robrmcc wrote:If anyone is interested I can post pictures. I think it cost about $50.00 to make.
Rob Mcc
Rob, I think your pics would be most welcome, actually the more I think about it the shopsmith does have some desirable features that could be utilized in making a drum sander!
Maybe I will retract my previous post on not making my own, ya got the light bulb working......
John in Muncy Pa.
SS 510 w/most accessories
Wife says I should have bought this in the first place and she is always right, just takes a little convincing!
"I would love to hear from Nick as to whether he has used this version much and what his thoughts are on it, or if it was just a project for the book."
We have that shopmade thickness sander here in the Academy, Alan. It's been in continuous use for about ten years, and it still works fine. My kids used it take ash strips from 1/8"-thick (the limit of the Shopsmith thickness planer) to 3/16"-thick strips for all the laminate bending we did for nine pioneer Wright aircraft. I use it often for figured woods.
Of the many jigs (over 200!) I made for the Workshop Companion series, I'd put it in the top 25% for usefulness, accuracy, and durability -- and in the bottom 25% for ease of construction. It takes some time and some craftsmanship, but the results are worth the effort.
Nick wrote:Of the many jigs (over 200!) I made for the Workshop Companion series, I'd put it in the top 25% for usefulness, accuracy, and durability -- and in the bottom 25% for ease of construction. It takes some time and some craftsmanship, but the results are worth the effort.
With all good wishes,
Did you make the drum or purchase it, it seem to me the hardest part is making a drum that stays flat.
Is the Workshop Companion Series still in print, is it specifically for the Shopsmith?
Paul Cohen
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
The drum is made from a piece of 6"-diameter Schedule 80 PVC pipe, 18" to 20" in length. Despite the fact the drum is plastic, it remains perfectly flat and true so long as you're careful not to remove too much stock at once and/or let the sandpaper load up with impacted sawdust. Both of these cause the drum to overheat and distort. Avoiding circumstances that causes overheating is good for the wood, too.
No, the Workshop Companion series is no longer in print. I have a few copies left that I sell to the students who come to the Academy; all others I refer to Ebay or the remainder shelves at Books-a-Million. The Workshop Companion woodworking series was not published for Shopsmith, although because I have a 500, a 510, and a 520 in my shop, I couldn't help but show the machines once or twice. In the book "Sanding and Planing," the thickness sander is shown mounted on my 510.
Paul Cohen
Beaverton, OR
A 1982 500 Shopsmith brand upgraded to a Mark 7 PowerPro, Jointer, Bandsaw (with Kreg fence), Strip Sander, Ring Master and lots of accessories all purchased new
12" Sliding Compound Mitre Saw, 1200 CFM DC
Nick wrote:
We have that shopmade thickness sander here in the Academy, Alan. It's been in continuous use for about ten years, and it still works fine. My kids used it take ash strips from 1/8"-thick (the limit of the Shopsmith thickness planer) to 3/16"-thick strips for all the laminate bending we did for nine pioneer Wright aircraft. I use it often for figured woods.
Of the many jigs (over 200!) I made for the Workshop Companion series, I'd put it in the top 25% for usefulness, accuracy, and durability -- and in the bottom 25% for ease of construction. It takes some time and some craftsmanship, but the results are worth the effort.
Thanks, Nick, that's what I was hoping to hear! I might finally take the plunge and build it.
Wow,
I had no idea so many people would respond. Thank you for making my new first experiences with my SS so wonderful. I have been beginning my plans and have found that the gray electical 3" PVC will actually allows a standard sheet of sand paper to fit around almost perfect fit. I was thinking on using some maple for the end plugs of the pvc for the centers to set into, or would poplar work. It easier to get for me as my woodcraft store is in Tulsa, a little bit of a drive. I am also thinking of just using some pine turned to a cylinder to fill the PVC and have something to attatch the sand paper to. More to come. I think all of our knowledge will help us create a wonderful tool at a very cheap cost. Thank you for you help and opinions on my plan.
As for me I spent the money and purchased one. They are great! I don't know how I ever got along without one!
What I would do before you spend any money on supplies is to visit a local store that sells them and have a look at how they are made and how heavy all the parts are.... things like the drums that are used and materials, how the sand paper is attached... get a feel for just how heavy weight the sandpaper is. Look at the rollers and see how light of a pressure they use to hold the wood.... no they are not like the planners rollers. Also look at how they adjust the "depth of cut" and how they do the feeding of stock. Spend a few minutes talking to one of the sales people especial if they own one and see what they have to say. You may end up like me and just buying one.
Next thing is you will have to have a dust collector... mine has a 4" port. Once when I first got it ran some sample 1 x 4 blocks through it.... big mistake, clouds of dust came out. I have also tried to use my shop vac... no way it can keep up... yea think about a dust collector you will need it.
( side bar) If you happen to have a plywood plant in your area see if they give tours... I got to do that one time and checked out how they do the sanding of the 4 x 8 sheets of plywood, that is really something to see. If it is in use you don't see much but if they have it open for any reason... the dust ports must have been 20" or so!!
[Sorry Charles, now I see that you can't use sanded plywood in your projects, never thought about how you deal with that problem??]
BTW I hate sanding so I'm always trying to make that part of the project as easy and short as I can... hence a lot of sanding tools.
