Homemade Shopsmith Thickness Sander, AKA: Lathe-Mounted Surface Drum Sander 

After watching this o had to subscribe to your channel. This is just what i was looking for.

DANG!! BRILLIANT!!! THANKS!!!!!

WOW! Scott, this is about the sexiest woodworking mod I have seen?

Dr. Markwood, how did you know that I needed this video this week??? I started the design phase for my drum sander this week. So I was literally clicking through all of the lathe drum sander videos this week, wishing anyone had a video that was tailored to the shopsmith! You da man. For the most part, I've got things figured out and your video cleared up most of my small questions. The big thing I want to see is your adjustment/deck actuation and how the ideal up/down adjustment should be implemented. Thanks a bunch. Exactly. The. Video. For. Me. 1000 likes

I just got a Shopsmith and I am learning a lot from your videos keep up the good work.

Legit setup Scott! Thanks for the demonstration!

Remember the power pro headstock you can reverse the direction so you can feed from the front.

Scott, Thanks for showing me again. I really like your version. I like that for wider boards. Keep up the great work you are doing. I am learning alot from you. Thank you.

Great video! Love your others too.

You are a GENIUS! this is my new favorite channel .. I cannot believe that you only have 2400 subscribers .. Your videos are ALWAYS informative and entertaining and so professionally produced. I glean some new tidbit from each video. Thank you for taking the time to produce these videos.

Looks like a great one . Looking forward to some details. Do not know how I missed it in the book, but I did. Rereading now. Thanks for all you do. Be safe, work hard ,have fun .

Great video Scott. I saw your post over on the Shopsmith forum and popped in to say hello. I also have a homemade drumsander, a bit more crude than yours, but it works and I have not needed to upgrade it yet. Your video is a helpful perspective for me to help visualize some options for my upgrade. I actually use a cardboard drum for mine and I think I will stick with that style because I have a good supply. Great channel BTW, I clicked the bell too.

You should make some plans for that sanding jig, or just a detailed build video. Thanks for your videos, they've helped me a lot. Got a ShopSmith Mk5 about a month ago, you're about the only one I can reliably go to for some of the information. Keep em comin! Thanks.

Very cool man! I had an old widow give me her husbands old Shopsmith and it came with a couple of those drums that he had made, and I've been thinking of a way to make one of those sanders with them. Thanks for the idea!!

Love this and can’t wait to get in there and make my own! Still waiting on Shopsmith to send me my new bandsaw table. Apparently they’re shipping them all out on the 20th

Nice. Honestly, I am surprised Shopsmith did not design and market essentially the very same thing you built.

I believe you had a video that you had said you were going to give plans for a thickness sander, not just the drum. Maybe I am wrong in thinking so and will stand corrected as needed. I enjoy all your ShopSmith knowledge😁😁😁. I know that the eccentric isn’t always dead on to center of headstock and was thinking about making a permanent tailstock with bearing. I would add another hub with a shaft on opposite end of drum.

Can you tell I'm catching up on viewing all your videos from the beginning to where I subscribed? Another way to do thickness sanding on a ShopSmith (and I don't remember where I saw this procedure, so I can't give credit, I may be in the Power Woodworking book supplied with a new ShopSmith): I had purchased about 7 or 8 already made drawers at a garage sale that had never seen sandpaper before and I wanted to install them in a shop cabinet on some plastic extrusion supports, and I needed them to all be the same width to fit into the existing opening. Mount the Disc Sander on the spindle, move the table over to within about an inch of the Disc, adjust the table to be slightly below the center of the disc, and mount the fence with a set screw in the left hole (the one you don't even keep a set screw in) of the front of the fence. Turn the set screw in until you have about a 32nd or slightly more of an inch of taper on the fence AWAY from the disc at the rear of the table. Adjust the fence so that the items you want to sand to the same thickness (in this case, width) are barely touching (or just not touching) the disc (choose the widest item for this adjustment). I prefer the hook and loop backed discs because they have some give and can compensate for uneven surfaces. Turn on the ShopSmith and run the item from the rear, thru the disc; you may have to back the disc away on the initial set of runs. Then turn the item 180 degrees and run it thru again. If you are still getting a lot of sanding dust, you will want to do this item again, both sides, without adjusting the spindle. Repeat this process for all the items. Then extend the spindle about a 64th of an inch, lock it down and run all the items again, repeating the process until all have a complete, smooth sanded surface on both sides. In the end, all will be exactly the same width. I only had a Model 500 at thet time (I now have most of a Model 510; a $100 find, another Model 500 for parts[?]; a $50 find [it does run]; and another Model 500 frame and power head with no motor; it was also very cheap] and you want to do this OUTSIDE, you are going to be making a LOT of dust. Didn't know anything about dust collection at that time and don't think the saw guard would even work with the 12" Disc Sander on that version (SN dates it to 1978 I believe). Incidentally, have you ever heard of anyone using a DC variable speed motor from a treadmill in a ShopSmith? It's about 1-1/2 HP and has a lot of speed control. I salvaged it to put on a drill press to get low speed for drilling metal, but it could also give you a lot lower speed for wood applications, also. I keep watching for more FREE treadmills on Craigslist.

Hi Scott, great video and I know that I am a bit late coming to the party. I have had my Mark V since 1972 and have upgraded to the Powerhead so its reversible and the need to work from the opposite side of the machine is gone. I don't really have a use for the SS anymore since over the years I have accumulated a shop full of other power tools but there are things that I do use the SS for. . it's my full size lathe when needed, my 10" bandsaw when I'm lazy and don't want to change out the 3/4" band on my 14", a 12" disk sander and definitely the horizontal boring capability, etc. I do want a drum sander but not at Supermax or Jet prices so it looks like a shop built drum sander is next on my "to do" list. I certainly like your answer to this issue. And since I got my SS in 1972, you can imagine that I have a very old volume of Christiforo's book. It's well worn and still sits on my shop shelves. Any new thoughts on the best way to create the drum it self? Still like the laminated ply solution? regards, Dave

I still to this day refer to the same edition of PTWWFE that you showed the bookmarked page (btw nice bookmark). I also have the following editions since that one, but I still like what I call the "original to me version". Also, nice mug at the end. How's Boy doing? Any future episodes of MMBC in the works?

