For those with a drum sander ...

[cams2705]

do you find yourself going to the drum sander right after the table saw/jointer and avoiding the planer?  I know that you can't do this for everything, but I have found myself cutting to rough dimension, flattening a face and squaring an edge on the jointer, heading back to the table saw for parallel edges about 1/32" oversize and then a couple passes on the drum sander.

[ronlaughlin]

Rarely, oh so rarely.  Most boards i work on, would require a way way more than two passes on the drum sander.  Planer is so much more efficient.

[jteneyck]

Same as Ron.  The lumber I use always needs face jointing and planing prior to drum sanding.  And thickness planing assures every board is the same thickness, which prevents jambing/burning problems in the drum sander with a piece that's too thick.  

John

[EdL]

My drum sander see's glue-ups 99% of the time.....the exception would be reclaimed lumber.

A missed nail doesn't bother it.

Ed

[packerguy®]

do you find yourself going to the drum sander right after the table saw/jointer and avoiding the planer?  I know that you can't do this for everything, but I have found myself cutting to rough dimension, flattening a face and squaring an edge on the jointer, heading back to the table saw for parallel edges about 1/32" oversize and then a couple passes on the drum sander.

All I use mine for is taking saw marks off of resawn boards. Really, its one tool in my shop that sits for months at a time collecting dust, but when you need it, you need it. (I dont have the luxury of taking a smoother plane to the board)

I would never dream of using it as a planer to get a flat surface. I use rough lumber. Id be better off using a jack plane over a drum sander. Either way, I am not making money. The planner for the win.

[WaterlooMarc]

Nope never use it like that.

[Steve N]

Not as a routine, but if the stock is flat and stable I have done it in the past, usually the stock is skip planed 13/16 stuff, that for all intent has already been planed both faces, just not entirely clean. Generally even if I think that to start when I go through the processing I find I got into it, and did it all in the same order I would usually do. The biggest failure of any woodworking project is making something square, and true if you start with wonky wood.

[Tony Z]

For me, the biggest challenge is to not rush processes. This includes learning to plane and joint correctly. My drum sander (25" General) is not a dimensioning piece of equipment, but very minor flattening and more close to a finishing operstion.

[SceneryMaker]

I use the drum sander to smooth up the faces of segmented rings after glue-up because I'm not good enough to make the glue-ups dead flat and smooth right out of the clamps.

With rings anywhere from 2" to 14" in diameter and anywhere from solid to 1/2" walls, I don't even try to use a planer on them.

[CARYinWA]

Anything over 15" have to go to the sander to flatten.  I will go to the sander sometimes if I only have a couple of pieces and am not in a hurry.  My shop is a shared garage so everything is like a jigsaw puzzle in one third of it.  The planer is in the far corner.  The sander is also quieter to use so it is used when I don't want to create a lot of noise.