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I’ve gotten by this far, but there has to be a more efficient way to level the drum on my 10-20. The issue seems to be that the rollers inhibit access to the bottom of the drum, so it makes it hard to see / adjust correctly..
How do you guys do it??


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Run something (4mm MDF?) through it, compare height both sides.
You can use a similar board as a backer if you out sandpaper on one side.

_________________
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.

I don't have that specific machine, but on my delta, I concoct a way to lift the rollers up out of the way...

Here is what I did when I owned that machine:

1. Take off the sandpaper (for the moment).

2. Put the rollers up on blocks that are thicker than whatever you use to measure the distance from the drum to the table. That way, the rollers are out of the equation.

3. Use two identical setup blocks (purchased, not made), one at the far right of the drum, one at the far left. Fidget with the tilt until the drum touches both setup blocks without severely pinching either of them.

4. Put the sandpaper back on, run test pieces, see if any tweaks are needed.

Hi,

there is a method on the joe woodworker site that I've used successfully to adjust my sanding drum. I have a 22-44 and the method works well but don't know how well it would work on much shorter drum like your 10-20. It's under Articles->Category: Woodworking and More on that site and called Performax Sander Tips.

Steve.

I have a Jet 16-32 That I set up to be slightly non parallel. The open end is about 1/32" higher than the motor end. For tops and backs, just flip end for end and you wind up slightly thicker in the middle with no strange marks on the open end for an incomplete width.

My 16-32 is setup like this too, but only by about .005" thicker on the open end. I wouldn't want much more taper than that.

I think this is the article that steveci is referring to. It's definitely the most clever set up I've seen for this job:

https://www.joewoodworker.com/performax.htm

I simply follow the instruction that came with my Jet sander. But then I follow up simply by running a wide board through it and measure the thickness on either side with a caliper and adjust as necessary.

Yes, that the method. I just used a small 9 volt battery, though. It was sufficient to light the LED.

Steve.