Micro-Mark Drum Sander

Donnie

Donnie

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This is my review of the Micro-Mark Drum Sander.
1) First of all, the unit is VERY heavy (that is relative), but I did not weigh it, but I might guess about 50 lbs.
2) It is NOT going anywhere on the bench due to weight.
3) The unit came with A LOT of grease on it that had to be cleaned off. Do not run any wood through it without cleaning it. Grease everywhere and even on the main platter that the wood passes through.
4) The units adjustable platter (where the wood passes through) must be set up and made square to the sanding drum.
5) The unit has TWO Allen adjustable nuts with locking nuts on each side. The adjustable Allen / nut combo on the right side has a "cam" type nut that as you turn the Allen, the platter on one side raises. The overall height adjustment fine-tuning has about an overall 3 to 4 mm adjustment range. The nut combo on the other side is also somewhat adjustable, but the instructions say nothing about it. It does not have a cam, but a ball end on the Allen which if slightly loosened will allow for more leveling of the platter.
NOTE: on #5, this is not a science and you have to rely on your OWN judgment. There are NO calibration marks. It is trial and error of which I am not fond of. Trying to manually pass a piece of wood through the machine ALL THE WAY through with uniform smoothness is something you have to practice.

The above are basic facts. This is what my comments on it personally. I did try out the unit with several passes of wood. I have no previous experience with this type of machine. I finally figured out that since the DRUM sander was brand new, It had a tendency to grab and slightly dig into the wood making waves - every so slightly. HOWEVER, as the drum settled down with more passes, the wood samples started to be more UNIFORM.
I am neither happy or unhappy with the unit. It in some ways it really did not meet my expectations. The worst part of the design is the dust collection port is right IN THE WAY. They should have put the dust collection port on top, but it is right there as the wood exits out. Very annoying. There is a very heavy roller weight as the wood passes INTO the drum, but as soon as wood gets past the steel roller, then you really must be very careful about pulling the wood out the EXIT to pull out straight and even. They should have put a heave steel roller on the exit as well. There is a lot of engineering that could have been improved on this unit. I paid about $350 for the unit. but I simply could not afford the Byrnes or the Proxxon. The other units were about $80 to $90 more USD. The micro mark was ready for shipment, whereas the Byrnes had a 10 business day waiting period before it even left their place of business and I wanted to really get this project underway. With this said, let me repeat, that I have no previous experience with the drum sander and to SOME modelers it might be a great unit. I have nothing to compare to. I think as the unit gets more use, it will "settle down" and make good passes. One pass might be very close to the dimension that you are seeking, then if you pass the stock again, it might shave off a little too much. I cannot remember any dimensional specifics, but if I can try to remember each pass yielded about .0020 inches or .05 mm per pass. The best I could accomplish was about a +/- .05 mm as close to my goal as possible.
My MAJOR complaint is that Dust Port right in the way.

micromark-drum-sander01.jpgmicromark-drum-sander02.jpg​
 
Hallo Donnie,
many thanks for the introduction of this sander - very interesting, due to the fact, that I am also thing about to buy one drum sander or thicknesser /planer
I think there are a lot of pros and contra related to all of these machines.
"....tendency to grab and slightly dig into the wood making waves....."
this is a problem I am reading often - often a problem when the timber is not passing the drum permanently with the same speed - the more expensive once have a permanent treadmill on which the timber is transported through the sander.
But the same problematic system you have with the Byrnes......so you have to be very concentrated to pull the timber trough the machine (I guess)
Do you know what is the minimum thickness of timber you can achieve with your sander?
 
Hello Uwe,
I read on the Micro-Mark catalog that someone made a comment that they were able to obtain about 1mm thickness or maybe less. The Steel Platter that the wood passes can adjust all the way until the DRUM is actually TOUCHING the steel platter. So, (joking here) - maybe paper-thin ??? if that is possible. As I continued to pass my billet planks through, it seemed that the sanding drum did not grab like it was, but was making nice even passes. They ship the unit with fairly heavy grit. You can buy other grits.
NOTE: Part of the problem is this. The platter DOES NOT raise and lower parallel to the unit. It PIVOTS on one end of the platter. This makes it a little awkward as when you are passing the wood through (and if the stock is some thin), then the wood will be passing on a Downward Slope. What is the solution? The design should be made that the DRUM is being raised up and down. This is usually found on large planners.

