Stanford MM3126, Owner'S Operating Manual

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of the material being surfaced,  and the feed rate selected are all 
considered when 

determining

 the amount of material to be removed on 

each pass. Never remove more than 0.8mm of material in one pass. The 
variable feed rate is set to prevent burning and provide a smooth sanded 
surface on different types and widths of materials. As a general rule, 1/4 
turn or 0.4mm  or less is recommended stock removal for coarser grits 
and softer woods,  while 1/8  of a turn or 0.2mm  may be more desirable 
with harder woods and/or finer grits if abrasives. When selecting the rate 
of feed for the material being surfaced, the wider the material, the slower 
the feed rate to be set. Similarly the harder the wood, the slower the feed 
rate. 

   
Some experimenting and practice will be required to become familiar with the 
sanding performance of your Wide Drum Sander. While performing a 
surfacing operation with your  Wide Drum Sander  closely parallels the wide 
surface preparation of a planer,  a planer is much more capable of making 
deeper passes due to its characteristic knives, while a Wide Drum Sander is 
limited to its abrasive material for stock removal. 
 
 

SANDING 

 
1.  With power off, 

place

 stock on the feed table and advance the stock to a 

point so that you can adjust height of sanding drum to equal thickness of 
stock at its greatest point.   

2.  Connect and turn on dust collection equipment.   
3.  Adjust feed rate to match sanding requirements and width of stock.   
4.  Turn on unit and 

place

 stock on the feed 

conveyor

 table allowing the 

feed

belt

  to carry the stock into and engage the sanding action of the drum. 

Support long stock as necessary during the feed operation. Once the 
sanding operation feed allows, reposition yourself to the out  feed side of 
the machine to accept, support, and control the board as it exits the Wide 
Drum Sander. 

 
NOTE: Do not apply upward or downward pressure when supporting and 
guiding stock through the sander. To do so may induce snipe (sander drum 
dig-in) into the sanded stock. 
 
5.  Reverse the feed direction of the stock on successive passes, while 

adjusting the depth of cut using the height adjustment handle assembly 
(refer to Figure

1

). 

There are several  variables that may affect the proper 

depth of cut selected, suck as

  abrasive grit choice, width of stock, 

hardness of stock, feed rate and moisture content of stock.