instructables
Drill Press Drum Sander
by mikeasaurus
Turn your drill press into a drum sander by making I made this spindle in about an hour. Making a few your own spindles to hold sandpaper. This easy different diameter drums allows all kinds of curves to afternoon workshop project is great for sanding inside be easily sanded. a concave curve, a difficult task for belt or random orbital sanders. Ready to convert your drill press into a sanding station? Let's make! I challenged myself to build this using modest tools that most would have in their garage, thinking "if you have a drill press already, then you've probably got the tools on hand to make this".
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The best part about this drum sander design is that the sandpaper is interchangeable, held in place by a removable pin so you can change sandpaper grits easily.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 1 Step 1: Supplies
Depending on your workshop setup, you might have most of these items already on hand. If not, I've supplied links on where to get them inexpensively.
Hole saws Threaded rod (¼" - 20 is a very common thread) 2x nuts matching threaded rod Large washers Steel rod (any small diameter size) Scrap plywood (any thickness)
These drums can be any side based on whatever your need / hole saw you might have on hand. The one I show here is 2 ½"
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 2 Step 2: Cut Drum Discs
Clamp your scrap plywood to the drill press and insert the hole saw into the chuck. Drill out a few discs from the plywood with the hole saw. The height of the drum will be the total height of the plywood discs when stacked on top of each other.
The height of your drum spindle can be whatever suits your needs. Mine was about 2" tall when all the discs were stacked, which was plenty for my needs.
Step 3: Sand Disc Edges
Hole saws can leave ragged edges on the discs from The rough perimeter will be cleaned up a little later. being cut out. I used a 120 grit sandpaper to clean up For now, a smooth face is all that's needed to make a the faces on each disc to create a smooth surface for good bond between each disc. gluing them together.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 3 Step 4: Glue Discs
To help keep the discs aligned when being glued Add a dab of glue to another disc and feed it onto the together we'll use the threaded rod through the center thread rod until it is snugged up against the first disc. opening of each disc. Load the threaded rod into a power drill chuck and hand tighten. With the drill in the clockwise (forward) direction press the trigger and insert a wood disc.
Repeat this process of gluing and feeding onto the threaded rod until all discs are on the rod and snugly together. This will be the drum of the sander.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 4 Step 5: Remove Drum Glue-Up
Clamp the glued discs together. Switch the power drill to counterclockwise (reverse), hold onto the glued discs and pull the trigger to unthread the entire drum from the threaded rod.
Leave the drum glue to dry completely so the center opening stays registered.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 5 Step 6: Cut Rods
While the glue is drying, cut the threaded and steel leave a portion of the pin proud of the drum top and rod to length. The threaded rod will be the shaft the allow the pin to be grabbed and easily removed when drum rides on when inserted into the drill press. You'll changing out sandpaper. need a length long enough for whatever the drum height is, plus a ½" on the bottom of the drum for a Use a cutting wheel on a rotary tool to cut both the retaining nut and about 2-3" above the drum for the threaded and steel rod to the appropriate length. second retaining nut and enough shaft to be inserted into the press chuck.
Since this pin will be removed from time to time, the edges were given a chamfer to allow the pin to be The steel rod will be the pin that holds the sandpaper easily inserted back into the opening without getting inside the drum, and will need to be about ¼" longer caught on any edges. than the height of the drum. This additional height will
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 6 Step 7: Drill Pin Opening
When the glue-up of the drum is complete the pin I made a mark on the face of the drum about halfway opening can be drilled. Chose a drill bit that is slightly from the center opening to the outer perimeter. An larger in diameter from the steel pin. This will allow for approximate distance is fine here. the thickness of the sandpaper inside the opening and still allow the pin to be easily inserted.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 7 Step 8: Drill Pin Opening
Clamp the drum securely in the drill press and drill the smushed into this opening later. marked opening through the entire drum.