Some standard non-hobby planers I was looking at before this purchase, the platters had a minimum of about 6mm (these planners were found at large home lumber DIY stores. Not suitable for the hobby.
 
just a thought from me, for half the price i got my poor man thickness sander does not have any of the problems as above, it does take longer but that is ok to me i can get material close to 1/64 inch witch i do not need anyway, just my 2 cents it is designed for violins guitar etc. Don
 
that is good Don for you. However, (at least for me) that still works full time, get home tired, eat. then I think I have two hours to spend on the model, then if the wife is home, the dynamics change. Then about the time, I am concentrating on gluing the Blandford pattern on a piece of wood, then the damn dog is whining at the door to be let out. I come back to the shop and forget what I was doing. then repeat.
So, my time is limited to buy-and-use and hope that I am buying something good.
 
I understand what you are saying I remember those days, and you sound just like my DAUGHTER did this morning, so i will enjoy, may our JESUS BLESS YOU AND YOURS Donnie. Don
 
Good review Donnie.Proxxon's DH40 planer/thicknesser does not adjust to allow thin timber without making a sled to sit on the table.I believe 8mm is the minimum thickness out of the box.The sled consists of a flat piece of wood with a batten along one edge.This is inserted from the infeed side.The batten rests against the machines table and prevents the sled being pulled through the machine.

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
Nigel, I made planks all the way down to 1.5mm with my Proxxon's DH40 planer, but the materials have to be a bit long as the machine is something inaccurate the 2-3 cm at the end and beginning of the plank.
 
I stand corrected Knut.The sled was explained in the Dr Mike ship building secrets DVD.It may be that Proxxon has changed the design since,as this DVD is a good few years old now.

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
I have been using a Byrnes thickness sander for several years and have not encountered any problems. He lists the thickness sander at $350 the same price as the Micro-Mark. Jim's unit has the advantage of being able to use two different grits on the 6" wide drum (for pieces up to 3" wide). All available model makers drum sanders are hand fed which takes some getting used to but once you get the hang of it the results are very uniform. Feeding rate must be slow and steady- hesitate and you will have to make one or several more passes to remove the groove you just made. Let go of the piece while sanding and look out!! The vacuum port for Jim's sander is also strategically placed for efficient dust removal. One other important difference is that Jim is an experienced model builder and machinist (check the pictures of his shop on his web site). Not sure who designed the Micro-Mark unit or where it is made. Also, Jim and his wife are very responsive to any problems you encounter.
There is one other thickness sander on the market made by Bob Prezioso. It is on his Ship Ahoy Models web site and lists for $425 (ready to run). It utilizes 3" wide sanding drums and again is hand fed and appears to have the dust port in a place that makes sense. I can't comment on his thickness sander but I have purchased his 6" Tilt Disc Sander which is solidly build, accurate and has adequate power. I also purchased a couple of his 1/3 HP motor upgrades for the grossly under powered Preac table saw (now I love that saw even more!).
 
try my poor mans thickness sander no problems at all, at half the cost, robo sanders last a very long time my first one over a year with a lot of use ca get it to almost 1/64 inch but do not need that thin. Don
 
Jimsky said:
I am interested in such Dr, Mike's work. Where this DVD can be purchased, Nigel?
Click to expand...
Hallo Jim,
read this topic and you will find the link, but also the videos on youtube

ship building dvd

just wondering if anybody here has ordered this dvd and had problems with delivery. i ordered this product seven plus weeks ago and have still not received it. it was sold through their website "Model shipbuilding secrets". All my emails to the seller have gone unanswered.
shipsofscale.com
 
Ok chaps here is the story,way back when I was active on MSW,I discovered and purchased the DVD and posted a short review on there.This is possibly as much as 7 years ago.Numerous members ordered the DVD and all received their copies.However,the company set it to sell these has had an active webpage long after the initial run of DVDs had run out.This DVD was produced by an Australian modeller who filmed Dr Mike at work for numerous weeks.All translation was carried out by the late Alexander Dobrenko who features in the DVD also.
Personally,I would not try to order from this webpage now if it still exists as I have seen numerous posts as to people not receiving the DVD.
The uncut footage of the DVD has now found it's way on to YouTube.There is,last time I looked about 80 hours worth but this was a year or more ago.Many techniques are covered in this footage that are cut out of the original DVD.In some respects though,some of these are "old news",as an example,Dr Mike has changed his hull construction technique now to utilising Birch Plywood instead of Pine to produce the "solid" hull form.

Sorry to hijack your thread Donnie,but I did not want anyone ordering a DVD and not receiving anything.

Kind Regards

Nigel
 
I bought my Micro Mark thickness sander in 2006 when I was flush with cash (had a job). I have used it extensively since and like it a lot. I use it to get to the thickness that I want but it takes some time to get there usually because I don't want to remove too much. I don't like changing the sanding drums. It's not a pleasant job. Otherwise, I'm happy with it.
 
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