GuitarGuy Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 I found this today and it looks cool. Just thought I would share. Thickness sander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden69 Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Nice, 1st time I see this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 what I love about these is that yes for some people its better to build than to buy. Personally I don't have a table saw so its hard to get the perfect cuts. I always wonder how much time these guys have to build stuff like this. Pretty neat though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 I did not notice anywhere how much $cratch he $pent on it. But to the financially-aware spouse, I guess its a little like building a guitar vs buying. You can spend $1000 all at once...or spend $1000 over 12 months Derek, I got a perfectly serviceable Ryobi folding portable table saw at The Depot for $200, one of those construction-site models. It rips straight, which is all I need it for, and it actually has a 1/4" more depth of cut than every other 10" table saw I looked at (3-1/2" total). Wheel it into the driveway, rip away, fold it up and stash it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted October 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 As far as getting good inexpensive tools. I found estate auctions to be excellent. A friend of the family picked up a cast iron belt drive tablesaw with all the fixins for $75 CAD. Sure it had a little rust but its nothing that a little oil and sandpaper cant fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fryovanni Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 I built a thickness sander that worked pretty well for me. The big issues revolve around the drum heating up, accurate drum and table leveling, accurate height adjustments(and fine enough adjustments),attaching paper to the drum. If you run much material bearings will really need to be durable(they take a pounding). The feed table is another issue(a converyor really,Really helps). The drum sander also needs to be easy to re-level and verify these adjustments (softer frames will allow them to go out of wack quicker). I would hazard a guess that this fella spent some loot to round up the parts needed for this setup. A Performax 16-32 runs around $750 or so. I would really see a lot of advantages to the Performax over this set up (so if cost was close, I would buy the Performax). There are simpler thickness sander designs that would be more cost effective to build (if you are looking to keep a DIY project in the$200-$300 range). Peace,Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdguitars Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Yea I had the thoughts to build my own and after seeing the amount of time some people put into the home built tool, my time is better off getting sanded what I needed sanded. Just comes down to price vs. time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannoG Posted October 19, 2005 Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 This reminds me that I never posted anything about the thickness sander I built. It works pretty well. I don't have heavy-duty needs, and I didn't want to spend $750. I also enjoy the series of small engineering projects that make up something like that. Kind of like building a fret bender, just a lot more involved. But, yes, it does keep you from doing actual work on guitars while you are making it and isn't for everyone. I'll try to dig up the old in-process photos - it's very much like what is on that site, but mine"s bigger: 17inch drum, longer table and floor model rather than benchtop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarGuy Posted October 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 Sweet. I'd love to see it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted October 19, 2005 Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 Well, I've got zero space, most of the parts I need for a sander (quality bearings, shaft, pulley, 3hp electric motor), but I've decided to put it on hold indefinitely. Reason: I can rent time on a commercial widebelt sander, and process about a years' worth of instrument parts (if not more) for about 30 bucks. That's enough wood for 3-4 acoustics and a couple of electrics. Given the insane price of thickness sanders over here, home building makes sense, even if you buy an aftermarket conveyor/feed belt. You'll be out a good bit less cash, and since I'll never be doing production work, it should be fine. But I do need dedicated floor space for a unit like that. I'm also seriously looking into having a solid aluminum drum machined for me, since that should out-wear and out last any MDF/plywood construction. But we'll see. Maybe one day. Until then, my 30 bucks/year will likely be 30 bucks well-spent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgosselin Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 I found this today and it looks cool. Just thought I would share. Thickness sander I noticed that he bought his polycarbonate drum in a kit from stockroomsupply.com. So I went to their Web site. They provide you with plans to build the box for the drum sander in the kit. However, their plan shows you feeding wood over top of the drum rather than underneath like most of the DIY drum sanders I have seen. The dust falls into a box underneath the drum. Is there any advantage or disadvantage to doing it this way? The kit is cheap enough for me. About half the price of the cheapest retail drum sanders I've seen. And if there is nothing wrong with the design of the machine, I will probably build it exactly the way they outlined it. I don't feel like reinventing the wheel unless I really need to. What do you all think of the design of this sander? Paul Gosselin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.