I finally pulled the trigger and purchased a drum sander. This is one of those tools that people tell me is a game changer. I’m repeatedly told that it will speed up sanding panels and other flat pieces, and in a production shop, time is money. I’ve held off on buying one because they are expensive tools. Admittedly, I’m a sucker for Jet tools because A) I think they make good stuff and B) I like that my tools match (a little OCD I guess!). The two most common drum sanders that woodworkers purchase are either by Jet or Supermax Tools. Both get great reviews, but obviously I purchased the Jet drum sander.

I went with the Jet JWDS-1632. The bigger ones were a bit out of my budget and it’s rare that I make anything bigger than 32”. Jet was having a sale so I was able to get the sander for a few hundred dollars off the retail price, plus free shipping. I figured that I would make an unboxing and setup video for people who are interested in this drum sander.

The drum sander arrived freight delivery on a little pallet. Shipping only took about a week, despite being told that it would take around a month due to a backlog. The stand weights approximately 20lbs and was in a separate box from the sander, which weighed about 140lbs. Setup was a breeze. The stand feels like good quality gauge steel and I didn’t feel any flex to it compared to other tool stands that I’ve purchased, both cheap and moderately priced. Every bolt hole lined up perfectly and the stand went together quickly. The drum sander was in its own box and bolted to a piece of plywood. Those four bolts are used to mount the sander to the stand. Once the sander was bolted down, I put the handle on and that’s it! There was no other assembly unless you buy the extension wings, which are sold separately. In the video, I show how to attach and level the wings. The sander came with 80 grit paper already on it, meaning that I didn’t have to add my own.

I tested the drum sander the best way that I know, with an off cut from an end grain cutting board. End grain is pretty miserable to sand. The cutting board that the test piece came from took me about three hours to sand from 80 through 180 grit. I was able to do the same thing with my test piece in about 20 minutes. That’s including learning how to use the machine. It’s an unbelievable time savings.

I’m not sponsored by Jet and I paid for my tool. It’s still brand new and I look forward to putting it to the test and seeing how it performs over the long run.

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