New Jet 10-20 Drum Sander

[PapaWheelie]

I saw today that Jet came out with a benchtop drum sander in 10"-20" a few years ago and Woodcraft is having a sale on it. I would love a 16-32 but really don't have the room for it. I think I could find room to store a benchtop when it's not being used.

Has anyone owned or seen this unit in operation? I've read mixed reviews, most from several years ago. It's still a lot of hard earned money so would like some honest reviews.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I have no experience with that one but I have had 2 opened ended regular size drum sanders. They work OK, but being open ended they don't sand perfectly flat. I would expect a high spot down the middle if you turn something around for a second pass.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Very careful adjustment will minimize the tiny "high spot" in the middle of sanders like this and the impact on a glued up panel should be minimal, especially after additional sanding after it's glued onto something. There should be instructions for that alignment/adjustment with the machine, but folks often report that they fine tune things by placing pencil marks across a panel and very gradually work up to where things are exactly where they want them to be. (I used that technique on a 19/38 I recently picked up barely used for my shop)

 

[PapaWheelie]

I have no experience with that one but I have had 2 opened ended regular size drum sanders. They work OK, but being open ended they don't sand perfectly flat. I would expect a high spot down the middle if you turn something around for a second pass.

That's something that I had not thought of and could be a deal breaker. With a high spot in the center it seems to me that there would be a good possibility of sanding through a lacquer finish between coats trying to get the finish dead flat.
Or would this high spot in the body be just a couple thousandths that could be easily leveled by hand with a straight sanding block?

 

[guitarbuilder]

That's something that I had not thought of and could be a deal breaker. With a high spot in the center it seems to me that there would be a good possibility of sanding through a lacquer finish between coats trying to get the finish dead flat.
Or would this high spot in the body be just a couple thousandths that could be easily leveled by hand with a straight sanding block?

It's all in the adjustment of the drum. Probably a few thou if you are accurate and have patience. I have always reversed my wood but it's a full length drum that is longer than the wood I'm sending through.


Fine Tuning Drum Alignment
When sanding boards wider than the drum, drum
alignment is critical and must be adjusted slightly
higher on the outboard end. This will prevent any
ridges from developing in the stock. Always check it
on a piece of scrap wood, as follows, before
sanding the work piece

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/776540/Jet-10-Plus.html?page=12#manual


https://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/10291-adjusting-jet-16-32-advice/

 

[Jim_in_PA]

With a high spot in the center it seems to me that there would be a good possibility of sanding through a lacquer finish between coats trying to get the finish dead flat.

That shouldn't be an issue if the machine is adjusted correctly, your finish is built enough and you're level sanding by hand with a foam block. The "hump" from a properly adjusted machine is truly minimal.

But if you are really concerned about this, keep your eyes open for a good used 16"+ wide sander so you can send full panels through. They still need to be adjusted for even thickness.

 

[SacDAve]

Performax made a 10 - 20. Performax was bought or merged with Jet. I have a 16- 32 Performax since Jet took them over the 16 -32 looks a bit more beefed up. Myself if I was going to buy another one (which I don't see happing) I'd hold out for a closed end one with at least a 2HP motor.

If you have limited space the 10 - 20 would be fine for guitar tops once you learn how to adjust it, it's not rocket science.


Advice: Buy rolls of sandpaper and cut your own to size, cost way less. They are very slow cutting so take off just a little at a time, I usually do a 1/4 turn when I get close to what thickness I want I go 1/8 or less turns. Feeding your material in spin it 360˚ each pass or flip it over. Anything under 150 grit just doesn't seem to work to well loads up or burns you project. The trick is to learn the feed speed and how much to take off each pass you don't want to burn your project or your sandpaper.


All and all these sanders are a great addition to your shop I very seldom use my planer. The DS is one of my go to tools I build way more things than guitars. Yes, I would buy it you won’t be sorry you can always upgrade if more space is in the future.

 

[PapaWheelie]

I'm taking the drive today to check one out. I'd like to see just how portable a "benchtop" is...

Fast forward 5 hours..
OK, I went to look at the 10-20 unit. It looks well built and nice for someone who works a lot with small pieces. I tried to pick it up as you would if you wanted to put it away on a shelf until you're ready to use it the next time. It is not what I would consider "portable", it's pretty big and heavy. The kind of heavy that you could move but might throw out your back doing so. Figure I'll make some room for the 16-32 somewhere as it's only a hundred bucks more and much more practical.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Yea, even the small ones are "beefy" in structure and I personally think you made a good decision deferring to the 16-32 which will eliminate any flipping around, at least for most guitar work.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I'm taking the drive today to check one out. I'd like to see just how portable a "benchtop" is...

Fast forward 5 hours..
OK, I went to look at the 10-20 unit. It looks well built and nice for someone who works a lot with small pieces. I tried to pick it up as you would if you wanted to put it away on a shelf until you're ready to use it the next time. It is not what I would consider "portable", it's pretty big and heavy. The kind of heavy that you could move but might throw out your back doing so. Figure I'll make some room for the 16-32 somewhere as it's only a hundred bucks more and much more practical.

