Is a Drum Sander Worth It? [Yes/No?] 2023

A drum sander is a power tool used for sanding wood. It consists of a rotating sanding drum and a conveyor belt that feeds the wood through the machine. The abrasive sandpaper wrapped around the drum smoothes and flattens the wood as it passes underneath.

Drum sanders are mainly used to:

Sand large panels and boards to a consistent thickness.

Smooth out uneven surfaces.
Remove marks and scratches.
Prepare wood for finishing.

They allow you to sand wood faster and with less effort compared to hand sanding. The continuous sanding drum evens out inconsistencies efficiently while the conveyor belt ensures consistent feeding.

Is a Drum Sander Worth It?

A drum sander is a power tool that uses a sanding drum and feed belt to efficiently smooth and flatten wood boards. Key benefits of drum sanders include time savings compared to hand sanding, a consistently smooth surface, and the ability to handle large tabletops and doors. However, drum sanders also have downsides like high cost, large footprint, and significant dust creation. Evaluating your budget, shop space, and types of projects is important to decide if purchasing a drum sander will be worth the investment for your woodworking needs.

Types of Drum Sanders

There are two main types of drum sanders:

Benchtop – Smaller and mounted on a workbench. Ideal for sanding smaller workpieces.
Floor – Larger standalone models designed for continuous use and heavy stock removal. Better for sanding large panels.

Both types consist of the same basic components:

Sanding drum – A metal drum wrapped with sandpaper that rotates during operation. The grit size of the sandpaper determines the aggressiveness.
Conveyor belt/feed belt – Feeds the wood through the machine at a consistent pace.
Depth gauge – Adjusts how much material is removed by controlling the height of the sanding drum.

Dust collection – Removes the wood dust and particles. Usually requires connection to a shop vacuum.

Benefits of Owning a Drum Sander

Here are some of the main benefits of having a drum sander in your woodworking shop:

Consistent Sanding Results

The rotating sanding drum evens out high and low spots better than hand sanding. This allows you to skip grits and achieve a smoother finish faster. The end result is a perfectly flattened surface ready for stain, paint or other finishes.

Time Savings

A quality drum sander can save you hours of work compared to hand sanding. The power feed mechanism moves the wood through efficiently while the drum sander does the grinding work. This makes the process faster.

Handles Large Pieces

A floor model drum sander can process full-size doors, large panels, and tabletops with ease. Hand sanding these oversized workpieces would be exhausting. The drum sander makes the job easier.

Dust Collection

The built-in dust collection helps contain the large amounts of fine dust created while drum sanding. This keeps your shop cleaner and reduces cleanup time.

Precision Results

The thickness planer-like nature allows you to sand wood down to precise measurements quickly. This can be useful for projects where getting to an exact size is critical.

Versatility

In addition to sanding, drum sanders can also remove saw marks from lumber, flatten warped boards, ease edges, sand veneers, and more. Their versatility makes them useful for various applications.

Downsides of Drum Sanders

While drum sanders have several benefits, there are also some downsides:

Expensive Initial Cost

Drum sanders, especially heavy-duty floor models, are quite expensive equipment. Benchtop versions start around $300 while larger floor models can cost over $1000. This large upfront investment may not make sense for hobbyists.

Learning Curve

It takes experience to learn techniques like managing wood movement, reducing snipe, and choosing proper feed rates. Novices should practice on cheap lumber before attempting fine woodworking projects.

Potential for Damage

The powerful motor and fast spinning drum mean small mistakes can cause rapid material removal or damage. Paying close attention and using care is required, especially on thinner stock.

Large Footprint

Floor model drum sanders take up significant floor space in workshops when not used often. Benchtop versions take up workbench space. For small shops, this footprint is an important consideration.

Lots of Dust

Drum sanders generate huge amounts of fine dust, even with dust collection. This dust takes effort to clean up and has health implications over time. Proper masks and ventilation are a must!

Only Does Flat Work

Drum sanders are made for flattening wide boards but cannot sand contoured or rounded objects. Other sanders are required to handle moldings, turnings, etc.

