-26-
W1772/W1773 37" Drum Sander
O
PE
R
ATIO
NS
Sanding.Tips
•
Replace the sandpaper with a higher grit to
achieve a finer finish.
•
Raise the table with a maximum of
3
/
4
turn
of the height handle until the workpiece is
the desired thickness.
• Reduce snipe when sanding more than one
board of the same thickness by feeding
them into the sander with the front end of
the second board touching the back end of
the first board.
• Feed boards into the sander at different
points on the conveyor to maximize sand-
paper life and prevent uneven conveyor
belt wear.
•
Replace the sandpaper with a higher grit to
achieve a finer finish.
•
Raise the table with a maximum of
3
/
4
turn
of the height handle until the workpiece is
the desired thickness.
• DO NOT sand boards less than 9" long or
less than
1
/
16
" to prevent damage to the
workpiece and the drum sander.
• When sanding workpieces with irregular
surfaces, such as cabinet doors, take very
light sanding passes to prevent gouges.
When the drum moves from sanding a wide
surface to sanding a narrow surface, the
load on the motor will be reduced, and the
drum will speed up, causing a gouge.
• DO NOT edge sand boards. This can cause
boards to kickback, causing serious per-
sonal injury. Edge sanding boards also can
cause damage to the conveyor belt and
sandpaper.
• When sanding workpieces with a bow or
crown, place the high point up (prevents
the workpiece from rocking) and take very
light passes.
Choosing.Sandpaper
There are many types of sanding belts to choose
from. We recommend Aluminum Oxide for gen-
eral workshop environments. To the side is a
chart that groups abrasives into different class-
es, and shows which grits fall into each class.
The general rule of thumb is to sand a
workpiece with progressively higher grit num-
bers, with no one grit increase of more than 50.
Avoid skipping grits; the larger the grit increase,
the harder it will be to remove the scratches
from the previous grit.
The Model W1772/W1773 allows you to place
a different grit sandpaper on each drum. The
front drum should have a coarser grit than the
rear. Usually this translates into combinations
of successive group types. A common selection
for stock that is planed before being sanded is a
100/150 grit combination.
Ultimately, the type of wood you use and your
stage of finish will determine the best grit types
to install on your sander.
Grit
Class
Usage
36
Extra Coarse Rough sawn boards,
thickness sanding,
and glue removal.
60
Coarse
Thickness sanding
and glue removal.
80–100
Medium
Removing planer
marks and initial
finish sanding.
120–180
Fine
Finish sanding.
