Best Drum Sanders For Sale

best drum sanders for sale reviews Let me say this first – drum sanders are my absolute favorite sanding machines. I’ve had many of them and there are dozens upon dozens of drum sanders for sale out there. It’s an essential machine for any high-level craftsman and I’ll help you choose the best one for your needs.
A drum sander is a big, mean, sanding machine that devours any surface you put into it in a matter of seconds. Their sheer power puts a smile on my face, when you start it up it roars. Drum sanders will be your best friend if you need to take care of long flat surfaces, not only do they flawlessly sand them but they do it really fast and without tiring you, you simply insert the surface into it and the machine takes care of the rest. It completely revolutionizes how long you take to complete a flat sanding task, from days to hours and from hours to minutes. There are quite a few drum sanders for sale out there that offer different features but these machines are quite large and there are no handheld variations, only stationary. This means you need to have a bit of space to install them but if you have the opportunity to get one you don’t want to miss it. When it comes to speed, power and performance they are on another level. Looking for the best drum sander reviews? Check these out:

Best Drum Sanders Comparison

This is a quick overview of the best drum sanders I’ve tested.

Drum Sander Reviews

Here you can read an in-depth analysis and opinion of each drum sander seen above.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this tiny machine. Jet without fail delivers incredibly well built high quality products so that wasn’t a surprise for me, what got me was how much power, effectiveness and ingenious design they could pack into this little thing. Weighing only 90 pounds the Jet mini benchtop drum sander is without a doubt the most lightweight and tiniest drum sander I’ve ever used but boy does it pack a punch. In my honest opinion, it’s the best drum sander for small shops (if you’re really tight on space). With its solid 1HP motor I saw my wooden planks get mowed down very well with great quality results. Even while being a super compact drum sander solution, it has a decently sized 20-inch wide and 3-inches thick sanding capacity and features a quick paper changing mechanism that effectively decreases the time you spend changing the sandpaper so you can focus on your work and be extra productive. It’s tough and built to last, featuring a sealed and permanently lubricated drum ball bearings construction to provide the machine with a longer life. The mini drum sander has easy-to-handle and precise controls (you can change the speed from 0 to 12 feet per minute) to ensure you get the work done right and it has aluminum self-cooling drums to protect the surfaces from any heating damage. Small but sturdy, this machine can run for hours without ever needing to stop and it features the great Jet-patented conveyor belt tracking system that dramatically reduces the need for you to constantly manually adjust the belt. It’s also worth noting that it comes with a free of charge optional stand which is very useful and easy to attach and the trademark Jet 5 year warranty. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a craftsperson with a smaller-sized home shop, this compact but powerful solution is capable of taking on anything you throw at it provided they are, like the machine, smaller sized pieces.

Jet delivers one of the most beautifully designed and well-built open stand drum sanders to date. With a 14AMP 1-½ HP motor and a capability to deal with pieces up to 16 inches of height and 32 inches wide, it’s the quintessential drum sanding machine for any experienced hobbyist craftsman or even a professional since it can easily and perfectly handle and finish all regular sized tasks. This is a very modern machine and as such brings with it excellent advanced features such as the innovative and extremely convenient tool-less parallelism system which makes adjusting the belt as simple as turning a dial and of course, the trademark Jet Sandsmart control (constantly monitors the load on the drum motor and automatically regulates the speed of the conveyor motor to maintain the highest feed rate without ever overloading). At 156 pounds, the Jet JWDS-1632 is immensely sturdy and durable, featuring an aluminum drum that is designed to dissipate heat and protect the work surface from heat related damage and a built-in dust hood and channel to keep the chips and dust from getting in your way. This is a first-rate, high quality medium port drum sander at an incredibly attractive price that delivers everything you need for an effortless finish and impeccable work.

