V-Drum Sander FAQ's

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How do I set up my drum?

Centrifugal force is the key element allowing the "V"-Drum Sander to work proberly. With your FINEST grit of sandpaper on the drum and your drum turned OFF, take a flat edged board and slide it over the drum. The drum should be below the table. This means that when you slide your board over, the paper will be touching ever so slightly but not enough to sand the wood or turn the drum. When you turn your drum sander ON, the paper will lift off due to centrifugal force and cause the drum to sand. Once you have this set up, you DO NOT need to change the height adjustment again.

How do I change the depth of cut?

When you want to change the depth of cut of your sander, it's as simple as changing the grit. If you want to cut more, put on a coarser grit. If you want to cut less, put on a finer grit. The grits available range from 60-1500g.

The paper keeps flying off the drum...what should I do?

In order to prevent this from happening, we recommend that you cut the paper's pointed tips off square. (If you see us at a show, this is what we do, although once in a while the paper still comes off. We call this our disappearing paper trick!) If you do this and your paper still comes off, you may want to double check to see that your drum is below the table. Another reason the paper should be coming off is simply because it is worn out. You can generally take each piece on and off 20-30 times. The paper has also been known to come off whent he drum is running too fast. 18" drums should have a motor running at 1725 RPM (the balanced drive system will cause the speed to encrease to 2250 RPM). the 24" and 30" drums require a 1/2 HP motor running 1725 RPM. Under NO circumstances should the 24" or 30" drums run any faster.

What do you recommend building the top out of?

The only requirement for the top is that it is made out of a strong, stiff material that will not bend. If the lid bends at all, your wood will not be sanded straight and the drum sander will not be doing its job. MDF is a good choice as it's shape isn't comprised during temperature or jumidity changes. If using plywood, simply by placing two pieces of angle iron underneath the lid, a great deal of strength can be added to your table top. We also recommend covering your top with siome type of laminate for a smooth slippery surface.

What motor size do I need and what speed should I be running the drum at? Or What is the Advantage of a Balanced Drive Sytem?

For the 18" drum, we recommend that you have a 1/4 HP motor. As far as speed is concerned, this is going to depend on what kind of drive system you have. If you are using Linkbelt and Balanced pulleys, your motor will be able to run faster and therefore you will have a faster feed rate. If you are using a rubber belt, you must use pulleys at a 1:1 ratio, (both 1-1/2") and the drum should be running at 1725 RPM. If you were to try to use 2 different sized pulleys with a rubber belt, the belt would take the shape of the larger pulley and in turn this would cause slipage. This is not a good thing if you are trying to sand something. The balanced drive system that we offer, can help your drum run faster, have less vibration and get a faster feed rate. When someone first introduced us to this option, we thought it was just a joke, but then we tried it and the difference was immediately obvious! This is a worthwhile investment. The 24" and 30" V-Drums should be u sing a 1/2 HP motor running at 1725 RPM.

Do I need a dust collector for my Drum Sander?

The V-Drum Sander is made with a special anti-staticpolycarbonate tubing. This, in turn means that when you are sanding, mosto of the dust you are creating just falls into the box below. The dust collector in some way, shape or form. What most people do is simply cut a hole in the side as a port for a vacuum or dust collection system. We even have a woman who has purchased the drum, who keeps the Drum Sander in her spare bedroom and hoods her vacuum cleaner up to it when she sands. She loves it and uses it regularily!

Can I convert my existing Drum Sander to hook and loop?

Yes, you can, but be prepared that converting your Drum Sander over to the hook and loop fastening system is going to change everything you have been taught about how to sand with your drum sander. All drum sanders are designed to pinch the sandpaper between the drum and the wood in order to cut. This is what creates heat. Heat then breaks down the resins in the wood, allowing the sandpaper to load up and burn the finish. Also, hok and loop conversion CANNOT withstand heat. It is mad from plastic and if it heats up, it will melt. When you have the hook and loop system on your drum, you need to change the way you have your drum set up in order to prevent heat from building up. With the hook and loop system, when the drum is turned on, the paper actually lifts off the drum. This is called centrifugal force and it is the basis behind making hte hook and loop system work for you. You will want to set your drum up so that the drum is not touching the wood, but when you turn your drum on, centrifugal force will lift the paper off the drum to allow it to sand. You may have to change this adjustment depending on which grit you have on your sander. This will leave an air gap beween the drum and paper preventing heat build up. This is a completely different concept than most people are accustomed to, but is the only way to make the hook and loop system work. People either love this system or hate it. The ones who hate it are the ones who cannot understand this new concept. The ones who love it will never go back. Also, when switching to this system, we recommend using 80 grit sandpaper and finer. Any coarser and the sandpaper causes too much drag and the sandpaper causes too much drag and the sandpaper sometimes comes unhooked.