To prevent over-sizing the opening stop when the Test the pin in the drilled opening. The pin should opening is just larger than the pin, you can always easily slide into the opening and have a fair bit of play come back later and enlarge the opening. when inserted. This play is to accommodate the thickness of two sheets of sandpaper, which will be
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 8 Step 9: Saw Sandpaper Slot
Once the pin opening is drilled make a line down the Securely clamp the drum with the drawn line facing side of the drum that will connect the two ends of the upwards. Use a handsaw to cut through the side of opening. This will be the slot that the sandpaper will the drum until connected to the drilled pin opening. be held in once it's wrapped around the drum.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 9 Step 10: Square Drum
Load the drum back onto the threaded rod and insert drill press and place a speed square on the drill press the threaded rod into the chuck of the drill press. table and move it against the side of the drum to check for squareness, rotating the drill chuck by hand To square up the rough edge of the drum we'll use to inspect the entire drum circumference. the drill press to spin the drum while we smooth out the edge surface with a rasp and sandpaper.
Once squared smooth the rough surface with sandpaper, moving from rough to fine grits. Here's a l Spin the drum on a low speed and gently push the esson all about sanding, if you want to know more. rasp against the drum edge edge to smooth out any high spots and create a uniform surface. Turn off the
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 10 Step 11: Assemble Drum
To assemble the drum sander insert the threaded rod opening. Smooth out the sandpaper strip against the into the chuck of a hand drill and hand tighten. Press drum and feed any slack into the drilled opening. The the drill trigger to thread on a nut to about halfway up sandpaper strip should be taut. the rod. Add a washer then thread on the wood drum. Finish by adding another washer and then a nut to complete the drum assembly. Use a wrench to keep the nuts snug and secure the drum in place. Remove drum assembly from hand drill.
This style of drum sander can accept any grit of sandpaper, you just need to cut the paper to fit. The first time you install sandpaper will take a little trial and error to get the fit just right, but once you have it you can use that fitted piece as a template for all future sandpaper inserts.
Insert pin into the drilled opening to trap the sandpaper strip ends and lock them in place. This opening is deliberately drilled oversize to accommodate the addition of the sandpaper strip. If you can't force the pin through the opening you may need to drill the opening slightly larger.
Measure the height of the drum and transfer that measurement onto the back of the sandpaper, then cut along the back of the sandpaper at this line to make a sandpaper strip. Insert one end of the sandpaper strip into the slit and then wrap the sandpaper around the drum, rough side outwards. With the pin fully seated in the opening the sandpaper Insert the other end of the sandpaper strip into the is locked in place. same slot until both ends are fully inside the drilled
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 11 Step 12: Insert Drum Into Drill Press
Insert the drum into your drill press and use the chuck key to tighten the chuck onto the spindle of the drum. If your spindle is too long the drum can start spinning asymmetrically, which is dangerous. I wouldn't advise any more than 1" in length between the chuck and the top of the drum, less if the drum is longer.
Raise the drill press table up so the bottom of the sanding drum is close (but not touching) the drill press bed.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 12 Step 13: Start Sanding
Start sanding! Since there is a small gap between the can fit whatever sandpaper you need. bottom of the drum and the drill press table, make sure to place a small piece of plywood under the piece you are sanding to raise it up off the drill press table and fully engage with the sanding drum.
Happy making :)
Did you make your own drill press drum sander?I Drum sanders are great for getting into tight spaces to want to see it! sand where a belt or random orbital sander can't. With this method to make your own sanding drums Happy making :) there's all kinds of specific diameters to make, and all
Personally I would not be too concerned about the (minimal) lateral pressure on the shaft causing damage to the shaft's bearings. However most chucks are retained to a Morse Taper stub axle. While the Morse Taper fit can withstand huge rotational force (while under pressure) a lateral force can make it come loose. This is particularly problematic with cheaper machines where the Morse might not be so accurately machined (like mine!). So keeping the table height underneath the drum incase the chuck mount comes loose is a very important safety measure. A bottom bearing of some sort would fix that and other problems but if it is for occasional use then I would say go for it as is - carefully and gently :-) I should note that some high end machines have a long bold down the center if the drive shaft into the Morse taper mount to make sure it stays in place.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 13 Great advice, and you're right about the (very) occasional use. A bottom bearing would make this much more stable. Thanks! I used pieces of plywood for the drum from my scrap pile of wood. It works great, and after reading the others comments about not putting too much lateral pressure on the drill press, I will use it mainly for light projects. It was fun to make! Thanks for sharing this great instructable!