The bigger, better and more powerful brother of the JWDS-1632 open stand drum sander. The JWDS-1836 improves and expands on the previous version’s capabilities and potency offering us a more powerful 15AMP 1-3/4 HP motor, an enlarged 36 inches of maximum width capacity and a bigger 18 inch drum. All of these new enhancements, coupled with the same excellent build quality and advanced features (tool-less bed tracking, SandSmart automatic speed regulation) turn this machine into what is, in my view, the very best drum sander available in the market for regular sized pieces. You also get the famous 5 year warranty and optional superbly built infeed/outfeed tables. If you’re a woodworking enthusiast or a professional with a small shop or without the need to work on very large surfaces, this is without a doubt an excellent choice for you.

From the way it looks to how it performs, I absolutely love this machine. It’s again, a medium port drum sander like the previously mentioned JET machines so it’s equally perfect for small shops or a dedicated space at a home for the hobbyist craftsman but it has a different more classic feel to it which I appreciate immensely. With a 15AMP 1-3/4 HP it has the same potency as its competitors but it shines on the build quality and exclusive features. The 19-38 Drum Sander is rightly so an award winner, WOOD magazine gave the 19-38 Drum Sander 5/5 Stars and the American Woodworker gave it Editor’s Pick. It speaks to the classic craftsman inside all of us that wants something that just works, no itches no hiccups and no stoppage, this thing is built like a tank with a cast iron frame and it performs like one too – easily sanding any piece you throw into it. Smartly designed as well, it offers a single alignment point to adjust the conveyor parallel to the drum, a shroud bolted directly to base to prevent pivoting and a self-cooling drum that prevents heat damage and extends its life. All in all, the 19-38 found its way to my heart and I couldn’t be happier, another highly recommended medium port drum sander that will, in my opinion, endure decades of great work.

A beast when it came out and now, over a decade later, it remains a tried and tested classic. The Jet 22X44 line was and still is celebrated as one of their best ever product lines and with good reason. Weighing 296 pounds it is heavy-duty in both sturdiness, power and especially in the size capabilities, this open stand machine can take on large 44 inch wide and 4 inches tall pieces without breaking a sweat with its 22 inch drum powered by the 20AMP 1-3/4 HP motor. It features advanced capabilities like the more modern ones such as SandSmart technology (automatic speed regulation for load control), conveyor belt automatic trackers, built-in dust collector and it’s surprisingly silent. The 649004K 22X44 Plus has proven time and time again throughout the years that it’s an excellent drum sander that is here to stay and with its capability to take on larger pieces it’s a gift to professionals looking for an affordable solution to deal with big tasks.

The Jet 22X44 Plus line’s largest machine, the 649005K has exactly all the capabilities of the previous 649004K but it is presented in a closed stand fashion which pumps the overall weight of the machine up to 345 pounds. It is again, an incredible choice for dealing with large (or very thin) pieces with ease, accuracy and top-tier quality.

The famous Delta 31-481, known for its great quality and equally great price. It has two sanding drums which are powered by a 3HP motor that makes them run at 1,550 RPM. The feed speed goes from 3 to 20 FPM (variable speed) and the maximum surface width is a cool 26 Inches. It features simple and easy to use controls and the sanding drum replacement is made extremely quick and painless by using toolless tensioning. Like any other Delta machine it’s well-built and durable, I also didn’t find any missing detail or subpar finish, it’s properly made. At 530 pounds it maintains portability, especially due to its moderate size. When I was using it I had a great and very laid back experience. I didn’t face any adversities, the feed worked smoothly and the results were great (and fast!). It was my first time using this Delta drum sander and I was impressed. Extremely solid choice if you want a great drum sander without breaking the bank. It’s also coupled with a 5 year warranty.

The Jet 22X44 line’s most recent product, the ODS improves upon the already great 22X44 Plus line by offering everything they were known for such as their durable build quality, impressive power (keeping the same 1-3/4 HP motor), size capability and outstanding technology and adding versatility with a new and innovative oscillating feature that highly reduces heat build-up on sanding belt to reduce loading and burning. It weighs 360 pounds due to it being designed as a closed stand which is always handy to store and organize your sanding accessories and tools. It also presents a new, more modern and sleek design than the previous models while keeping the fantastic accuracy and placement of their handles and the advanced features like the automatic belt tracking system and SandSmart technology for automatic speed regulation and load control. An improvement on the classic 22X44 Plus line that will not disappoint even the most demanding craftsman.

