I just finished building one based on your plans, but with one major and cost saving change....it sits atop my table saw and the drum drive is the table saw motor. Complete with built in belt tightener!! My 4400 rpm saw motor required 1.5 inch drive pulley and a 4 inch driven pulley.
This is a really neat homemade machine. Strikes me that rather than "two-stage" it is more of a combo machine, analogous to a combination jointer-planer, face or edge jointing on top and thicknessing below by raising/lowering the table. It does use a wide drive belt though like a drum sander instead of feed rollers like a planer. Great idea and execution. Cool!
Now that I have essentially completed the build (I still have to attach the feed-table micro-adjustment component) I am able to comment and offer some suggestions and observations. It took me a couple of weeks, but not solid. I terms of actual dedicated time, I would say it would take maybe one week, depending on the tools you have and your skill level. If you have access to a 3d-plastic printer, please consider printing the drum-plugs. They will come out perfectly centered and aligned (to the degree possible, considering the PVC pipe variability in dimension). Even using the printed plugs I still needed to "tune" the drums to bring them into round and get rid of the vibrations. In the plans I received (and believe to be up-to-date), the feed table dimensions are incorrect. I built the feed table and went to put on the 20x48" feed belt and quickly discovered that the table was too long! As listed in the plans I had, the belt length would have had to be at least 52" long. Fortunately, Iwas able to just cut a couple inches off the table boards and made the belt fit. However, in doing this, I discovered that the slots in the sides that are meant to give you access to the belt tension/alignment adjustment nuts are no longer in the correct location. I had to cut the side slots wider to be able to access the adjustment nuts. An observation: the 1/4" threaded rod used in the feed table drums may be better replaced with a 5/16" or 3/8" diameter rod. I noticed a fair bit of flex in the 1/4" rod which makes turning the feed table crank a bit iffy! I am also not convinced that using threaded rods were the best idea in this machine. I have a metal lathe so I removed the thread on the drum-shaft and used a smaller diameter bearing (on one side - but I plan to do so on the other when I have the chance). Doing this really got rid of a lot of vibrations and wobbles in the drum as it turns.
I had the same problem with the feed table length. You would think they would correct this in the plans, as well as a couple of other mistakes and incomplete sections.
After a great deal of work on this project I wanted to pass along my observations. I think it would be wise for one to check out some items very closely prior to getting too far involved in this project. The plans are great, very detailed and extrememly helpful. What I did not know (and wish I had) was that 3/4" all thread recommended for the center shaft for the roller drums is NOT 3/4" in diameter. It was at one time, but after the threading took place, it no longer was. So what? you might say.... the bearing races and the pulleys that you buy for the project will indeed, be exactly 3/4" inside diameter and when you attempt to tighten the set screws, you will find that they will cause the shaft to rotate off center. Also, I had to go through several pieces from one of the big box stores to get one that was reasonable straight. I say reasonably because about .0010" was as close to straight as I could find. Now we take that and the .0010" to .0015" variance between the shaft size and the pulley and bearing race inside diameters and a lot of fun getting everything to settle down and balance. Be fully prepared to put a lot of work into this part of the project. The rest of it was really very straightforeward, but the rollers!....
Thx, I might get the Flatmaster DIY drum kit to avoid all those problems you pointed out along with Stumpy's plans. There is a RU-vid channel called Creative Woodworking Ideas that motorized the bottom conveyor belt which was pretty slick.
Been away from this project for several months and finally getting back. After the problems I ran into listed above, I went to a steel store and bought a piece of cold rolled 3/4" rod, that fit my bearings perfectly. I then ordered a 3/4" ID x 4" OD pulley from Amazom and it was not only perfectly round, it fit the insided of the 4" PVC perfectly and the 3/4" rod as well. I immediately ordered two more. My next goal is to figure out a way to secure the PVC to the pulleys and perform the final assembly. More to follow!
