At the woodworking show in Indy this weekend, I saw a Sand-Flee drum sander, and a similar kit from a Canadian company called Stockroom supply
As I watched the demonstrations, I was thinking maybe this could be used in place of a jointer to get one face and one edge flat to reference on the planer and table saw rip fence. Seems like with a good flat table (such as 3/4 MDF with a laminate) and a fence, it should do the same job as a jointer. Also seems like it'd be safer since spinning sandpaper would give you a little scuff but not lop off fingers.
I talked to Kelly Mehler about it after one of his demos. He said I still needed a jointer, although he admitted he didn't have any experience with the Sand-Flee/V-drum sanders. I respect Kelly and enjoy his tablesaw book and DVD, but really wanted to know more about why I need a jointer over a setup like this.
Other than speed, are there other things a jointer would give me that would make it a better choice? I'm mainly thinking in terms of dimensioning rough lumber.