Powermatic, “the gold standard” as they are also called, deliver a modern, sophisticated and extremely useful large closed stand drum sander. The PM2244 has one stunning feature that pops out immediately – the awesome LED control panel. Not only flashy but immensely useful, the LED control panel shows the machine’s current power, belt speed and DRO (digital read out). It blew my mind seeing the height of any object I placed there appear on the screen, it’s insanely useful and the accuracy is flawless and even then it has a secondary absolute depth scale that provides an additional height reading. It has a potent 1-3/4 HP motor to ensure smooth operation when handling any task from small up to a maximum of 44 inches of width and 4 inches of height. The controls themselves are also very well thought out and easy to use, including a chrome hand wheel that makes adjusting the drum height a breeze and an emergency stop button for quick complete shutoff. When it comes to cleanliness, it has a steel hood with a 4 dust port that provides great dust collection. Being modern brings other advantages such as outstanding belt tracking and being equipped with Feed Logic to produce exceptional finish while preventing machine overload. The closed stand style means that you have a convenient built-in storage space for keeping all your accessories and replacements organized and at hand. The build quality of the machine is fantastic too, complete with sealed and permanently lubricated drum ball bearings for longer life and even then they offer a free 5 year warranty plus sturdy infeed/outfeed tables that provide 37-1/2 inches of support for the work piece. Overall this is an incredibly sophisticated closed stand drum sander that can take on both very thin and very large pieces with flawless accuracy and outstanding performance while giving you a top-notch hassle free user experience.

The JET 22-44 PRO-3 Drum Sander is the most innovative of the 22X44 line and as such has many great features. It has a spot-on accurate digital readout that displays the exact thickness of the piece you’re working on and allows you to preset the exact thickness you want for the finished piece as well. The 22X44 PRO weighs 385 pounds when it’s fully equipped since it has a sturdy and durable body but the excellent innovation of the four casters make it very easy to mobilize the heavy machine, which is usually a hard thing to do, and they also lock into place for stability during use. The kit includes both infeed and outfeed tables which provide extra support for the work piece. The very potent 3HP motor can take on harder tasks and endure long periods of non-stop working time and the 22 inch drum sander turns a long task into a quick one. If you’re looking for a powerful, deadly accurate and incredibly versatile drum sander, this is it.

This is Shop Fox’s answer to the Delta 31-481 shown before, offering a good alternative at the same price range and the same machine capabilities. It offers the same 26” wide feed and dual drums as the Delta but kicks the power up a notch by offering a 5HP motor (25 AMP) which makes it run at a considerably higher 3,450 RPM (instead of 1,550) and a max of 20 FPM. All of this would be moot if the quality of the performance wasn’t as good so I gave it a test run. As someone who’s always doubted Shop Fox I have to say, it impressed me. Even with tough surfaces, the first drum was able to easily take care of them by using a coarser grit and the second drum gave it a very impressive and smooth finish by using higher grit paper. One detail that I found great was the dust collection, it’s effective enough to prevent dust from accumulating which keeps everything running smoothly. Surprisingly to me, it’s also solidly built. It uses quality materials and the assembly is well-done, I see this thing lasting years without any major issues. Lastly, the control panel on the left is very simple to use and the machine comes with a 2 year warranty. Color me positively surprised, Shop Fox delivers a very solid 26” dual drum sander at a very competitive price.

If you want to sand floors quickly and easily, the Clarke Ez-8 is the perfect solution. No more tiring and long hours sanding floors with handheld orbital or sheet sanders, this floor drum sander with a heavy duty 12AMP 1-1/2 HP dual capacitor motor and a large sanding drum is sure to turn hard long tasks into quick and easy ones. It has a great and sturdy built quality, the body being made of rugged cast aluminum construction that is designed to endure years of service without failing and the motor is completely enclosed which prevents dust from getting into it and as such needs no cleaning. You need to be an experienced sander to use this machine properly and get the perfect results it can deliver but if you know the basics and try it on before going into some real work, it delivers outstanding results without much effort and can, in my opinion, complete floor sanding tasks with more speed than anything else on the market.

