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Picking out a new drum sander can be tricky. You want the largest drum to help you finish sanding faster. However, a bigger drum will be more expensive and consume more power.
So when deciding on the best drum sander, you need to keep an eye on a few factors. Let’s take a look at some of these factors and how you can choose the best drum sander for you.
Drum Sander Reviews
If you’re in the market for a new drum sander, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a list of my top five drum sanders.
Best Overall Drum Sander: Powermatic PM2244
We’re starting with my overall best, the Powermatic PM2244 Drum Sander, to kick off my list. This heavy-duty machine can handle all types of projects, big or small. With the 22″ inch open-ended drum, you can sand wood pieces that are 44″ inch long and 4″ inch thick.
The PM2244 has one of the best drums on my list. It’s large, strong, and durable so that you can use it all the time. In addition, to support the huge drum, the PM2244 comes with a mighty motor. Its motor boasts an incredible 1.75 HP to keep up with the large drum.
To help you stay in control of the motor and the sander, the PM2244 comes with sensors and a control panel. The panel includes a switch, an emergency stop button, and feed control. All of which show up on the sander’s large LED display in real-time.
Product Specs
- Weight: 328.5 lbs
- Length: 42.2″
- Width: 37.7″
- Height: 49.5″
- Motor: 1 ¾ HP
- No. of drums: 1
- Drum length: 22″
- Drum diameter: 5″
- Drum speed: 1,720 RPM
- Maximum board thickness: 4″
- Maximum board width: 22″
- Minimum board length: 2 ⅜”
- Minimum board thickness: 1/32″
Feature Highlights
- The emergency stop button immediately stops the drum
- Large chrome wheel to make adjusting project dimensions easy
- The sander includes different areas for storing projects and tools
Still, not all aspects of this sander are automatic; you have to do some by hand. For example, to adjust the height of a project, you can use the sander’s chrome hand-wheel. It can be annoying, but this way, you ensure you get accurate measurements every time. You can also use the wheel to align your project with the drum.
If you plan on using your sander often, the Powermatic PM2244 is an excellent choice. Not only can it fit large wood pieces, but it can also help you with some of the more detailed work. In addition, it’s sturdy and can handle running for long periods.
However, the rotation speed is a little slow because of the heavy drum. It can reach 1720 RPMs, which is still impressive, but it could be better.
Another problem that this sander may face is efficiency for smaller tasks. If you only plan on using the sander for small projects, this one may not be ideal. To get the best performance out of this sander, you need to use it for larger projects.
Pros
- It can sand large pieces of wood up to 44″ inches long
- The LED screen helps you control the whole system
- The powerful motor can handle larger projects
- The sander is fully adjustable in length, height, and width
Cons
- The drum is heavy, so the speed is a little diminished.
Best Value Drum Sander: Jet JWDS 1632
Another fantastic option on my list is the This sander automatically regulates its conveyor belt, so you don’t have to. It also has a dust hood that collects wood dust from the sander. This can be incredibly useful for people working in tight spaces. The sander will collect dust and store it in a container for easy disposal. One of the best things about this sander is that it comes ready to use. When you purchase a Jet JWDS 1632, it comes pre-assembled, meaning all you have to do is push the start button. This makes the setup time much faster than the other options on my list. The Jet JWDS 11632 has a 16″ inch drum. This is smaller than the Powermatic sander, but they have the same speed. That’s where the small drum is functional. Since the Jet sander has a slightly smaller drum, a less powerful motor can still give you impressive speeds. However, one of the biggest issues with the Jet JWDS 1632 is noise. This sander can make a lot of noise while operating. For example, you can hear the motor as it turns and the dust collector as it vacuums dust. Sometimes, the sander can vibrate and move around if the project is large. This can be aggravating if you live in a small space around other people. Still, if you don’t plan on using the sander daily, the noise shouldn’t be much of an issue. Unfortunately, the sander also doesn’t give you any readings, so you must read the manual to ensure you’re using it correctly. Don’t let the small size fool you. The Grizzly G0459 Baby Drum Sander packs quite a punch when sanding wood. I refer to this model as a baby drum sander because of the small drum length. While this may be limiting, you can still do much with this sander. Even though the Grizzly has a smaller drum than the Jet JWDS 1632, it has a similar motor. Both motors supply their respective sander with 1.5 HP. This