Grizzlt Drum Sander #G0458

[Danno30008]

Good morning:

I have been looking for a drum sander and found this item on E Bay. New it goes for $850 plus freight. This guy has a starting bid of $500 and Buy it Now of $750..

Seems a little high to me and I read reviews that say it is a pain to adjust so you don't get snipe and the dust collector doesn't work that good...:(

So, any of you guys have any experience with this model?
If so, what is a fair price, used in good condition?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

Take carte
Dan

[Don]

Hey, Dan. It really depends on what you are wanting to do with the machine. These drum sanders have less belt surface area than a belt sander, this means that the drum head is going to be prone to rapid wear or clogging. Snipe is going to be a product of belt, table, head flex or compression. Snipe will always come into play when you are asking the machine to remove more material than it can, either from a lack of power, too fine a paper, too hard a material - something is going to give. The feed rollers could be flexing as well. I see something like this being valuable for a small shop that wants to run stile and rails and small sticks like that. I'd be leery of what it could do for a large panel. You almost have to have a belt machine for that kind of work.

Maybe others will chime in with their thoughts.

dawjr

[Danno30008]

Hey Don:

Thanks for your input..

If I get one, I plan on using it in my small shop... Nothink like production or large panels.

I like to make cutting boards and have thought about making several different types and styles and thought this would be a great addition to my shop. Making it easy to sand, get level and then just some light finish sanding.

I have a new Ryobi planer and have gotten used to that machine, went through the snipe problem ar first and just learned to take small cuts and support the boards on both ends of the machine.

So, with this in mind, what do you think about adding to my shop? Just wondering as I know the final decision comes from me..

Anyway, take care and have a great day and week.

Dan

[Don]

I like the cutting board use. A hard wood like maple will sand clean and not clog the head, plus your boards will be pretty short which will keep the head from heating up too much. I'd go for it if you are in the market, try to win it by being low bidder, if you get sniped then you will be in a position to at least get factory support if you buy a new one from Grizzly. I think you will be pleased with any purchase from Grizzly, most of their stuff is checked out by the Pres and he makes some pretty nice guitars.

Good luck.