I’ll be honest, it’s a bit rough around the edges. The finish isn’t great, some parts are of lower-quality than expected and I can’t trust it to work flawlessly like I’d trust a Powermatic but Jesus Christ, look at the price! It’s a huge (37” feed), industrial-tier drum sander that is offered at less than 2/3rds of the price of the competition which is a massive discount. With a beastly 10 HP motor that delivers 1725 RPM and 6 to 18 SFPM (variable speed), this thing’s powerful. They might have cut the cost on the finish and detailing, but not on the power and performance department which is the most important. The controls are straightforward and work well and it features a quick emergency stop button which is very handy and always appreciated. During the testing it worked without any problems whatsoever, delivering great results with ease although my friend Rob has tinkered with it along the years to further improve it. When it comes to sturdiness, it’s heavy, tough and durable just as any good drum sander should be. It can take a beating and keep running. If you want an industrial-sized, professional drum sander at a hugely attractive price, this is a fantastic option as long as you don’t mind it being somewhat rough around the edges.

You already know that Powermatic puts out golden quality machines and the DDS-225 follows the tradition. We’re getting into big boy territory now, this is heavy-duty production class machinery that is made with huge sanding jobs in mind, for big woodworking and crafts shops. This beast of a machine features dual 25-inch steel sanding drums (that have a rubber coating to assure a flat, mar free finish) powered by a potent 5 Horsepower 230-volt motor that will sand 8 or 12 surface feet per minute. With an extremely durable body that includes a full-size cast iron table and a cabinet made of heavy steel, it weighs a hefty 840 pounds which makes it operate without any vibration issues at all and gives you the benefit of having an extremely convenient storage space to keep anything you need at hand. An excellent detail is the two-speed gearbox which allows it to perfectly adapt to a wide range of sanding projects and of course the very efficient built-in dual dust ports with directional baffles which provide top-notch dust removal. Like all Powermatic tools it comes with a 5 year warranty.
The Powermatic DDS-225 makes me smile from ear to ear whenever I use it. It’s rare to find such a well-built, well designed and perfectly performing large drum sander like this one. Makes Powermatic’s famous slogan – “the gold standard” – make perfect sense.

This is the largest and most powerful heavy-duty production class drum sander than Powermatic has ever put out, the legendary Powermatic DDS-237. When it comes to dual drum sander reviews, it blows the competition out of the water. It has an insanely potent 10HP motor that makes the dual steel drums fire at 1,700RPM and as such is capable of taking on even the most difficult tasks. It presents the traditional Powermatic top-notch quality body, being extremely sturdy, durable and preventing the machine from vibrating and with the full size cast iron table it weighs a beefy 1,142 pounds in total. It features variable speed control ranging from 8 to 12 surface feet per minute and it strives, just like the previous model, to deliver the very best quality sanding and finish to any piece. The DDS-237 is the truly classic production class drum sander that will last a lifetime and any woodworker that uses it will finally get to know why it’s called the “gold standard”. If you’re a professional that needs to deal with very large and hard tasks then this is, in my view, the best drum sander you can get and it’s worth every single penny.

My Recommended Drum Sander

The raw power and performance of drum sanders blow my mind every single time I use one. Although all of these are top notch picks I have a favorite one, as always, and it is without a doubt the Powermatic PM2244. I’ve never seen such a perfect drum sander for sale before, for me it’s the best drum sander for the money (by far) as it delivers potency and durability like no other. It runs for hours on end very often, and never gives in. It’s one of my most used machines so it has to be able to keep up with my demand and the PM2244 does it easily and I dare to say perfectly. This thing will surprise you with how reliably and fast it finishes a piece, it’s a godsend for people who have to take care of long surfaces on the regular like me. It is, in my view, the best drum sander to buy in the market – a rare 10/10 in my book and one that I am proud to own.

I might be biased towards drum sanders but a good one should be the pillar of any good craftsman, it’s just an incredible machine to have. I hope you enjoyed my oscillating drum sander reviews and that I helped you choose yours! If you have any questions about drum sanders or sanding in general, be sure to leave a comment below and I’ll do my best to answer! Thank you for reading!