Shopsmith Forums

I'm considering the purchase of the SS oscillating drum sander (part #555754). I am interested in feedback from SS users who have used this accessory. Is it difficult and time consuming to set up? Does it work well, or how does it compare to stand alone oscillating sanders? Any and all feedback would be welcome.

rdewinter wrote:I'm considering the purchase of the SS oscillating drum sander (part #555754). I am interested in feedback from SS users who have used this accessory. Is it difficult and time consuming to set up? Does it work well, or how does it compare to stand alone oscillating sanders? Any and all feedback would be welcome.

Careful Bob! Rob may be loaning it to you so as to get 'sharper' drums!:D

Sorry Rob! I just could not help myself!:rolleyes:

I have one and have not used any other brands so I can't compare to anything else. I have used it with some third party sanding drums and it worked just fine. I now have the SS 6 inch drum sander and have multiple grits on it and just adjust the height to sand with a different grit.
This has proven to be very helpful. Caution should be taken when setting it up. I once had it setup wrong and broke my cable because if the mis-alignment of the toggle arm. I was able to fix it by re-using the crimp and it is working fine now. I now leave the toggle arm on the headstock now so I don't have to set it up wrong because of me forgetting to look at the instructions before using it. I really like it and use it often. I also have the phneumatic drum sander and use it for shaping soft woods. I like the sanding capabilities the SS provides. I use the conical sanding disk and the flat sanding disk often. They all make the sanding alittle more enjoyable to do because of the setup. That is why I like my SS I love spending to time setting things up, it makes me less prone to accidents because I am planning my next job as I am setting it up.

Rob,
Seeing it first hand would be awesome. See private email.

kd6vpe wrote:... it is working fine now. I now leave the toggle arm on the headstock now so I don't have to set it up wrong ...the sanding alittle more enjoyable to do because of the setup. That is why I like my SS I love spending to time setting things up, it makes me less prone to accidents because I am planning my next job as I am setting it up.

Aha! A solution to the onliest 'problem' I have with it-- setup. Not hard, but a tad intimidating with that cable caution, and if leaving the toggle arm on the headstock eliminates that, Eureka!

Glad to hear someone else give a positive on setups in general. For me that's about half the fun. (I never had an Erector Set as a kid.)
And I dunno how many times that little "delay" before turning on anything potentially destructive (i.e. the saw) saved a workpiece (or a body part).

I'm on board with the SS sanding. Like and use 'em all. Heck, I can spend a half hour in awe and wonder just staring at a 120-disc-sanded end of an old Doug fir 2x4.