Holy crap, first on a Stumpy Nubs video! My life is complete! :) Brilliant idea for the drum sander, don't know why I haven't seen the build videos but I'll check them out. Looks like you gave me another reason to keep from making projects to give away or sell, need to make a drum sander first.
Just found this channel and it is yet another awesome channel I'll end up binge watching when I should be making more sawdust and staining my fingers for the Christmas hustle.
First of all: Great Built!If you make the disks to fit into the drum first without a center hole, you can use a center finder to accurately mark the center of the disk, push it out and then drill it exactly in the center of the drum. If you do one side at a time and make index marks (with a pen) so the disk will be installed in the original position you can make a drum which will not require much balancing at all. To make the center finder, first built a wooden square and attach a straight line at the halfway angle. The square does not have to be perfect 90°, as long as the straight edge bisects the angle of the square. A miter saw an easily be used to built one of these device on the cheap. Or you can buy one.
Although this is not an easy build the end result is well worth the effort. The new video was a great help but not as amusing as the original (lol). Thanks for making these plans available.
Brilliant. I have a jet drum sander with a fried motor. I am going to incorporate your ideas with my existing jet parts, otherwise I would buy your plans. I will certainly keep you in mind on my next machine build. Yankee ingenuity at its finest. Thank you.
Just a few thoughts on building this sander. If you are inexperienced in shop work or have mainly hand tools then this project probably isn't for you. I have a decent wood shop stocked with most of the tools a wood worker could ever need. Hand and power tool. Plus i have a metal mill And lathe. I have many years experience as a carpenter and as a trained machinist. I have found this to be a rather difficult build for several reasons. 1. The instructions are sometimes vague and ambiguous. Sometimes what i was reading didn't always match up with what i was seeing. Double check everything. 2. Some of the hardware listed for the job i feel is very questionable. The 3/4" threaded rod along with the 3/4" ID bearings is problematic. The O.D. of the threaded rod is actually almost .030" smaller than the ID of a 3/4" bearing. This would make for a lot of vibration at 1750 rpm. I opted for 3/4" cold rolled steel shaft. This gives a nice snug fit in the bearing. I used steel bushings in the disks to keep everything concentric. For the drive transfer I simply used a cotter pin. 3. The biggest negative i ran across was the dimensions given for the drive table boards was WRONG! By 3.5 inches! It almost cost the whole project to be scrapped. The width was right but the length was wrong. Luckily i caught the mistake before the glue set up. I went back to the materials list and checked all the dimensions. Everything was right according to the plans but the assembly was wrong. I finally determined i had to cut 3.5 inches off the length of each board get the correct spread. There was no mention anywhere of a different length needed from what was stated in the materials list. This is a serious error and should have been corrected in the plans. 4. The web address Stumpy gives for questions and corrections unable to access. I emailed but got no response. There you have it. I am almost done with the build and have had many frustrations. It will be a very functional piece of equipment for me. Not everyone will be capable of building it. Final thoughts: it is done and I can offer a full review. I have no doubt that my modifications are a serious upgrade. It operates very smoothly and vibration free. I built a dust collector for the top instead of the top sander. For me this made more sense. It took two months of on again off again time to build. This was mostly due to my modifications adding time and also difficulty finding parts. Hardware stores aren't what they used to be. I will recommend building this sander but take your time and think things through. The build instructions are sometimes vague and full of disclaimers.
I'm thinking of building this for our hackspace (we have a lunchbox thicknesser which is useful, but a thickness sander would be even more useful). I'm pretty sure there must be some kind of jig I can come up with to use the top table to sand compound radiuses on guitar fingerboards too.
Now you do realize that if actual companies build this thing you had better get it copyrighted or you will lose money because they will go for around $1000.00 or better. Just a tip from a guy who studied Criminal Justice and got a Master's degree so a lot of law was involved in that process. See you later James and nice to see you still putting out videos for free :)
Patent, not copyright. The video and plans can be copyrighted (and automatically are), but the planer (correction: sander) itself would need to be patented if Stumpy wanted design protection.