I think there is no need for the thicker pin to hold the sand paper in the in the hole as a thin pin would do the same job and there wouldn`t be as much imbalance. The RPM are quite low, but don't you feel weight imbalance in the drum? I get nervous without a second hole and a second pin in the drum (to balance the first pin) You could use a wooden dowel instead of a steel pin. Doesn't seem like balance would be much issue at low rpms and with the amount of side force you're applying though. Totally agree that was the first i thought how out of balance it would be.
WOW! You don't mention the best part of the build: it does NOT demand an expensive and hard to install sandpaper tube. I would be tempted to try the drum with the slit alone, without the pin. It would probably hold the paper fine. I had a hand sanding block that worked that way. Finally, it might run more true if the threaded rod was ground smooth in the way of the chuck. I was thinking about losing the pin also. My thought was to roll/fold one end of the sandpaper, slide it into the hole/slot and let it freewheel like a flap disk. once it is spinning in place, it wouldn't matter that the end is free, as it would be trapped between the workpiece and drum. if it wears faster, leave it longer so you wrap a few times, and let it wear away! Rather than grinding the threads off the threaded rod, replace the top nut with a coupling nut. Would stiffen it too. It ain't laziness, but I bought a set of sanding spindles for 30 buck's, 1X1/4, 1x1/5, 1x1'' and a 2'' incl 4 sleeves with different courses for each spindle. For easiness I clued two 1/2'' pieces of plywood together 5X with in the top a slightly bigger hole then the spindle and in the bottom hole a bearing where the bottom of the spindle is pressed against, there is no movement at all when sanding. the table is almost the one already presented here with no bearing, I made for all 4 sizes a table in an afternoon, even inside sanding works, just lift the drill place the work and lower the drill. I should have read down to your post , just offered the same thought about a bottom bearing .
I'm worried that the bearings will wear out quickly since they aren't designed to handle lateral force. Have you had any issues? Hello . You could extend the center rod a half inch or so from the bottom . Use a bit of plywood for a table , let in a bearing sized to fit the rod . That'll soak up some of the lateral force and save some wear on your drill press . Absolutely no issues.
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 14 However, If you find yourself using this more than a few times a month for anything other than light usage, then you're better off investing in a drum sander. I use mine about twice a year, and for very specific tasks. Also, my drill press was $50 used, so I'm not worried about what happens to it. Thanks! Great idea
Trick to cut a threaded rod: screw a nut and cut flush
Excellent tip, simple yet I never thought of doing it before. I always have to dig out the tap & die set to clean up the threads after cutting. Next time I'll use your suggestion. Thanks! Instead of digging out the tap & die set to clean up the threads, screw a nut on prior to cutting the threaded rod. When you unscrew the nut, after cutting, it will automatically realign and clean up the threads. another good idea. wow so many in one 'dble
Very nice... A bearing at the bottom will decrease play.. good way to make different dia sanders
It is true that drill chucks don't play well with lateral loads, but if you tighten the chuck well from all three points it should be ok with moderate side loads. When I build mine, I am going to make a base with a bearing in it that will clamp or bolt to the drill press table. Vettebob great idea in addition to what the guy has done.
