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The one tool that has gotten me more than any other is my Rigid Spindle sander and thats only because I tend to get my fingers too close to the belt. I'm not talking about scraping, Im talking about finger jams

I tried a movable table with a vertical rod at the center to raise and lower it. It worked more or less O.K. but I found there was too much play in the table for my liking. A much stiffer table may have worked better. So I tried this approach with a very stiff and flat fixed table and a moveable drum. I use both hands to make my adjustments and find that part extremely easy. What I like best is that adjustments are extremely fine so while I probably make more passes to reduce any specific amount of wood, the passes are quite easy and I get no clogging up of the abrasive. I've been able to sand sets of cocobolo with no clogging at all. Also, keeping the drum parallel to the table true is very easy.

Hi Mick,
I do like the simplicity of your design, and I'm sure with a modicum of care it is a safe machine in the hands of anyone who is alert to it's "pinch points". With a 2 sets of full extension slides a person could fabricate a sliding sled/table that might allow most work to be passed under the drum without it ever having to be touched by hand, but it would be an added complication, and why fix what isn't broken.

Was wondering that myself. Duct tape??

Amazing. What grit?

New username, same Pat Mac

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Pat

About 30 years ago Randy Wood, a pretty well known luthier, lived in my neighborhood and I’d hangout in his backyard shop. He had a DIY thickness sander much like the OP and I’d use it from time to time.
Time marched on. Randy moved to Bloomingdale Ga. and I moved to Virginia. I visit Randy’s website from time to time and recently saw a link to a You Tube to showcasing a tour of his shop. Fast forward to present time and there it was. The same sander still in use today. Amazing what simple ingenuity can produce.

I'm betting screws.

The abrasive is applied with an adhesive that is used for attaching sanding discs to disc sanders. It works well but is a bit of a pain when changing it. The steel drum has to be cleaned (I use varsol) and fresh adhesive spread on it. I use a foam paint brush for that. When the new paper is on I seal up the ends with duct tape. I'd prefer a better way to do this, but it only takes me 30 minutes in total and it works well. I use an 80 grit adhesive. It doesn't have a manufacturers name on it but the markings are ALO YO88 MP OPEN COAT.

I'd go with counter-sunk screws Mike, what ur doing is way overkill. I've seen that on other homebuilts. Yet, if it ain't broke....

I just use tape on the ends of my drum. Whatever tape I have handy, duct tape, strapping tape, sometimes even masking tape. I really should try the countersunk screw method one of these days.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Paper attachment is where some (but not all) of the commercial sanders have a leg up on the homemade ones. My pre-Jet Performax has a pretty good clip system. I can switch out paper with very little hassle, and thereby change grits for different operations.

That, and the conveyor (rather than relying on manually feeding the stock), are big selling points for the commercial sanders.

I would imagine another advantage are the spring loaded hold down rollers on either side of the drum. And the open end for wider boards though that should not matter to most of us. And the single point height adjustment. They can be difficult to level, but once set, they are heavy enough to hold it.

One day I will come across an old treadmill and then re-make my sander using the motor and control panel to make a belt feed system. That is really my only complaint about my machine.

Single point height adjustment is dead simple to get perfect alignment if you make a wood drum and true it using the table like I did. I see a lot of sanders with ready made drums and am beginning to think it is not difficult to do it that way either.

Other than the inconvenience of manual feed I would not change anything about my set up. Actually, now that I think about it, I also would design the drum diameter and width with paper rolls in mind. I currently get one and 3/4 drums worth on a roll. I could easily design it to give me two full paper changes per roll.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

Bryan, there has got to be so many old treadmills unused kicking about in garages, basements and attics you shouldn't have too much problems finding one.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Another drum sander set up on lathe.
This lathe is setup outside to handle dust. I made this out of lathe or turning accessories I had around the shop. Just turns a 5" x18" drum out of pine and attach paper. I have a second and am making a third drum. I am amazed at the accuracy I can get. Pushing it 3/4 through and pulling it back results in diviot so must use a push stick for final pass.
Shown is osage orange sanded down on 10x5 drum with 40 grit paper. 18" drum is for 80 and 120 grit. Lathe and accessories are designed for turning heavy bowls so stress is no problem.