Should I buy his drum sander? Video of it running...

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bradleyheathhays

bradleyheathhays

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I've found a drum sander that I badly need for a good price but it's located a full day's drive and back from me. I'm not sure of the exact model but it's advertised as a Grizzley 10" drum sander. Any thoughts after watching this short video?


The selling price is $250, but with gas it'll be $395 total round trip. From the pictures, it seems to be in the hands of a reseller. I really can't trust that it's coming from someone who can properly evaluate it.

What common misfunctions should I look out for when testing it? How should I test it? Is it worth the drive?
 
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So basically you are looking at $400 with the trip and all without adding the wear and tear on the vehicle. It is a 10" sander but is cantilevered so it can sand about an 18" wide board in 2 passes. Maybe he has extra rolls of sandpaper so that could sweeten the pot. Those are not cheap. The problems are how is the table belt condition? Does the arm move up and down easily. Most of those screw setups are steel screw in an aluminum base and they have a tendency to get sticky and then the threads get gummed up and break down. Then the plate needs replacing. It sounded good but for that price I would buy new or wait till I see something closer. Your call.
 
Grizzly just ended a 10% storewide sale on the 29th. Day late and a dollar short.
Sign up for Grizzly's email notifications. They run almost monthly with some kind of sale.
I'm sure they will have some kind of Labor Sale.
Or
You could make the seller on Marketplace an offer that compensates you for your price of gas and mileage and then add some for shits and giggles. What have you got to lose?
 
I have a Supermax 16" drum sander I really like.

Depends on how much you'll use it. We use ours on cutting boards, particularly end grain. Loudest machine in the shop next to the planer.
 
I read a few of the reviews for the 10" drum sander and they are mixed. You might want to wander over to the Grizzly site and read them before buying. It looks like that unit is under powered according to anyone that is using if for semi production work.
You may also want to compare those reviews against some other manufacturers to see if the Grizzly reviews are only happening on that particular sander or if they are common for that type of equipment.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. The sanding I'll be doing will involve many hundreds of 10-17" long 1.5" wide cedar planks. Even it's underpowered that's fine with me, just so it works properly otherwise.

The seller is sending me specific videos on how the machine is working by request. What should I ask him to demonstrate by video to rule out problems the machine is likely to have?

Also, here are some examples someone in a different forum suggested I look out for when doing an on-site inspection. Can anyone add to these points?
  • Feed belt tracking. Let the feed belt run for a bit and confirm that it runs straight.
  • Feed belt dirt or wear. Feed a board or two through it to see if the board slips on the belt. That can happen when the feed belt is dirty or worn.
  • Depth of cut (height) adjustment. Make sure it runs up and down smoothly.
  • Motor under load. When you're feeding a board or two through the unit, make sure the motor doesn't bog down too much. Note that this can happen if you're taking too deep of a pass so watch for that.
  • Motor vibration. The motor should run smoothly, especially while under load.
 
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Feed belt tracking is always something that is adjustable on all those machines.

my thing is feed belt in good shape and from what I saw it looks good.
Yes on the up and down drum adjustment. That is what I was refering to with at times they get gummed up and the plate gets stripped.
The last thing is the speed control on the feed belt is working well.
 
I have that model and had it for about 6 years and really like it. (Purchased for less than $500.) You do need a strong vac or dust collector for sure. Attaching the sanding belts are not difficult after the first time (for me). 95+% of my thickness sanding needs - fit within the 10 inch limits.

the Grizzly 10" is not cantilever - meaning you cannot sand half of a 18" wide board and then turn the board around and sand the other half. The 10" Grizzly has a plate on the outside edge with a hand lock to keep the drum parallel. I have thought about taking mine off and trying it on a wide board to see if I "could" do a wider board.

Look on the outside edge and you can see the somewhat triangular shaped plate with hand knob for locking it into position:
www.grizzly.com

10" 1 HP Drum Sander - Grizzly Industrial

<h1>G0716 10" 1 HP Drum Sander</h1> <h2>If you’re still surface sanding with a handheld sander, then you’re really going to love this 10" Drum Sander.</h2> <p>With a 1 HP 110V motor, the G0716 Drum Sander has plenty of power to handle lumber up to 9-1/2" wide.</p> <p>Customers have asked us why...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com

The two problems I had with this sander:
1. In a hurry, got it together and turned it on to see if it was working - no DC yet connected. TEMPTATION got to me to stick a 2 ft long 6 in wide board on it. Then it hit me: "YOU NEED A DUST COLLECTOR ON A DRUM SANDER STUPID!"

2. After that fiasco and hooking the dust collector to it, I ran the board through it again. Did fine. Wound the setting down a turn and a half (if I remember correctly) and the pressure on the conveyor caused it to stop. That isn't a defect. It apparently was built into it. It is not a bladed planer. The thickness sander does not like taking moderate bites. THIN LAYER BITES! Thin sanding bites/layers at a time. You know you are trying to take too much when the conveyor stops. Don't judge a thickness sander for taking off thicknesses like one would on a thickness planer. Lesson learned for me - from experience.

I haven't used it as much as I thought I would but I haven't had as much free time as I thought I would in semi-retirement.
 
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leehljp said:
I have that model and had it for about 6 years and really like it. (Purchased for less than $500.) You do need a strong vac or dust collector for sure. Attaching the sanding belts are not difficult after the first time (for me). 95+% of my thickness sanding needs - fit within the 10 inch limits.

the Grizzly 10" is not cantilever - meaning you cannot sand half of a 18" wide board and then turn the board around and sand the other half. The 10" Grizzly has a plate on the outside edge with a hand lock to keep the drum parallel. I have thought about taking mine off and trying it on a wide board to see if I "could" do a wider board.

Look on the outside edge and you can see the somewhat triangular shaped plate with hand knob for locking it into position:
www.grizzly.com

10" 1 HP Drum Sander - Grizzly Industrial

<h1>G0716 10" 1 HP Drum Sander</h1> <h2>If you’re still surface sanding with a handheld sander, then you’re really going to love this 10" Drum Sander.</h2> <p>With a 1 HP 110V motor, the G0716 Drum Sander has plenty of power to handle lumber up to 9-1/2" wide.</p> <p>Customers have asked us why...
www.grizzly.com www.grizzly.com

The two problems I had are this sander:
1. In a hurry, got it together and turned it on to see if it was working - no DC yet connected. TEMPTATION got to me to stick a 2 ft long 6 in wide board on it. Then it hit me: "YOU NEED A DUST COLLECTOR ON A DRUM SANDER STUPID!"

2. After that fiasco and hooking the dust collector to it, I ran the board through it again. Did fine. Wound the setting down a turn and a half (if I remember correctly) and the pressure on the conveyor caused it to stop. That isn't a defect. It apparently was built into it. It is not a bladed planer. The thickness sander does not like taking moderate bites. THIN LAYER BITES! Thin sanding bites/layers at a time. You know you are trying to take too much when the conveyor stops. Don't judge a thickness sander for taking off thicknesses like one would on a thickness planer. Lesson learned for me - from experience.

I haven't used it as much as I thought I would but I haven't had as much free time as I thought I would in semi-retirement.
Click to expand...
The new ones have that brace. I did not see it on the one he shows and thus thought it was a cantilever sander. Taking a closer look at other photos he has I see the studs for the brace. Guess they took it off.
 
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