Thickness sander? (Woodshop Companion)

[masonsailor2]

My surface sander is very similar to Paul's. I built three over the years and the final version has been with me for a few years now. Our designs vary slightly but are essentially the same concept. I tried hook and loop on an earlier version and could not make it work for my needs. I use three different drums with varying grits. I made my drums out of 5 inch diameter aluminum tubing that has 3/8 wall thickness. The paper is held on each end using clamps my son made for me on his 3D printer. I use a three point adjustment system which allows me to adjust the table angle to match the rollers and then use the single point at the front to raise the table height just like Paul's. I have tried various methods of power feed and have never been satisfied with the results. I too use manual feed and am very pleased with the results. I have owned a commercial drum sander in the past and find the shopsmith version is far superior primarily due to the speed at which one can change grits and or drums. It takes a little work but in the end the results are worth it. The one thing I don't like about mine is the weight. I have devised a block and tackle system to lift it onto the way tubes which works fairly well in the absence of another set of hands.
Paul

[paulrussell]

Shipwright and MasonSailor, much thanks for your input. I have a suspicion that I'm going to end up putting all the ideas in my mental mixer and come up with my own mishmash.

[masonsailor2]

That's the fun of it all !
Paul

[paulrussell]

Shipwright, I just wanted to clarify something I had posted. When I said the Nick Engler design was a SPT, I was thinking in terms of how the Shopsmith SPT tools can be used stand-alone with a motor and stand, or on the Shopsmith. The two designs by yourself and Masonsailor (Is everyone interested in Shopsmith based thickness sanders named Paul?) are dependant on the Shopsmith supporting both ends of the drum. And as such would not be simple to convert into a stand-alone tool. On the other hand, the Engler design is limited to about 16" capacity (14" with a Lift Assist).

My recent projects are winding down and now this is moving up from the back burner. I'll be studying both your innovative designs and I'm sure will have more questions.

It is curious that you have had such different results with hook and loop. In any event, I may be back to pick brains as I move forward.

EDIT: Question 1: Trying to decide the trade-offs in width vs size and weight. Sizes I'm toying with are 18", 24", and 30" drum length. An advantage of a long drum might be having two grits at the same time. Dunno. Trade-offs abound.

[shipwright]

PM me any time you have a question Paul. I'm not on the forum every day but I do get notices for PMs and I'd be happy to help.

The whole point of my design is to use as much of the machine you already have as possible and duplicate as little as possible. It keeps both the weight and the cost down.