I have an open sided Performax drum sander (22/44) that I've been using for 20 years. I use roller supports at both the infeed and outfeed. No matter what I do to support and stabilize the work piece I end up with 3" of snipe at each end on anything over about 18" in length like edge glued panels. Same with rails & stiles or face frame. It's shallow but deep enough to be visible and difficult to eliminate with an orbital sander. Is this problem due to a limitation of the drum sander that I have to live with or can I do something to eliminate the problem?
How do you eliminate snipe on your work run through your drum sander?
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28d
Why glue when you can just run a pine board in parallel?
Same
Be sure the ends are supported- I lift up on the far end of the board as it enters the rollers an once it’s about 50% through I go to the out feed side and do the same. - gravity on a hanging board can cause a lot of the snipe and the Initial pull into the sander pulls up into the drum. - and take lighter passes-
Besides some carefully adjusted roller stands I always followed the board with a scrap pushed tightly against the board.
Three things that might work. 1) Push down on the infeed side of the board as it starts into the sander and on the outfeed side as it exits. 2) Add short sacrificial boards to each end of the workpiece. Glue on 6 inches at each end. 3) Using double sided tape put the workpiece on top of a longer board and run the assembly through.
I really like that third method. It seems like the most repeatable with minimal planning needed. Set up a few sleds at varying lengths and you're good to go
Pushing down is exactly the opposite of how to solve a snipe issue. The weight of the board hanging off either end makes the single roller a pivot point, tilting one end or the other up into the blades (or sandpaper roller), causing a deeper cut. A slight lift to support the board when going in or coming out (supported by only one roller and not both), will help reduce or eliminate snipe.
Both of the others can technically work, but are unnecessary if you can just work on good technique for the right amount of support to provide the board at each end.
You are not pushing on the far end of the board. You are pushing on the end of the board closest to the drums, keeping it flat to the table.
Make extended infeed and outfeed tables
Not a drum sander, but I’ve given up trying to dial out snipe on my thickness planer. I’ll use sacrificial boards front and back. More often than that, though, I’ll just leave extra length on my panels and plan to cut them off after planing. The extra length is the sacrificial board.
I’d urge you to go thru the manual , buy a cheap dial indicator, and set the machine up according to the instructions.
I'm no expert on tuning drum sanders/planers to remove snipe but when I have something that I need to be finished with no snipe, I glue on sacrificial boards that extend beyond my workpiece. Then cut those off after