Wiki
Jet JWDS-1632 Drum Sander
Overview
In person training and sign-off from a trainer is required before members are allowed to use this tool.
A drum sander is a tool that is used to remove very small amounts of material to create a smooth, uniform surface. It is NOT a jointer or a planer!! Your workpiece should be very close to final thickness when using this tool. Again, it is for finishing the surface of your workpiece, not for removing bulk material.
Training
Anatomy
Be able to identify the following components of the machine:
- Feed Belt and adjustment on the left
- Drum with wrapped sandpaper
- Dust collection
- Controls: On/off switch, speed adjustment, depth adjustment, overload indicator light
Also understand the high-level usage of the machine:
- Depth adjustment and how to know where to adjust to
- Speed control and how to choose the correct feed rate
- How to know if you’re taking off too much wood
- How to prevent snipe and get a flat surface
Setup
- Plug in sander and connect dust collect to the top
- Adjust depth to slightly above your workpiece — you should be able to feed the workpiece along the belt with it just beginning to rotate the sanding drum while powered off
Usage
- Read the manual for in-depth tips on usage
- Slower is better – most pieces work best in the 40-50 speed range. Too fast a speed will result in a bad finish, burning, and damage to the machine.
- Using a drum sander is a slow process. Fast speeds and large cuts will not give good results
- Depth gauge to the right of the feed belt gives you depth from the feed belt
- Adjust the depth gauge until it’s slightly above the depth of your work piece
- Put piece on the feed belt and look to see if there’s a gap between it and the drum or if it’s going to take off too much material
- Adjust depth until the sander barely touches the highest point on the workpiece. Do not take off more than this, it will damage the drum and burn the sandpaper!
- Pull workpiece out and turn feed belt on to a slow speed. Flip sander switch to on
- Supporting the back of the piece, put in on the belt and let it pass under the sander
- You will hear as the sander makes contact with the piece
- If the red indicator light comes on that means you’re taking too much material off, back the depth off until it barely touchest the highest point on your piece
- Do multiple passes, the sander will not take all material in one pass
- If you want to take off more material, lower the depth by one notch and make a few more passes
- Continue until you’ve reached the finish you’re looking for on your piece
Shutdown & Cleanup
- Turn off both motor and feed belt
- Open the top and make sure the belt is in good condition
- Use a vacuum or a hand duster to clean everything up
- Clean off any sawdust accumulated on the sanding drum using an abrasive rubber cleaner (big rubber eraser)
Maintenance
- Post in #help-woodworking before attempting maintenance on this machine.
- Always unplug before performing maintenance
- Sandpaper can be cleaned with a rubber eraser while running
- Open the top housing by tilting the black plastic top to check if sandpaper is gummed up or starting to wear down. If it is post in #help-woodworking and a maintainer will replace the sandpaper.
- Drum alignment must be checked and adjusted
- Belt tension might need to be adjusted