Thanks. I will bore a hole in some 3/4" plywood for a snug, press fit for the bearing, and glue the bearing in. On the through bolt of the sanding drum, at the bottom, I will add a collar, or spacer that will be a slip fit into the i.d. of the bearing. In my case, I will just machine the spacer/collar on the lathe. For those unable to do this, you should be able to scrounge a 3/8" drive socket wrench of the right o.d. to serve as the spacer/collar. Vettebob I use a fly cutter to cut these disks on my drillpress and that way you can have any diameter drum you want. another great idea
I made several of these about 5 years ago. with one difference. Instead of having a piece of steel as a pin to hold the sandpaper, I used a piece of hollow fiberglass fishing rod. I slit it down the middle, and cut it where it would be large enough diameter that it would pinch back shut when forced into the hole. That way I could pinch the ends of the sandpaper in the hollowed fishing rod section and when I pushed it in it would close tight on the sandpaper. This makes it easy to make the sandpaper to fit tightly. If people insist, I will take pictures and post them for you. another great idea. thanks
Yes, please. I would love to see pictures of your rig. this is a great idea. So simple love it :) Will be making a few this weekend
This is great idea
This is what i am looking for.... good work
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 15 what is crepe rubber, and what is it used for?
Nice!
When sanding, I would put a piece of wood rather than have the metal table exposed. I drill a hole in this wood the size of the drum and have the drum go into the hole a wee bit. This will make it so when I put my project against the drum, all the work is sanded the same, rather than having a bur at the bottom edge. (I hope this is clear) As others have mentioned, a drill press mechanism is not designed for lateral pressure. I'd recommend using this only for very occasional use, and only with very light pressure (let the sand paper do the work, not pressure!) If you see yourself doing a lot of this type of sanding, spindle sanders start at about $100. Genious!! Love it! I am going to make several in different diameters and multiples of the same size to have pre-loaded with different grit sandpaper. Thanks! Great Instructable! Great idea and really thorough ‘ible! I am totally doing this.
You could design an assembly that incorporated bearings above and below the sanding drum. Clamp this assembly to the drill press table and the drill spindle bearings would see greatly reduced side loading. carriage bolt carriage bolt instead of using a piece of all thread might I suggest using a carriage bolt it will reassess nicely into the drum and hold your spindle well. Very nice idea. Couldn't you save a step or two by attaching the nuts/washers to the glued-up discs to clamp them while they are initially on the threaded rod and then cutting the rod to length? You should still be able to drill the pin hole by putting the spindle through the hole in the center of the drill press table and swinging it a bit to the side, then putting a plywood spacer underneath the bottom disc to prevent tearout. If you drill a hole in a piece of plywood slightly larger than your sander spindle, you can clamp that to your table and be able to sand the whole edge of whatever you're sanding. First buy a decent quality sealed bearing with an inner diameter equal to your shaft size. Combine that with your piece of plywood to support the free end of your new drum sander's drive shaft. Do this by recessing the bearing into the *bottom* of your wood base, then adding mounts to attach your wood base to your drill press' table. Recess another hole the size of your drum into the top of the plywood so you can sand the whole edge. This will survive much longer and is *significantly* less likely to break your drill press. I've been using spindle/drum sanders on my drill press for many years. When using them, I always mount an auxiliary platform on the drill press table with a hole slightly larger than the drum I'm using. This allows me to use the full length of the drum. I also frequently clean the drum with a piece of crepe rubber. I got mine from a friend who owned a shoe repair shop (he gave me more than enough to last a lifetime), but you can buy cleaning sticks at Home Depot and other sources. Nella parte inferiore dell'oggetto inserire e bloccare un cuscinetto a sfere. Il cuscinetto insisterà in una tavoletta bloccata al piano e ciò non permetterà il disassamento dell'oggetto Good handy idea
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 16 I made one of these for a project I was working on, this one is much nicer then mine. Just a note on the lateral force concerns, the threaded rod is really the weak point and if you think you are putting enough force on it to break the drill the threaded rod would snap well before that. This was for me, a great project to get some inside curve sanding done quickly without spending hundreds of dollars. Nice write up! With an imbalanced spinning cylinder, I wonder how it holds up to vibration? Does it come loose in the chuck (lateral vibrations against a tapered holding pattern)? looks like a spindle sander not a drum sander but very good idea to give your drill press another job to do
Drill Press Drum Sander: Page 17