Throwback: Shopmade sanding drum on a lathe

This inexpensive but effective drum sander is made and used on the lathe. Center an 18-in. long 4×4 on the lathe and turn a cylinder of 3-1/2-in. dia. Carefully reduce the diameter of the cylinder until a standard sheet of emery paper wraps around the drum without gap or overlap. Glue the emery cloth (I used 100-grit) to the drum with hide glue. Wrap the entire surface with a sash cord and let dry overnight. Turn down the ends of the drum to about 1-1/2 in. to give free work­ing space. The size of the drum can be scaled up or down for different applications. A smaller open-end drum could easily be made using a screw center.

-From FW#21–Mar/April 1980

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

AnchorSeal Log and Lumber End-Grain Sealer

Good for both sealing the end grain of freshly cut logs and boards, this wax prevents end-grain checking and saves material

Starrett 12-in. combination square

This accurate, robust, well-machined, easy-to-read combo square is as great as ever.

Diablo ‘SandNet’ Sanding Discs

While Diablo’s SandNet disks perform similarly to conventional paper abrasives in terms of material removal and surface prep (with some exceptions at the lower grits), they make keeping your work surface and work area clean much easier, thanks to the great dust collection possible with them.