Recommended Models

Here are some of the top recommended drum sander models in categories from heavy industrial to benchtop:

Industrial Drum Sanders

These heavy duty drum sanders can run 24/7 with cast iron construction and 3-5 HP motors. They are the gold standard for professional shops and handle constant high volume use.

Powermatic PM2244 – 44″ capacity, digital thickness gauge

Jet 22-44 Pro – 44″ capacity, fully enclosed body
Supermax 19-38 – 38″ capacity, dual dust ports
Performax 25-50 – 50″ capacity, ball bearing construction

Contractor Drum Sanders

For small professional shops or dedicated hobbyists, these combine large sanding capacity with features like digital readout at a more affordable price.

Jet 16-32 Plus – 32″ capacity, closed stand design
Laguna 16|32 – 32″ capacity, 4″ dust port

Rikon 25-305 – 16″ capacity, open stand design
Grizzly G0766 – 16″ capacity, 2 HP motor

Benchtop Drum Sanders

For those short on space, budget or use, these compact drum sanders offer key functionality without taking over your shop or budget.

JET 10-20 Plus – 20″ capacity, built-in stand
WEN 6502 – 12″ capacity, budget price
Delta 31-085 – 12.5″ capacity, 2.3 Amp motor

Ridgid EB4424 – 12″ capacity, oscillating spindle
bosch ROS20VSC – 6″ capacity, random orbit design

Key Factors When Buying a Drum Sander

If you decide a drum sander is a good addition for your woodworking, here are the key factors to consider when selecting a model:

Drum Size

The width of the sanding drum determines the maximum workpiece size. Standard benchtop models are usually 12-16 inches wide while floor models range from 18-25 inches. Pick a drum size that suits the typical boards you work with.

Motor Power

More powerful motors allow for aggressive stock removal and handling thicker or harder stock. 1-2 HP is sufficient for a benchtop unit while floor models range from 3-5 HP.

Feed Rate

The adjustable feed rate controls the speed the conveyor moves the wood through the sander. Variable speed control allows adjusting for smooth slow passes or fast hogging.

Dust Collection

A duct port for connecting to a shop vacuum is highly recommended. Look for models advertise “dust containment” rather than just dust collection.

Thickness Capacity

The distance between the drum and table determines the maximum thickness that can be sanded. 4 inches is typical for benchtop while floor models usually handle 6 inches.

Budget

Prices range widely from $300 to over $2000 depending on power, size and dust collection. Consider how often you will use the sander and what types of projects you do. Your budget will help narrow down the options.

Warranty

Since drum sanders are a major investment, a good warranty provides peace of mind. 2-year limited warranties are fairly standard on these tools.

Brand Reputation

Stick with reputable professional brands like Jet, Powermatic, Grizzly, Shop Fox, SuperMax, etc. These companies stand behind their tools. Avoid cheap knock-offs with poor reliability.

Top 10 Uses for a Drum Sander

Here are some of the most common and practical uses for a drum sander:

1. Dimensioning Lumber

Skip the planer and use a drum sander to take rough lumber down to precise thicknesses quickly. Much safer for thin or warped stock.

2. Smoothing Tabletops

Easily flatten and smooth tabletops using a wide drum sander rather than relying on hand planes. Ensure perfectly level surfaces.

3. Trimming Doors

Use a benchtop drum sander to trim doors and remove small amounts from the top or bottom to get the perfect fit.

4. Removing Saw Marks

Take saw marks off lumber after cutting with a tablesaw or bandsaw using a light pass with a fine grit drum.

5. Sanding Exotic Woods

The fine dust collection makes drum sanders ideal for safely sanding exotic oily woods like rosewood or cocobolo which can clog paper.

6. Flattening Panels

Sand assembled panels completely smooth and flat rather than trying to hand plane edges flush.

7. Smoothing Curved Parts

Use a contoured sanding sleeve on a drum sander to soften edges or smooth curved components.

8. Eliminating Snipe

Sand end grain to remove snipe marks caused by the planer. A light pass cleans up end grain quickly.

9. Prepping for Finish

Sand with the grain using fine grit drums to create a smooth surface ready for staining and top coats.

