Shopsmith Forums

So, what do you do if the rubber Sleeve on your Drum Sander begins to look cracked, oddly worn or becomes too stiff to compress and hold the Sanding Sleeve. The cracked and oddly worn ones below are to examples I have had. Most often the problem is they are simply too stiff to compress.

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I have had this problem on several Drum Sanders I have acquired with Shopsmith's I have restored. Below are the three versions of the 2-5/16" Shopsmith Drum Sander going back to the first one made for the Model 10E which is machined aluminum. the middle is the cast one for the Model 10's with the 1/8" Allen Wrench size set screw and the third is the cast one with the 5/32" Allen Wrench (Shopsmith toolbox) size set screw made beginning in 1954 to present.

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You may notice the rubber Sleeves on these that look like new. It is because they have been replaced with new sleeves like the one shown below. This is an easy way to renew your Drum Sander to work and hold Sanding Sleeves like it is brand new. The only difference from early rubber Sleeves to the current one is a change in the rubber compound. I believe that change is an improvement that could make the rubber Sleeve last longer than previous versions of the Sleeve.

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Ordered 2 today. Thanks for the info!

Is there any source for the abrasive sleeves other than the mothership (in case the mothership might go away)?

I have seen different size Sanding Drum Sleeves around (Woodcrafters come to mind) but have not looked for that specific size for the Shopsmith Sanding Drum.

chapmanruss wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2026 1:34 pm I have seen different size Sanding Drum Sleeves around (Woodcrafters come to mind) but have not looked for that specific size for the Shopsmith Sanding Drum.

No one else seems to have 2-5/16" dia except SS. I'm hesitant to pick up a sanding drum if there is no other source besides the mothership. I'm all for supporting the mothership but if they're the only source for consumables, then I take pause. I wish them full success but we saw how close they came to folding

HopefulSSer,

I understand your reservations on buying a Drum Sanding platform that may not have Sanding Sleeves available in the future. The Shopsmith 2-5/16" x 3" Drum Sander is not the only option. Even Shopsmith sells other size Drum Sanders. You could go with one that has a source locally for the Sanding Sleeves.

Below is a picture of the 28-piece Drum Sanding Package Shopsmith sells. These are smaller both in height and diameter but can be just as useful and in some cases more useful than the Shopsmith 2-5/16" x 3" Drum Sander.

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Thanks. Yes I already have some other size sanding drums. Just weighing the risks if I want to add a proprietary item to the toolkit, if the consumables are single-source. And it sounds like they are single-source.

I know some have set up a Sanding Station with a Shorty or Shop Deputy like Shopsmith's suggestion pictured below. A Sanding Station can be set up on a full-length Mark too. The Sanding Drum is a useful part of that station. But you have a Shopsmith which as we know is a very versatile tool. Instead of using the Shopsmith Sanding Drum you could use another Sanding Drum mounted on the Drill Chuck. Unless you have a specific need for a
2-5/16" diameter Drum Sander continue enjoying the ones you have. Besides having several of the 2-5/16" x 3" Sanding Drums I have the 28-piece Drum Sanding Package mentioned previously and the 2-5/16" x 6" Drum Sander. They all have times when each one is the best choice for the job at hand.
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