Drill press drum sander recommendations

[manfre]

I'm looking to buy drum sanders for my drill press and I would appreciate any recommendations for a brand and suggestions on which diameters I should initially buy. I have a specific project that will need the smallest diameter possible, but I'm not sure which of the larger diameters would be better to have laying around.

Are there different styles of attaching sandpaper? If so, which are easier to swap out different grids and are there any styles I should avoid?

For dust collection, I'm thinking of making a wire clip that will let me put a 4" flex hose right under the drill press table's hole. Anyone else done this or something different?

 

[Mike Davis]

A lot of people like the oss from HD. It is a purpose driven machine and does a much better job than a drill press.

The thing about a drill press is the spindle is not really made to stand up to side deflection. Even a small amount of regular use over a long time will wear the bearings and make your drill press much less accurate.

I would do it on a very short term basis while saving up to buy a real sander, but not enough to worry about buying decent mini-drums.

 

[manfre]

I didn't think about the potential of the drum sander messing up the quill's alignment. That alone is enough to scrap the thought of using the drill press as a snader. Saving space and giving an existing tool another purpose were the main drivers for going this route, but that's not enough to risk damaging a quality tool.

Regarding the "oss from HD", do you mean the Ridgid Oscillating Edge/Belt sander?

 

[toolferone]

Yes, that is the sander that many on this site have. I also wanted to second Mike's comments on not using the drill press. He is correct about the side load issue. Also using the drum on a non oscillating sander loads up the sanding drum very fast and you might start burning the wood. The oscillating sander does not load up as easily.

 

[Jim M.]

Manfre,
I agree that finding a way to expand a tools purpose is important when space is the concern. I picked this Triton OSS up last year after going down the road of putting a drum sanding kit on my bench top drill press. Just like Tom said, it loaded up and started burning my project. After several attempts at speed change I gave up and bought the OSS. I like it because is tucks away in one of my cabinet neatly when I'm done with it. Good luck with your search. Jim

 

[Mike Davis]

Regarding the "oss from HD", do you mean the Ridgid Oscillating Edge/Belt sander?

Yes, that's the one, I don't have one yet, but I did try one at somebody's shop and it is worth the extra space and money.

 

[gator]

I have the Ridgid unit and highly recommend it. But, if you don't want to go that route, you might look at the Harbor freight unit. I just got a 20% coupon in an e-mail which will lower the price by a bunch. Or, you can order on line and get 20% here

http://www.harborfreight.com/oscillating-spindle-sander-95088.html

This is the unit that Ryobi used to sell at Home Depot.

George

 

[Martin Roper]

+1 on the Ridgid.

I bought a reconditioned one at Direct Tools in Mebane for less than I've seen used ones on CL. They don't always have them in stock so call first.

 

[manfre]

I think I'll go with the Ridgid. HD will honor the HF coupon, so I'm guaranteed less than full retail price even if I can't find a used one. I tend avoid HF tools that have a power plug or need any sort of precision. Their quality is a bit too hit or miss, but they're perfect when the tool price costs as much as a rental.

 

[Joe Scharle]

HD had a refurbish program on their site. I got mine for $135.00, delivered to the store free. It was new, BTW. Didn't check to see if they still have the program.

 

[ehpoole]

I can vouch for the Ridgid OSS as well. I bought mine several years ago and it was well worth the investment, especially for smoothing curves and bandsaw cuts. I use the drum sanding mode almost exclusively, I've barely used the belt sander capability.

 

[Mt. Gomer]

I think I'll go with the Ridgid. HD will honor the HF coupon, so I'm guaranteed less than full retail price even if I can't find a used one. I tend avoid HF tools that have a power plug or need any sort of precision. Their quality is a bit too hit or miss, but they're perfect when the tool price costs as much as a rental.

I bought the ROSS from HD using and HF 20% coupon at the Durham store. Lucked out cause it happend to line up with an online ridgid rebate for an additional 20% which was also honored. You can't go wrong with this machine.

Travis