My dual drum sander is now converted to hook and loop.

[Ken Vick]

I have a Steel City 26" dual drum sander that has caused me a lot of trouble because the spring loaded clips that hold the sand paper frequently let the paper slip or the end tore off letting the paper loose. Also, the sander left ghosts across the face of the board similar to what you see with a planer but much less distinct. I am not sure what causes this but there is absolutely no give between the board being sanded and the drum backed sanding paper. So maybe a resonance or light unbalance in the drums. Other people have experienced the same thing and while it is faint, it still requires additional ROM sanding to remove all traces of it.

So I did some reading about converting the drum to hook and loop and found several satisfied drum sander owners who had done it. The hardest part for me was winding the adhesive backed hook material to the drum. I found it hard to keep the 2" material running consistently around the drum without leaving gaps or trying to ride up on the adjacent material. The first drum was harder than the second and I guess that just results from practice. I had to repair the hook material on the first drum to take care of a couple puckers. The sanding material went on much smoother. After I finished I sanded a piece of curly maple. I liked the result. The ghosts were gone. There is a different feel to feeding the wood into the sander, much less effort because the sanding paper lifts off the drums by centrifugal force and the work piece is not closely in contact with the drum. This is supposed to make the sand paper run much cooler and the paper is supposed to last longer. Any way those are my first impressions. I will learn more as I use it, I am sure. Ken

[jteneyck]

I've thought of doing the same thing Ken. I have the ghosting issue, too, though no problems with clips on my Delta 18x36 keeping the sanding roll in place. I'll look forward to taking a look at yours and seeing some comparative samples next time I get up the hill. I wonder how well it will work for sanding shop sawn veneer and maintaining very tight thickness control.

John

[rayknight]

I struggled with the same issue with my Grizzly 24" twin drum, there are those who argue you get more precision with the hard cylinders, but with the clips failing and ripping paper a couple of times, I converted to hook & loop and have been very pleased. My hook/loop instructions said to leave a small gap when winding on the pressure sensitive
tape. I am very cautious to take light cuts, repeat two passes before advancing and have been very pleased. There is a give to the paper and you don't get micrometer consistent thickness (varies with grain and hardness of the wood). I dimension resawn stock for shaker box sides, and am very pleased. I worried about the change, second guessing myself until I did it, then never looked back. Ray

[atgcpaul]

Ken, where did you buy the hook and loop and paper? I have the Ryobi 16-32 and the clip is worthless.

[BloomingtonMike]

Econ-abrasives sells hook and loop backed rolls/paper.

https://www.econabrasives.com/products.p...mp;cat=117

Grizzly sells a conversion kit

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Hook-Lo...079R/H5037

Klingspor also has belts folks like but I have only used the econ abrasive ones.

I have the dual drum grizzly.

[Ken Vick]

atgcpaul said:

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Ken, where did you buy the hook and loop and paper? I have the Ryobi 16-32 and the clip is worthless.

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My adhesive coated hook material came from buyhookandloop.com and the sandpaper from: USA1 abrasives ( www.usa1.com ). I paid about $30 for the hook roll which is enough to do maybe 3, 26" drums. Ken

[rayknight]

Grizzly sells a replacement Hook-Loop kit for their 24" twin drum sander, wide (4" or 6") and easier to install.

[Ken Vick]

rayknight said:

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Grizzly sells a replacement Hook-Loop kit for their 24" twin drum sander, wide (4" or 6") and easier to install.

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I actually watched their U-tube video on doing it. I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough hook material for a 26" machine like mine. I probably should have called them to ask about that. I found the 2" material hard to wind on but then maybe the 4" would have also been hard. I think there is a little more adjustment in the 2" than would be in the 4" if you find the material is not running true. I found several references on different forums and the ones that helped me the most also used the 2" material.

You have to cut an angle on the starting end and also at the finish. You do this by measuring the circumference of the drum and the cutting the angle from the end to that point. This angle guides you in getting started winding the material on the drum. But if you are off just a tiny bit, you will notice it when you start the second round. Ken

[atgcpaul]

Ken, how is the hook and loop holding up? Is it still sticking well to your drum? I think I'm finally ready to pull the trigger.

Thanks,
Paul

[bobs64ford352]

Perfect timing to see this, I'm looking at a 24" grizz and the amazon reviews mention the problem with the clips and converting to H&L.

Bob