I agree for run-of-the-mill American hardwood and trying to use them as a planer with fine grit abrasive. This is a totally different situation. Run a Tropical hardwood back and side set for an acoustic guitar through and just remove a few thousandths with 100 grit on your drum sander. It will leave a smear of resin just like in the video. I've soaked my gummed up abrasive in a cut-off 2L soda bottle with Simple Green in it and then using a brass suede brush on the stubborn parts. Replacing an abrasive on a drum sander takes much, much less time than trying to scrape and sand them level and to the same thickness. To paraphrase the famous Sweet Brown: "Ain't nobody got time for scraping and hand sanding that!"Oh boy, we don’t have time for that.
Drum sanders have their place in a small shop. But really the solution is to use them only for what they are capable of and not getting the sanding rolls clogged in the first place, by following best practices. Stay below 150 grit and take small, very small cuts.
Either I'm lucky or I take far less than most, I rarely ever have resin buildup at all, and I run a lot of exotics through my sander. I've had a small bit of resin on the edges once in a while and I think that is due to how tight my abrasive is on the drum (loose spot on the end of the drum). I certainly don't try to plane off thickness, I just try to sand flat. I only take about 0.005" at most, sometimes a lot less than that if it's exotic stuff.Run a Tropical hardwood back and side set for an acoustic guitar through and just remove a few thousandths with 100 grit on your drum sander. It will leave a smear of resin just like in the video.
Try some Bloodwood sometime. You will see how quickly it builds up resin. Usually the first pass.Either I'm lucky or I take far less than most, I rarely ever have resin buildup at all, and I run a lot of exotics through my sander. I've had a small bit of resin on the edges once in a while and I think that is due to how tight my abrasive is on the drum (loose spot on the end of the drum). I certainly don't try to plane off thickness, I just try to sand flat. I only take about 0.005" at most, sometimes a lot less than that if it's exotic stuff.
I use bloodwood a lot. I wonder how much dust collection and feed rate affect this issue? I have a 6" collector blowing outside and no filters, only 4" for the last four feet of hose to the sander, and I go pretty slow (I know you can go too slow/fast). I do agree that some woods are pretty sticky/oily, my biggest problem wood is maple or cherry, not so much exotics for some reason. There's got to be some technique that is different between all of us for some to have more of an issue than others. Very interesting discussions.Try some Bloodwood sometime. You will see how quickly it builds up resin. Usually the first pass.
And yes, I only take about .005" cuts.
Oilyness (sp) can vary from board to board of the same species.I use bloodwood a lot. I wonder how much dust collection and feed rate affect this issue? I have a 6" collector blowing outside and no filters, only 4" for the last four feet of hose to the sander, and I go pretty slow (I know you can go too slow/fast). I do agree that some woods are pretty sticky/oily, my biggest problem wood is maple or cherry, not so much exotics for some reason. There's got to be some technique that is different between all of us for some to have more of an issue than others. Very interesting discussions.
The resin melts as the temp goes up. Most drum sander drums are Aluminum and it conducts heat. I wonder if the extra flow keeps it cooler than using a shopvac or a lower flow DC?I use bloodwood a lot. I wonder how much dust collection and feed rate affect this issue? I have a 6" collector blowing outside and no filters, only 4" for the last four feet of hose to the sander, and I go pretty slow (I know you can go too slow/fast). I do agree that some woods are pretty sticky/oily, my biggest problem wood is maple or cherry, not so much exotics for some reason. There's got to be some technique that is different between all of us for some to have more of an issue than others. Very interesting discussions.
It's on a cloth backing, not paper.I like the way he compares it to a colonoscopy <grin>. How does that affect the paper part of the abrasive material?