Well, I didn't think I'd be watching a video like this today, but I'm looking at getting a new table saw and thinking about what I could do with the motor from the one I have. Big question: You cut down the sanding belt made for the Jet sander from 27 to 24. Is there any reason the plans couldn't be altered to have a 27 inch wide feed?
I still think a motorized feeder mechanism would be a great addition. It would be perfect if the design allowed the hand crank to be used at first, allowing the crank to be detached and replaced with a motorized attachment.
Why have I never thought about the sandpaper board to balance it? I tried to attach a board on the back side of the drum and use lathe tools to straighten it... One thing that might have to be mentioned is filing the gap in the top table to conform around the curve in the drum. I could never get the drum to protrude enough to touch anything until doing so.
I must. Say. You. Really stepped. Up. The. Build on the sander. With more. Good. Features. And. Bells. And whistles. It. Is. Quite. A. Bit. More. Complex. On the build. With. Your. Videos. And. Attention. To details. It looks like. A competent. An experienced. Wood worker. Should be. Able. To make. One. As well The. Reality. Is that most. People. That. Will. Need or desire. This type of a machine. Should have the skills and knowledge to build it. I. Do think. The. Idea of a two. Stage. Capability is. A mery smart. Idea. And A. Simplified. Hand. Crank. Was. Also. Very. Smart also.! Let’s. Face. It. Someone. Could. Easily. Add. A. Variable. Speed. Drill. Easily. If they. Wante to upgrade. To a a power. Feeder. If. Needed for some. Reason like. A large. Job.or ? All the adjustments. You. Built. Into. This. Machine. Has really. Taken. Your designs. Into. A new. Dimension And higher level. Of. Quality. Ive. Watched. You videos. And. Have seen. Tremendous amounts. Of improvements. Over. The. Time you have had the channel. Running i. Will. Admit. You. Have. Taken. The. Journey. Of. Going. From. Entertainment. To. Professional. Advisor. Over. Time. And. That’s a good thing. As. RU-vid. Is a. Source. Of. Expert. Advice. On many. Subjects. These. Days. And. With. Todays. Youth ! I. Have a younger cousin. I speak with. Almost everyday. And he. Tells me. About. The many. Things. He accomplishes. From the. Videos. He has watched. Ranging. From. Fixing. AirConitioners , operating. Tools, home an auto. Repair. You name. It ? Its. Obvious the guy is handy and. Willing. To. Try. New things which. I am somewhat similar i. Hope you keep. Putting. Out. More. Videos. On. This type and quality. Of machinery. As your. Engineering. And. Quality. Has. Gone to. Amuch higher. Level in my. Opinion. Your channel. Has or is reaching. A. Higher. Level tha many. Of the. Other. Woodworking ones that have. Been around.
I am interested in building this drum sander. Never used a drum sander and so want to now. Couple of questions. About how much in parts/materials did it cost to make this? How long did it take you to make it? How is hand cranking the material in the bottom actually sanding the wood? I did not see the top spindle spinning so while you were cranking to move the wood along the bottom belt, I can only assume it slides the wood along the bottom of the spindle on top? I do not see how that makes for good sanding. But then again, I am new to drum sanding. All drum sanders I have seen have the spinning spindle at top and a conveyor type belt sliding the wood piece through a spinning spindle.
Do you have or have you seen the SandFlea? Your topside sander reminds me of one I saw on the previous Shopsmith videos, “Hands Online”. I do on occasion have 2” by 18-20” wide by many feet long English walnut I need to sand. I have a Shopsmith with the PowerPro motor so reverse, speed etc is not a problem. So - the SandFlea type would be appropriate for smaller material and the bottom - with drum would be appropriate. I’ve read the SandFlea gave horrible results yet you have one very similar. What is your feeling? I’d be delighted to purchase plans if they’re available. Thanks, John
Could you potentially use a variable speed router motor in this (running in the 2-2.25 HP range) and then use gearing or different sized pulleys and belts to slow it down enough for the sander? Just a thought I know it would take some major differences in gear sizes to make it slow enough.