means that the Grizzly sander is much faster than the Jet JWDS 1632. If you have a small shop or a tight workspace, the Grizzly might be an excellent idea. Unlike most small sanders, Grizzly made the G0459 out of heavy-duty materials. This gives the sander a lot more stability when the motor is turning. Stability is also improved by the rubber feed belt. Since the G0459 drum is a little small, the sander has an open end. That gives you more room and increases the gain-width capacity. This will allow you to create all kinds of projects, even if they’re large. Another great feature of the Grizzly G0459 is how quiet it is. This is one of the most silent sanders on my list. When it’s operating, you can hear a faint whirring coming from the motor, and that’s it. This is even more impressive when you take into consideration that it has a dust collector. However, because of the construction of the Grizzly sander, it’s heavy. The sander is too heavy to move on a regular basis. So, you can’t pull it out when you need it and then put it back into storage when you’re done. Moreover, the drum size can limit what projects you accomplish. If you’ve been using your drum sander for a while and you’re ready for an upgrade, the Shop Fox W1678 might be for you. This drum sander can handle a lot. Not only does it have the largest cutting range, but it also has the most powerful motor on my list. One of the key features of this device is the dual drums. It’s the only drum sander on my list with more than one drum. This means that the Shop Fox W1678 has a much bigger surface area than all the other models on my list. Both drums have an open end, which increases the gain capacity of the sander further. To power the dual drums, the Shop Fox W1678 has an enormous motor. The motor can supply the sander with a whopping 5 HP. That’s almost three times as powerful as the Jet JWDS 1632. With this astonishing motor, the drums can rotate at a speed of about 3450 RPM. That makes Shop Fox W1678 the fastest sander on the list. Moreover, you don’t have to sacrifice quality for speed. Even though the W1678 is fast, it’s still one of the most accurate sanders on the list. It can achieve straight lines with extreme precision. In addition, the Shop Fox W1678 comes with a third motor for the conveyor belt. This ensures that there’s always enough force to power all the different moving parts. It’s also a great safety measure to make sure that the motors don’t overheat when in use. At first glance, it looked like this drum sander would be capable of replacing your planer. However, after testing, I don’t recommend using this mammoth machine to plane wood. Use this tool with planed wood. However, as you can probably imagine, the Shop Fox W1678 is extraordinarily heavy. Because of the extra motor power and drums, this device is much heavier than the Jet JWDS 1632. It’s also significantly more expensive to buy and operate. Yet another Jet sander on my list, the Jet JWDS 1020 Benchtop Drum Sander packs quite the punch. The main difference between the two Jet sanders on my list is size. The JWDS 1020 is a benchtop sander, which means it’s smaller and doesn’t come with a stand. This is ideal if your workshop has plenty of table-top space. Another major difference between the two Jet sanders is the motor power. Even though the JWDS 1632 has a more powerful motor, the JWDS 1020 manages to have a higher drum speed. If you spend a lot of time sanding, you know how much of a difference an extra 5 RPMs can make. The drum of the Jet JWDS 1020 is aluminum. This makes it significantly lighter than the other steel drums on my list. Aluminum is also much better at conducting heat, so your wood projects are a lot less likely to get singed. As for the body of the sander, it’s a combination of steel and aluminum. The steel provides stability and reinforcement, while the aluminum helps keep it lightweight. JWDS 1020 also comes with a hand-wheel to help you adjust the settings like the JWDS 1632. However, one of the biggest issues with the Jet JWDS 1020 is drum length. Even though it’s a powerful sander, the JWDS 1020 can’t help you with all your projects. The smaller drum makes it more difficult to execute large or elaborate projects. Moreover, changing the sandpaper on this model can be tricky. The sandpaper changing system is toolless, but that doesn’t exactly make it simple. Removing the paper is easy, but reapplying it needs a steady hand and quick fingers. When looking at drum sanders, it’s not all about drum size. There are a few other factors you should consider before buying a drum sander. One of the most important features of a drum sander is its motor. You can buy a sander with the best drums, but without a powerful motor, you can’t use them. When you’re looking at sanders, most of the time, the units of the motor power are in HP. Hp stands for horsepower, which ranges from 1 to 5. A sander with a higher HP should consume more power, but it provides a lot more torque. A crucial aspect of