An OSS will probably be on my shopping list soon.

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"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"

- Arthur C Clarke