HOMEMADE DRUM SANDER
Materials List:
24" of ½” steel Rod.
Piano hinge
two ½" pillow blocks
7" x 3/8" bolt
one ½" x 2" pulley
acorn nut
Formica counter top (sink cutout)
wing nut 4 lag screws threaded insert
24" of 2x4 (maple is best)
3/4" plywood
one ½" steel rod stop
6' of 1x2 hardwood
v-belt one 5/8"x2" pulley
½” washer spacers


The design is really straight forward and easy. At the time I didn’t have an extra motor, so I used my table saw for the power source, but you can mount a motor easily to the inside of the box and hinged so the weight of the motor gives tension to the belt. Similar to the way your common table saw motor is mounted. My only suggestion on the sander is make it WIDER!!! When I built mine I was sure that 2" clearance and 12" width would be all I ever needed. WRONG!! 3 ½" to 4" and 24" in width would be much better. Also I used the sleeve bearing style pillow blocks. Spend the extra cash and buy the ball bearing type. They both work as well but the ball bearing blocks are much quieter. Another flaw in my design is to double up on the thickness of the formica table. Glue a piece of 3/4" plywood to the bottom of the counter top for strength. This keeps the table from dipping when pushing wood through the sander too fast. I’ve omitted most of the detailed dimensions because you really should make this bigger so the height and assembly are all the instruction you need.




1. BUILDING THE BOX:

3/4" plywood sides and 1 ½" or 2-3/4" hardwood bracings 3" in width. The 3" width gives your hand room to turn the height gauge (wing nut). Drill a 3/8" hole at the center of the back brace and a 3/4" counter sink on top to fit threaded insert.



2. Cut the formica counter top to width desired and 1" beyond the length fo the box. Temporarily mount the counter top to box with piano hinge at front. With counter top in down position, mark where it meets the centered hole in hardwood brace. Remove top and cut a groove ½" deep and 1" length on both sides of mark with a 3/4" round router bit. This slot is for the acorn nut to ride in. Remount the counter top and install height adjustment assembly.


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3. On top of the box sides I mounted two 1 ½"x3/4" oak strips and bracings on the outside for added strength. This way the pillow blocks could mount to solid wood and not plywood.


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4. MAKING THE DRUM: the drum is made out of two 1 ½" x 3" x 12" to 24" maple. Down the center of each 1 ½" x 3", cut a channel ½" wide x 1/4" deep with a ½" round router bit to fit the ½" steel bar.


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Cut the ½" bar to length allowing for width of box, pulleys, stop and washer spacers. Drill 2 holes through the steel rod the size of a #8 nail to help keep the blocks from spinning.




Lay the rod into the bed of one of the blocks and run the drill bit through the steel rod and through the block. Insert pin (nail without head). Lay other block into place, pull out pin and drill ½ way through that block. Take everything apart. Glue it all up and run the pins in, making sure the pins are inside the wood so your not turning and run into the pins.


5. Mount the pillow blocks and drum to the box with the 4 lag screws. Hook everything to the power source and turn the block into a cylinder.




When you get it as round as you can, you need to true it up. Tape a sheet of 60 grit sandpaper to the formica counter top and run it up until it’s true across the length of the drum. The drum should turn counter clockwise to the feed of the wood and the table should down slope with the feed so the piece will not slide back into the drum.




Like all tools this one can be VERY DANGEROUS!!!! Please be very careful with it and treat it with respect or it will eat your arm. I found the best sanding roll to be from Klingspor at WWW.KLINGSPOR.COM (KL361 80J-1-1/2x50Y). This is an 80 grit 1 ½" roll very reasonably priced. I wrap it from left to right in a candy can fashion and duck tape both ends really well and it holds pretty good. The left side does unwrap occasionally but not often and my table saw spins it pretty fast.




You will want to make a dust collection system on it. Mine slides on and off and also doubles as a safety for fingers or whatever.


ENJOY!