SuperMax Drum Sanders For Wood Or Metal

Sanding and surface preparation are a part of any carpentry or metalworking project, and drum and brush sanders from SuperMax Tools speed up these time-consuming tasks. SuperMax drum sanders produce more consistent results than hand sanding, especially when working with large, flat pieces.

You can also thin oversized stock, clean up recycled materials, or prepare surfaces for paint or varnish with these tools. Use SuperMax brush sanders to create unique surface finishes on metal parts, de-fuzz, or distressed wood stock. Brush and drum sanders come in various configurations and sizes, including models suitable for home hobbyists and professional users.

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Sander Configurations

Although SuperMax drum and brush sanders perform different tasks, they share some design features. Both have a conveyor belt that feeds material beneath one or two swiftly rotating cylinders that do the actual surface finishing work. Drum sander cylinders are solid metal tubes wrapped with sandpaper, and SuperMax brush sander cylinders have stiff wire or nylon bristles. You primarily use drum sanders to finish wood surfaces, but brush sanders can handle wood and metal stock. Some SuperMax drum sanders can use either brushes or sanding drums for additional flexibility.

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Conveyor Beds

There are two types of conveyor beds. Enclosed conveyors have vertical supports on either side, creating a rigid base for the sander’s drums or brushes. Open-ended conveyors only have a single support next to the drive enclosure, which lets you work with materials wider than the drum face.

While enclosed conveyors provide better support for spinning brushes and drums, you can finish surfaces almost twice as wide as the drum face with open-ended SuperMax woodworking drum sanders by sending the piece through twice.

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Drum Configurations

Sanders comes in single and dual drum or brush configurations. Single drum models are more compact than dual drum sanders but only perform one finishing task at a time. SuperMax dual drum sanders can perform two operations in a single pass, and dual brush sanders can create more complex surface finishes using two brushes simultaneously.

Dual configurations are a good choice for high-volume shops with consistent finishing needs, but they are somewhat more complicated to set up. You can perform the same tasks using a SuperMax drum sander with a single drum or brush by swapping out cylinders and making a second pass, but this does take a little more time.

All SuperMax brush and drum sanders come with stands, but bench-top drum sanders are also available. These compact units take up less space but require firm support for the proper operation. SuperMax tool stands are available, including open and closed base models with or without wheels.

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Material Capacity

Among the most essential features of a SuperMax drum sander or brush sander is the size of the stock it can handle. The most obvious measure to consider is the sander’s maximum width. Quickly sanding extensive pieces saves considerable time and significantly increases the tool’s footprint. As mentioned, open-ended SuperMax drum sanders offer increased sanding width in a smaller machine, but two-pass sanding is a slower process requiring more care to achieve the best results.

The second material capacity you should consider is the tool’s thickness range. Most SuperMax drum sanders can handle stock measuring 1/32 inches to 4 inches thick, which covers typical woodworking needs. Metalworking jobs often involve odd-shaped or oversized pieces, so many SuperMax brush sanders accept extra-thick materials. These machines handle pieces as thin as 1/32 of an inch and can process stock up to 11 inches thick, depending on the model and brush chosen.

The final material handling dimension you should consider is the minimum stock length. Unlike other measurements, where bigger is better, a short stock length lets you safely feed smaller parts into your brush or drum sander. Due to the size of their brushes, most SuperMax brush sanders have a minimum piece length of about 10 inches, but drum sanders can handle much smaller pieces, as short as 2-1/4 inches.

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Brush and Sanding Drum Applications

You can use SuperMax brush sanders and drum sanders for many different applications. Drum sanders are mainly used for woodworking, while brush sanders are primarily metalworking tools with a few specific woodworking applications. Combo sanders can use either brush or drum cylinders. All SuperMax drum sanders have quick-change cylinders, so you can easily swap sandpaper grits or brush types to match your current project’s needs. There’s also a complete line of SuperMax sanding accessories available to further enhance the performance of your SuperMax drum sanders.

The following table highlights many common uses of brush and drum sanders and indicates which tool can perform each finishing task.

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Application	Brush Sanders	Drum Sanders
Create hard-sanded wood finishes	—	X
Prepare wood for paint or stain	—	X
Decorative metal finishes	X	—
Sanding large, flat wood surfaces	—	X
Distressed wood finishes	X	—
Fuzz removal	X	—
Thinning wood stock	—	X
Removing old finishes	X	X
Sanding panel doors or molding	X	—
Remove soft grain from wood stock	X	—

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Controls and Material Handling

Sanders are potent tools that require precision to achieve the best results. All SuperMax brush and drum sanders offer easy-to-use controls that let you accurately adjust drum, motor, and conveyor belt settings and have material handling features that keep stock moving smoothly beneath the drum heads.

• Drum height controls determine the thickness of the finished stock
• Drum differential settings change the aggressiveness of each drum in SuperMax dual drum sanders
• A depth gauge clearly indicates drum height settings
• Simple drum and conveyor speed adjustments let you manage material finishing speeds
• SuperMax drum sanders have conveyor tracking and tension controls that ensure stock feeds correctly
• Poly conveyor belts grip stock securely to prevent slippage
• Adjustable tension rollers maintain consistent pressure on the stock and eliminate sniping
• A flip-up hood offers easy access to drums and brushes for maintenance
• Variable speed drum motors on some units provide additional control over the finishing process

SuperMax drum sanders also have a patented self-tensioning mechanism that holds sanding wraps securely and automatically removes slack created by regular use. Many also feature INTELLISAND™ technology, which automatically adjusts the conveyor speed based on stock density and grain patterns. This feature prevents burning and gouging and produces consistent results when using uneven materials. Some SuperMax drum sanders include digital height displays for more accurate results and can show measurements in English or metric units.

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Reliability and Durability

All SuperMax brush and drum sanders are built to provide years of service in any workshop. They feature cast iron frames that combine exceptional rigidity with strength and durability. They also have steel conveyor beds that are precision flattened to ensure accurate sanding and finishing results and reinforced to support heavy materials. Most vary less than 0.01 inches across the width of the conveyor bed. All SuperMax drums and brushes are self-cooling, which extends their abrasive life.

Sanding and finishing tasks produce dust and metal particles that can damage stock or cause health issues. SuperMax drum and brush sanders have integrated dust hoods with built-in vacuum attachments to keep your work area clean. Most also include the minimum recommended ventilation required to properly manage dust, so you can choose a vacuum system that matches your sander’s needs.

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Motor Performance and Power

The best sander is not very useful without motors for the conveyor belt and finishing cylinder. SuperMax drum and brush sanders use ultra-reliable, totally enclosed, fan-cooled motors to drive sanding drums and brushes. These motors keep dust and debris away from moving parts and operate for extended periods without overheating.

SuperMax sanders also have separate direct-drive, infinitely variable DC motors that provide consistent speed and torque to their conveyor belt under any load conditions. When evaluating SuperMax brush sanders and drum sanders, be sure to review their electrical requirements. Their dual-motor configuration draws a lot of power, which may require a dedicated 110V or 220V circuit.

SuperMax brush and drum sanders come in various models designed to handle the needs of professional carpenters, metalworkers, and home DIY enthusiasts. Brush sanders are ideal for cleanup, metal finishing, or specialized woodworking tasks, while drum sanders speed up time-consuming sanding jobs on flat surfaces. SuperMax dual drum sanders take care of two steps in a single pass, and combo units can use both brush and sanding cylinders to perform a broader range of finishing tasks.

Explore our selection of SuperMax drum and brush sanders, browse SuperMax Tools’ complete product line, and find the right finishing solution for your workshop.