10. Easing Edges

Slightly round over the sharp edges of boards using a specially shaped smoothing sleeve for a softer feel.

What Projects Is a Drum Sander Best For?

Drum sanders really excel at certain projects:

Tabletops – Allows flattening and smoothing large slabs easily. Essential for getting tabletops perfectly level.

Doors – Great for trimming doors to size and smoothing both faces. Alternate drum grits to prevent tear out.
Cabinets – Sanding cabinet components like doors, drawers, and face frames is faster with a drum.
Edge banding veneer – Use a fine grit drum to sand down and smooth applied edge banding.

Sanding exotic woods – The fine dust collection makes drum sanders ideal for smoothly sanding oily tropical woods.
Outdoor furniture – Prepare teak, mahogany, and other woods for outdoor use by sanding smooth.
Flattening warped boards – A few passes removes cupping, bowing or twisting in lumber.

Thin stock – Drum sanders excel at prepping fragile veneers, inlays, thin exotic woods for finishing.
Precision thicknessing – Use a drum sander instead of a planer when stock needs to be an exact thickness.
Removing planer snipe – Lightly sand end grain areas affected by snipe to clean them up.

5 Signs You Need a Drum Sander

Here are some clear indicators it may be time to get a drum sander for your workshop:

You dread sanding large tabletops or doors by hand.
You are unhappy with the finish you get from hand sanding.

Planing thinner stock makes you nervous.
Your projects frequently require precisely thicknessing boards.
You are sanding wood so thin it can’t run well through the planer.

Sanding oily woods is frustrating.
You need to remove material in very small precise increments.
You have to flatten panels wider or longer than your planer capacity.

End grain tear out is a constant battle with your planer.
You want to speed up your prep time for staining and finishing.

3 Alternatives to Buying a Drum Sander

While a drum sander has benefits, it also represents a major purchase. Here are some options to consider before taking the plunge:

Shop for Sanding Services

Many local woodworking shops with drum sanders offer sanding services for a reasonable fee. They may also have a wider variety of grits and sleeves. This avoids buying your own machine.

Make a Thicknessing Sled

Use a straight frame jig that rides in the miter slots with sandpaper attached underneath to flatten boards on your table saw. Very cost effective!

Upgrade Your Random Orbital Sander

Purchasing a large 6 inch or 8 inch random orbital sander allows you to work much faster than by hand for a fraction of the cost.

Build a Thicknessing Jig

Construct a thicknessing jig for your belt sander to flatten slabs and boards. Add toggle clamps to hold the workpiece straight and flat while sanding.

Hand Plane and Scraper

Improve your hand plane skills and invest in a quality card scraper. These versatile manual tools can flatten and smooth boards very effectively with practice.

Recommended Thickness for Drum Sanding Common Woods

Here is a table with recommended thickness ranges when drum sanding common wood species:

Wood Type	Thickness Guideline
Softwoods (pine, fir, cedar)	3/4″ to 1 1/2″
Hard maple, oak	5/8″ to 1″
Walnut, cherry	1/2″ to 3/4″
Exotics (rosewood, ebony)	1/4″ to 1/2″
Plywood	1/4″ to 1/2″
MDF	1/2″ to 3/4″

Avoid sanding extremely thin stock where the drum may rapidly remove too much material.
The finer the grit, the thinner you can safely sand.
Use an outfeed support for thinner boards.

Make light passes with the feed rate set to slow.
For thin stock, a wide belt sander may be a safer choice.

Final Words: Is a Drum Sander Worth It?

With cautious use, drum sanders certainly live up to their reputation at efficiently replacing tedious hand sanding on large flat surfaces. Just be sure your projects provide enough opportunity to justify owning this specialty sander before making the investment. Carefully evaluate your budget, workshop space, and project plans to determine if a drum sander’s benefits are worth the costs for your needs. For avid woodworkers preparing wide boards regularly, owning a quality drum sander can pay dividends in time savings and better finishes. But more casual hobbyists may find options like outsourcing sanding services or upgrading other tools can still improve results without the full commitment of buying their own drum sander.