the motor is its voltage. Most sanders plug into the wall, so you need to make sure your home limits can meet the requirements. Depending on how you plan to use your drum sander, your motor needs will differ. If you only need to use the sander a few times a month, then a 1 HP motor should do the trick. However, if you plan on using the sander daily, it might be a good idea to invest in a sander with a more powerful motor. Another point you should be aware of is motor heat. The higher the motor power, the less likely it is to overheat. So, if you do buy a lower-powered motor, it’s best to use the sander in a well-ventilated area. If you’re going to be sanding wood, it’s safe to assume that you’re going to create a lot of dust. No matter how powerful or silent the sander is, the more you sand, the more dust you make. So, you need to keep in mind how you’re going to get rid of the dust. Many drum sanders come with their own dust collection system. Some will collect the dust in a container, and others funnel it away with fans. Before you buy a sander, ensure that the dust mechanism is compatible with your workspace. Not disposing of the dust effectively can lead to a huge mess and, in extreme cases, lung health issues. Whenever you buy any new piece of equipment, it’s crucial that you know where you’re going to store it. This is even more apparent with drum sanders. A bigger sander isn’t always better. The majority of drum sanders are large and hard to move. That’s why you need to have an empty space for it before you make a purchase. If you’re short on space, you can opt for a benchtop or a hand-held drum sander. Still, you need to keep in mind that a smaller sander will have limitations. So, make sure that your sander meets your needs and fits into your workshop. A drum is a cylindrical object wrapped in abrasive material. This is the part that does the sanding, and it can sand through wood and plastic. Since the drum is a cylinder, I talk about drum size in terms of diameter and length. The larger the diameter, the more surface of contact it will have with your project. That means that it can sand a larger surface in one go. Having two drums instead of one will double the contact area, making sanding much faster. Faster sanding isn’t the only benefit of having two drums. With two drums, you can use two different grits of sandpaper. This means, with a little finessing, you can sand and finish your project in the same sanding cycle. Still, having two drums will increase the weight and cost of the sander. It’ll also use a lot more power than a single drum. So, if the electric bill is an issue, the single drum may be a better choice. You can use a drum sander to sand pieces of wood and plastic perfectly flat. The device works by feeding a piece of wood under a drum using a conveyor belt. Most people use it instead of a belt sander because it has a much better finish. The grit of sandpaper is an indication of its abrasive power. Starting from a low grit number, the sandpaper will be coarse. You can feel the bumps on the sandpaper. Still, as the grit number increases, the abrasion gets finer. We use coarse sandpaper to remove extra material and level uneven surfaces. Usually, this process will create a lot of dust. Then, I use fine sandpaper for polishing and finishing. To sand wood, I usually use a grit range of 120 to 180. There are a few different types of sandpaper you can use. So, before you buy sandpaper, make sure it’s compatible with the material you’re using. This is a tricky question because it’ll be different for every project. Generally, you’ll want to sand with a coarse grit until all the surfaces of your project are level. To test this out, you’re going to need a level tool. Then, once you’ve made sure that the entire surface is level, you can start to increase the grit number. It’s a good idea to gradually increase the grit size. It’ll take a little longer, but the final product will be much smoother. Buying a drum sander can be a huge investment. When looking for the best drum sander, you should consider a few factors. These can include the size, motor power, and speed of the sander. Our best overall drum sander is the Powermatic PM2244 Drum Sander. The model gives you a large drum with excellent motor power. This combo should help you finish sanding any project in no time. As for my runner-up, I chose the Shop Fox W1678. It might be a bit on the more expensive side, but only a few models can match its size and accuracy.Product Specs
Feature Highlights
Pros
Cons
Best Budget Drum Sander: Grizzly G0459 12″ inch
Product Specs
Feature Highlights
Pros
Cons
Best Drum Sander Upgrade: Shop Fox W1678
Product Specs
Feature Highlights
Pros
Cons
Best Benchtop Drum Sander: Jet JWDS 1020
Product Specs
Feature Highlights
Pros
Cons
Features to Consider When Choosing a Drum Sander
Motor Power
Dust Collection
Size
Single vs Double Drums
FAQs
What Is a Drum Sander Used For?
What Is Sandpaper Grit?
How Do You Know You’re Done Sanding?
Conclusion