Rather than trimming the feed belt to fit the drum sander, is it possible to just make the sander wide enough to accommodate the feed belt?? This would also allow you to sand a wider piece of wood.
I watched one of your videos and you talked about maybe updating you drum sander. Is this the updated one or is another one yet to come? Love this one and thinking about trying to build it. But...if you have thoughts of another one, I'll gladly wait.
I have a project that involves planing a lot of ash. Since the grain is anything but straight, there is a lot of tear-out. I'm hoping building a sander like this would reduce the tear-out. Oh, and btw, the background music on the first video was pretty good. How is Mike doing?
James, AKA Stumpy, nicely done. Makes it pretty straight forward. On my current todo, even though I've got the old plans somewhere, and a nice leeson 1.5 hp motoer.
How wide do you think I can make the sander? What I'd really like is a 19" open-ended drum sander for but for economy purposes this may suffice if I can make it wide enough. Thanks for all your helpful vids! cheers
Looks like a great drum sander...Just bought the plans and have started gathering parts.....I'm in Canada and am have a challenge finding a feed belt....Depending on what I find is there any reason to cut down a wider belt rather than expanding the width of everything else in the sander.?
hello Paul i purchase mine at Highland hardware Atlanta but after my purchase in find some in Canada at KMS tools.com they have some 48'' 1/2 x 24 '' you have to cut anyway there ref # SB-244812120CS311Y hope it not late regard
@@timothysteadham331 if you buy everything including the motor brand new everything not including sandpaper is 300 to 350 unless you are able to get the motor on sale. most woodworkers will also have at least some of the hardware on hand as well so that would cut it down. hope im not too late to help you out with this.
In the additional materials list it lists 3 - 20" x 4" PVC pipes. Step 37 refers to 3 - 20 1/4" x 4" PVC pipes. Which is correct. Just starting with this project! :-)
I noticed that too. I cut the drum pipe to 20 1/4" and the feed belt pipe to 20". I honestly don't know which is right; but I don't think it will make much difference.
@@saywhaat8933 Probably about $150. The feed belt, the sandpaper, the bearings (I used self-aligning bearings), and slotted track, I bought off amazon. I had the wood, most of the fasteners, the threaded rod and nuts, and the motor already. I'm essentially done with it. It's a good design for the most part. Having all those adjustable features makes it work, but you will have to fiddle with it! I haven't used it much yet; just a test run to try things out. Honestly, I can't imagine that I will use the top table much. I built a 2x72" belt grinder last year (Jeremy Schmidt's design) and already had a 6x48" belt sander that I use a lot. I think the drum sander feature in this machine is what I will use the most. I hope the drums hold out. I am already thinking of some modifications to make this run smoother. I don't like using the threaded rod in the bearings; I suspect it causes some wobble.
@@markgarrett2971 Honestly, I don't find myself using it! I just haven't been doing the kind of work where I need a drum sander. I can say that I don't think the feed rollers are sturdy enough. I think mine are slipping and will probably need to dismantle and remediate the issue. Also, with regard to the adjustment to raise and lower the feed there is really nothing to keep the feed table parallel (side to side) with the drum, which can lead to an uneven thickness on the piece you are sanding.
Drum Rotation Direction - Does the drum rotate with or against the feed? Hard to tell and getting ready to select a motor that states CCW and not reversible. Thanks Warren
I loved the dumb jokes in the original video! Had to be a lot of work though. But very well done. I found a pretty good source for bearings. If you have a Fastenal store in your area, they have a pretty wide variety, good quality and good customer service. When I worked at Lowe's I referred several customers there. I had to replace one of the shaft bearings in my lathe about five years ago, and it's still going strong.
I'm trying to figure out what the oval holes in panels A & D are for. One is 2x2.5 inches and the other is 2x2.625. What are they for and why are they different sizes?
@@StumpyNubs Thanks! I bought the plans ages ago and I'm finally getting serious about building it. I spent the day modeling the panels up in Fuzion 360 'cause I want to use my CnC. I'll let you know how it goes.
