I've finally completed my wide belt drum sander. It is a hybrid of one
found in another magazine. I purchased a 16" wide 100 grit belt from
Supergrit for the conveyor. I had a 1/2 HP compresser motor, 2" &
5" pulleys with a belt. I scavenged and found an old Dayton gear motor
for the conveyor. Hardware for this project was minimal and can be
found at most big box stores. I bought a roll of 100 grit sandpaper
from Harbor Frieght to wrap the drum. As for the drum, it consists of
23 3/4" disks cut out of MDF. They are Gorilla glued to a steel shaft .
Two 1/4" bolts with heads cut off are sandwiched between the last two
disks on each end. This is to help lock the drum to shaft. For height
adjustments I modified the plan a little. Originally called for a
hand-cranked threaded rod to push or pull a wedge against the bottom of
the conveyor table. That worked, but call me lazy....I wanted
automation!! So instead I took apart an old variable speed drill
stripping the trigger from the handle and rewiring it. I chucked the
end of the rod in the drill, set the trigger on the slowest speed and
squeeze. This works pretty well but I think I need a fine tuning
adjustment. So much for automation!! The Drum is covered by a hinged
hood made out of aluminum flashing with a dust collection port
centered. I use a household vacuum for the collector. I rewired
everything to a single plug and the drum, conveyor, collector to their
own switches. The conveyor is controlled by a potentiometer so I can
adjust the speed to whatever is best. It's basically a bathroom fan
switch. I mounted the whole thing on casters so I can move it where
ever I need to. I need to add a belt guard still. Also I I need better sandpaper around the drum. That HF stuff just doesn't hold up to well. Here's some pics, let me know what you think.
