How to make a drum sander.
Materials
One ¼” carriage bolt, or your favorite mm size if your not in the USA. J
One ¼” nut.
¼” drill bit.
A piece of PVC plastic water/drain pipe, you pick the size diameter and length to match the carriage bolt that you use. The bolt should be an inch and a half longer then the plastic pipe, to fit in the drill chuck.
Any wood you choose fit to use for the hubs, at least 3/4” thick.
Four short wood screws, I used # 4 x ¾ for this task.
One thin finish or panel nail.
Flat scrap piece of wood.
First, drill two random ¼ “ holes in the wood, using the drill press, you want these holes straight, this will be used for the hubs. Run the carriage bolt through one of the holes.
Then measure the inside diameter of the plastic pipe, divide that by half, that is the radius size you will use to make a scribe scratch around the random holes that you drilled for the hubs.
Drive the nail through a flat scrap piece of wood that has a ¼” hole drilled in it that will drop over the carriage bolt, that is placed through the random holes.
Set the nail to your radius measurement from the center of the hub hole. Drive the nail just through enough to break the surface on the under side, then spin the scribe around the carriage bolt. Now you have a hub that will spin close to true, depending on how well you cut the hubs out, and sand to fit the I.D. of the pipe.
If you cut the hubs out, and they are not true, you can drop them over the carriage bolt again, draw a reference mark on the board that the carriage bolt is in, and spin the hub you just cut, to see where the high sides are, then sand the high spots down, you might want to cut the hub oversize a tad bit, take your time, as you want these as near perfect as you can get them in roundness, and to match the inside of the pipe. If you cut the hubs to small, do over, do not try to glue them in, as you will lose centricity, and the drum will wobble.
Drill four holes to match the screw size, at the top and bottom of the drum, on opposite sides to fasten to the hubs that set inside the pipe, and counter sunk the heads into the pipe, you do not want these to stick out.
Use a Dremel or your favorite tool to grind a square drive hole for the carriage bolt on the bottom of the drum. Another option is to glue the hubs in with a fast set epoxy mix, along with the screws.
Tape the sand paper to it, paying attention to the direction of the rotation of the drill chuck.
Now if you sanded the hubs close to roundness, this drum should run true and not wobble. I hope your sanding drum does not end up on the Clown Tool post.
Tip: Watch for irregular inside wall dimensions on the plastic pipe, as this pipe is blow molded, and wall thickness can be out of round, and not uniform in thickness.
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander001a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander002a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander003a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander005a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander007a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander008a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander009a.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/1eyecrooked/drumsander010a.jpg[/IMG]
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Hi,
The pix links work fine here.
In Internet Explorer right click on the link and open in new window. I think the "open in new window" deal is the trick.
G'luck.
PRH
Mortimer Snerd said:
If someone can make these pictures show, I'd be grateful, Thanks. Mort
Thanks Ted, I have a set but none of the drums I have are more then 1.5 inches of working surface. I needed a extra long drum,, I spent less on this then you did on yours. :-)
Harbor Freight = China Depot.
I copied and pasted the URL's but no luck. They don't seem to work. Ted's idea is great. they also have those type of sanding drums at Home Depot & Lowe's if there isn't a Harbor freight store around.
I use a 12" square of marble (free samples at HD & Lowes) for a sanding table instead of mirror. Heavy, flat and works great!.
Thanks. they don't seem to be on the server at photobucket. Try editing yer post to insert them. I'd like to see them too! or, e-mail them to me at johnsims@bellsouth.net and I'll try to post them
Replies
The pix links work fine here.
In Internet Explorer right click on the link and open in new window. I think the "open in new window" deal is the trick.
G'luck.
PRH
Mortimer Snerd said:
GatorGrit arbor and refils. I suppose you can use this on a drill press too. $8.87 online (YPMV)
Wes Yates said:
John, in what department can we find the free 12" square of marble? Kitchen Countertops... ;)
Harbor Freight = China Depot.
I use a 12" square of marble (free samples at HD & Lowes) for a sanding table instead of mirror. Heavy, flat and works great!.