I made one of these using Keith's Shop's idea and ran into the same problems you did with the spur drive and the wobble. Love the idea about the cast iron faceplate. Will try. But I wish you would give some info on the diameter of your drum and how you made the insert to hold the sand paper.

I can't wait until your update on sander construction. I most befinately would like some plans on its construction. The face plate is a great idea. On the drum did you construct it to use two widths side by side? I am sure I could figger out how to do it but some input would save me time and mistakes getting there. What day do you have in mind to post? Thank you again

Did you sand the drum with sand paper on the table to make it parallel to each other? Thanks for sharing, this could help me a lot on my next project thicknessing acoustic guitar tops, back Nd sides, looking forward to your follow up video.

Great Video Scott. Really liked how the drum was made. I am currently making a self contained drum sander and mounting the sandpaper on the drum was a big question on what method to use. I love the wedge method that was in your Shopsmith book, but many of my woodworker friends warned me not to use this method. My Drum is going to be turning at around 1,500 rpm.......do you think the wedge method will hold up? I see no problems, but I ask you since you have been the tried and proven user. Not sure what RPM your Shopsmith is turning and this could be a big safety factor. Thanks

The problem with a tipping table is that it limits the length of board you can do in it. On a side note, I do like the idea of using just sand paper. Much less limiting.

First of all thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and skills about shop smith tools. I really like this present video on drum sander and utilizing two graded of sand paper!! I am wondering how you can adjust the table to be parallel to the sanding disk? As a tool and die maker I enjoy perfection. Maybe by building both ends drilling the two pieces at once it may eliminate that issue? Also did you us a steamer or hot water to get your pieces to bend easily. Thanks again sir

With the drum sanding interest perhaps this would be good to show again. And how thick can the material be? I could sand 2” material no? I have the PPro so reverse/speed is no problem. I’m knocking on the door to make a drum sander. Rather than depend on me making the drum the same circumference through it’s length, knowing pvc isn’t the best, what pre-made pipe type would you suggest?

What speed range do you recommend when using the drum sander? I am in the middle of a similar build now. Thanks for the discussion.

For the Mark 7 (Power Pro version), what about running in reverse mode and what speed is recommended?

One more question. Have you ever felt the need for something to hold the workpiece securely or a drive mechanism. I 'm seeing pieces of wood flying across my basement. Thanks.

Do you sell a plan for the surfacing sander?

How many editions of"Powertool Woodworking For Everyone" were printed? What is the newest one?

Did you use any special jigs or tools to make the drum? What kind of tolerance is there on the diameter? That seems like the hardest part. Timely for me as I've been looking into the possibility of making one. I need a pretty tight tolerance over 12-15 inches but I haven't decided just what tolerance I need or if I can do it when I do decide. Thanks.

Hey Scott, I have a general shopsmith question. Do I need to return the speed control back to SLOW before turning the power off after each use?

How do I go about getting some plans to build one of those myself and how big will the shopsmith actually accommodate how wide of a drum can you make just wondering if a 26 in one would fit

What if you have the new PowerPro Headstock and you can reverse the motor wouldn't that allow you to stay on the front instead of the back?

I have yet to use the lathe (due to lack of confidence mainly) so I don't understand how you used two screw on plates one to the headstock an other to the lathe support thing.

Good morning Scott, I have the old model steel plate disk sander for the Mark V and I need desperately to build a dust collector for it. I really like the sander but I do not like the dust cloud. I have tried a number of "hacks" but none are satisfactory. Any ideas on a shop built shroud for it? I found an old dust shroud on line for $80 but I think I could probably fabricate something a lot less expensive. I have both a JET 4" dust collector and a FEIN shop vac machine. Any thoughts are appreciated

Hey, Scott. I thought you might have had a Power Pro headstock, which has the reverse function eliminating the need to feed from the back. Of course, that doesn't solve the 3/4" stock issue. Could you publish the plans for the device you created. One last thing, I'm guessing the wedge needs to sit below the surface of the sandpaper on the cylinder, right? Love your channel, Glen

I saw u did a review of the power pro head. You seemed to have liked it but I notice you now never use it was there issues with it?

Do you have a build plan for the improved design drum sander?

I made a drum sander like the one in the book. I son;t rmemver it working that well. I don';t remember what happened to it.

I want to build this. I have the book, but just wondering how you cut that v groove in the cylinder so accurately? do you run it lengthwise through the table saw somehow? Do you have plans for the final setup you are showing?

Dang - My Woodworking for Everyone edition doesn't have that thickness sander in. Please you gotta cough up the details on this. Waiting for the expose :)

Am I missing something … My 6” drum sander has a range for 1-11.2” with the quill extended and flipping the board gives me a board width of 22-23” so…as long as my board fits beneath the drum and I take minimum off, I have no real need to build an additional thickness planer? Yes/no? I measured the quill height at the furthest extension and there was no deflection. Thanks, Ken (Note: when taking the main table out and in, I found that I can misalign it be one notch on the vertical holding bar, so watch it.)

Could you take the camera off the tripod and show us around the enclosure a bit better?

do to i do not reed to will i never look for the book hmm now i wish i did. do to most things or to hi now days butt thinks for leting me see this.

Reverend? A religious man? Shaker, aren't they like Quakers?