Thanks for the replies.

I've had 3 different drum sanders plus one I built originally built out of 2x4's. I like a closed system best but if it doesn't have an abrasive infeed, I'd opt for the open ended one. I can tell you that rubber infeed conveyors harden due to UV and then don't keep the wood moving. My Ryobi had a rubber one too. I replaced the Ross one every year on the ROSS brand ( real name...before the R.O.S.S moniker came along. The abrasive conveyors have little to no give and that's better for accuracy. Do not get a Delta 31-255 That's what I have now. You can't get parts easily as they stopped making it. I broke the springs that hold the sanding strip on. It's hard to get now and may be impossible. I've seen people drilling and tapping a hole into the drum to hold the abrasive in place. Performax/Jet/ Grizzly might be the only decent option these days.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

SuperMax is also a worthy source. I recently acquired a 19-38 "barely used" for $900. (Shop liquidation because the owner passed away)

 

[GotTheSilver]

I'm taking the drive today to check one out. I'd like to see just how portable a "benchtop" is...

Fast forward 5 hours..
OK, I went to look at the 10-20 unit. It looks well built and nice for someone who works a lot with small pieces. I tried to pick it up as you would if you wanted to put it away on a shelf until you're ready to use it the next time. It is not what I would consider "portable", it's pretty big and heavy. The kind of heavy that you could move but might throw out your back doing so. Figure I'll make some room for the 16-32 somewhere as it's only a hundred bucks more and much more practical.

Thanks for the replies.

If you are looking at the Jet 16-32, also take a look at the Supermax 16-32. They are same price and both are on sale for 10% off right now. I have used both the Jet and the Supermax and was much more impressed with the Supermax. In fact, I just bought the Supermax 19-38! It is sitting in boxes in my garage right now. I plan to assemble and start using it this weekend!

 

[guitarbuilder]

Another consideration is that a lot of these drum sanders companies no longer exist in production. Ryobi and Delta come to mind. It might behoove a buyer to buy one that you know you can get parts for down the road. Grizzly and Jet might be the only option with any longevity now.

 

[PapaWheelie]

A question for all you guys that have a drum sander; did you need to upgrade your dust collection system or did you already have one in place? The reason I ask is my current dust collection system consists of a workhorse shop vac and a 12 foot hose that I can hook up to some machines. I'm already pressed for space - any chance on getting away with what I have?

 

[Mike Simpson]

10-20 is not wide enough for a body.

 

[guitarbuilder]

A question for all you guys that have a drum sander; did you need to upgrade your dust collection system or did you already have one in place? The reason I ask is my current dust collection system consists of a workhorse shop vac and a 12 foot hose that I can hook up to some machines. I'm already pressed for space - any chance on getting away with what I have?

I bought a Jet Canister upright filter dust collector that gets moved from planer to drum sander. I don't think a Wet/dry could do the job without a cyclone on top. The filter would clog instantly.

 

[PapaWheelie]

I bought a Jet Canister upright filter dust collector that gets moved from planer to drum sander. I don't think a Wet/dry could do the job without a cyclone on top. The filter would clog instantly.

Good idea. I think I can squeeze a cyclone in the shop somewhere.

 

[guitarbuilder]

This link is what I have. The ability not to have a top cloth bag coupled with a plastic bottom bag is fantastic.

I've had the other older versions with cloth bags and they put out a dust puff each time you turn them on...the most deadly sized particles. Aim for a 1 or 2 micro bag if you have to have one.

https://www.rockler.com/jet-dust-collector-1hp-w-canister-filter

 

[GotTheSilver]

This link is what I have. The ability not to have a top cloth bag coupled with a plastic bottom bag is fantastic.

I've had the other older versions with cloth bags and they put out a dust puff each time you turn them on...the most deadly sized particles. Aim for a 1 or 2 micro bag if you have to have one.

https://www.rockler.com/jet-dust-collector-1hp-w-canister-filter

Do you find the 1 hp dust collector to be enough with the drum sander? I have not gotten my new drum sander up and running yet, but I have been wondering if my 1 hp Rikon wall hanging dust collector will be enough. It just has the one bag that it blows into, which both filters and collects the dust. See link below.

https://www.rockler.com/rikon-1hp-dust-collector-60-105

 

[guitarbuilder]

Do you find the 1 hp dust collector to be enough with the drum sander? I have not gotten my new drum sander up and running yet, but I have been wondering if my 1 hp Rikon wall hanging dust collector will be enough. It just has the one bag that it blows into, which both filters and collects the dust. See link below.

https://www.rockler.com/rikon-1hp-dust-collector-60-105

It is when used with one hose to one machine. I haven't tried multiple tools at one time. It only has one 4" input on top, so the end of one hose goes there and the other end to the sander. I would guess it would be OK. I used to have one of those side baggers made by Penn State industries. You'd have to compare the CFM rating of each though.