I just purchased the plans (my 4th purchase from Stumpy. Question: What is the best way to cut the odd shaped cutouts? I have a 14" bandsaw and a jigsaw. I have never been any good at accurate cuts with a jigsaw.
@@StumpyNubs Thanks. I am a novice luthier. Highly figured wood just gets messed up in the planer (don't have helical cutters); this drum sander will be the solution no doubt.
@@StumpyNubs One other question: The plans call for Sch40 pvc. Did I just dream it, or did one of the videos call for Sch80 ? Maybe it was somebody else's drum sander build that called for Sch80.
Daniel Napast that's what I figured not sure why he wouldn't have it that way to begin with I get it it's the old school and style which is totally awesome I'm sure he uses to drill off camera LOL
I find the drill be unnecessary. It would be more awkward than the crank, you would have to try to run it very slow, and it would just be a pain in the butt, in my opinion.
Got the plans and 30% into the assembly. I don't have a motor so I must purchase one. I plan to get a 2HP 1750 RMP from HF. What size/dia. pulleys do you recommend for a 1750RMP motor?
Just bought the plans and now I'm curious on if it would be possible to make it into a jointer as well by placing a piece at 90 degrees on the top part. Any thoughts?
They were updated about a month ago. Send am email to me to request the new ones. Use the "contact" page on our website. You will have to provide the email address on the Paypal account you used to purchase them originally so we can verify.
Hi, OK I have the plans and am getting ready to start the build. I quick question. Regarding the 4 quarter inch holes used to set the feed table pivot point. As a violin maker, the typical pieces i will be sanding will be about 0.125 inches (or thinner). Do I need to add an additional pivot point to handle stock that thin? Thanks, Steven
Would it be possible to use a 15A universal motor from a job site table saw to power this sander or would the RPM just be too high for this application?
Does anyone have an estimate on the cost to build one of these sanders? Just wondering what material cost would be. Also, do you think it could be built in a long weekend or is it a more complicated project.
It takes about a half sheet of good plywood, a little 1/2" MDF a 3/4" rod, two 3/4" ID sealed bearings, an 18" piano style hinge, two 3/8" all-thread, a belt, a used motor, a 5" pulley, a couple of strips of 1/8 X 1 1/2" aluminum, and some misc hardware. That's off the top of my head, not a comprehensive list. But you should be able to come up with a close price depending on the cost of those things in your area.
thanks for the info! I'm going to watch the longer video and kind of gestimate how long the build would take. Then knowing me I'll double it and maybe get close.
@Stumpy Nubs i am just starting my build with your plans for this machine. i have seen some videos from others that have made this model and some were agressively loud. about how loud is your machine?
Hi James , I have bought the plans and built this dual stage drum sander and for some reason the nuts on the 3/4” thread rod will spin loose when I use the sander. Can you please tell me where I have gone wrong? Thanks
Looking for this info as well. Material prices have gone up substantially in the last 5 years, but a total material list (# of sheets, hardware, etc.) should be available in the details before purchasing the plans.
@@StumpyNubs hello sir i got it together witch way should the drum spin i have a 5 hp motor can be put in reverse if need and convert to a 110v to a 220v i am running the 110 v
Ordered plans days ago. Money went to midwestern trading company. Have not heard a word from anyone about anything yet. When can I expect any kind of correspondence about my purchase.
Download links are immediately sent to the email address on your Paypal account. When they don't arrive it is almost always because they went in the junk mail folder, or because they went to an email address you forgot was on your Paypal account, Please check both and get back to me via email: support@stumpynubs.com
I found the email, 5 attempts only. So I opened it up once already downloaded the content. Looked ove the plans. went back to look at the plans they were not there. What do I do to save the plans for use? I work with my hands not much on this computer stuff. When I open again for second time, where do I store them. To use in the shop later? Or am I too print everything out?
Wondered the same thing. Drum sanders are expensive, so I bet this is much less. However, I do still wonder, motor excluded, what the average cost of materials is.
