Top 10 Best Drum Sanders (Reviews & Buyers’ Guide 2022)

A lot of professionals and DIY enthusiasts prefer drum sanders over wide belt sanders for various reasons. Drum sanders come with a smaller footprint and are easier to use, maintain, and move around. Most importantly, they’re a great deal more affordable. You can find all of these advantages and more in the best drum sander available: the Jet JWDS-1632 Drum Sander with Stand 723520K.

This Jet drum sander ticks all of the right boxes for high-quality sanders. It offers just the right amount of motor power (1.5 horsepower) and delivers a variable speed of 0 to 10 feet per minute. Variable feed rate means better control, and better control means fewer scratches and snipes.

With a Sandsmart feature, this drum sander constantly monitors and automatically regulates the load on its motor, preventing any chance of overloading. It also comes with a dust hood, which collects 97% of dust (or 25% more dust than competitor brands) and directs it to the 4-inch collection port. That means you can enjoy a chip-free and dust-free workpiece, from start to finish.

Capable of handling 16-inch wide materials, this Jet drum sander is ideal for professionals and hobbyists alike. It boasts a state-of-the-art tool-less parallelism system with a dial, which lets you make easy adjustments to the belt.

Included with this Jet drum sander is an open stand, with a 20- by 37-inch footprint for increased stability. At the end of each leg of the stand is a pre-drilled hole, to which you can easily attach a wheel for easy mobility. The stand also conveniently includes a shelf, great for storing materials and other tools.

And if these features aren’t enough, its drum is constructed with precision-machined extruded aluminum. This kind of construction enables it to dissipate heat, self-cool, and prevent your workpiece from getting damaged by the heat.

Easy assembly right out of the box is what reviewers love about this Jet drum sander. Most find it easy to change the sandpaper grits and are extremely pleased that it helps them easily create wood pieces with a smooth finish.

Includes:	Stand, sandpaper
Maximum Board Width:	16” (single pass), 32” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 3”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,725 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Noise Level:	63 dB
Motor Power:	1.5 HP
Voltage:	115 V
Construction:	Die-cast aluminum and steel
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 16”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	20” x 49.9” x 39.6”
Weight:	156 lbs
Warranty:	5-year warranty

You would be hard-pressed to find a drum sander reviews article without mentioning Jet more than once. This second Jet product might not have a motor as powerful as the first, but it comes at a lower price point and offers the same handy features for efficient sanding. So it comes as no surprise that the Jet JWDS-1020 Benchtop Drum Sander 723510 is one of the best drum sanders on the market today.

If you don’t have enough space in your workshop for another piece of woodworking equipment, this benchtop drum sander is an ideal choice. Users with small woodshops prefer this 115-volt tool over other models as it doesn’t take up too much space yet delivers a reasonable amount of power to get the job done.

Like the Jet JWDS-1632, this one comes with tool-less fasteners, allowing for easy paper changes and adjustments. It also features a variable feed rate of 0 to 10 feet per minute, so you can have better control over every sanding job. Plus, it’s equipped with a dust hood, which collects 97% of dust through its 4-inch dust port and into a dust collector.

To keep wood pieces safe from heat damage, its extruded aluminum drum design dissipates heat, cools itself, and helps create a smooth finish. And for better sanding results, it has a precision-flattened steel conveyor bed, which provides the wooden boards passing under the drum with a stable support.

Includes:	Conveyor table, handle, foam pads, and user manual
Maximum Board Width:	10” (single pass), 20” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 3”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,720 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Noise Level:	74.7 dB
Motor Power:	1 HP
Voltage:	115 V
Construction:	Die-cast aluminum and steel
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 10”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	24” x 18.9” x 17.6”
Weight:	73 lbs
Warranty:	3-year warranty

Can’t get enough of Jet drum sanders? Here’s a bigger and better version of the JWDS-1632: the Jet JWDS-2244 Drum Sander with Stand 723540OSK. Sure, it’s a tad pricier than the first Jet drum sander, but you’ll get more than what you’ll pay for with this mean machine.

Boasting a more powerful 1 3/4-horsepower motor and a larger overall build, this Jet drum sander can provide up to 4-inch thick, 22-inch wide boards with a smooth sanded finish on a single pass. Professional woodworkers, among other reviewers, regret not buying this drum sander sooner. It saves them tons of time than orbital sanders and does an excellent job creating perfectly flat wooden pieces.

This Jet drum sander comes with all the convenient features of the first two Jet products: a self-cooling precision-machined aluminum drum, a variable-speed control knob to adjust the feed rate from 0 to 10 feet per minute, a tool-less parallelism dial to position the worktable, and a dust hood to keep dust and chips from obstructing your view. It also features a handwheel with a relative depth scale, allowing you to measure and set the depth of the drum.

Just like the JWDS-1632, it conveniently includes an open stand, which has a 23 1/4- by 41 3/4-inch footprint for increased stability, a shelf for storage, and pre-drilled holes for optional wheels. Plus, it’s designed with the Sandsmart control, which automatically regulates the speed and prevents machine overloading.

Includes:	Stand
Maximum Board Width:	22” (single pass), 44” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 4”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,725 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Noise Level:	70 dB
Motor Power:	1 3/4 HP
Voltage:	115 V
Construction:	Die-cast aluminum and steel
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 22.25”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	42” x 24” x 52”
Weight:	177 lbs
Warranty:	5-year warranty

Apart from Jet, one of the best-known brands that make top-quality drum sanders is Powermatic. If you want a truly production-class type of drum sander, you’d love to have the Powermatic DDS-225 Dual Drum Sander 1791290 in your woodworking shop. Its incredible power and large sanding capacity easily make it one of the best drum sanders out there.

Built with a 5-horsepower motor and dual drums, coated with hard durometer rubber, this Powermatic drum sander creates a superior smooth finish on every board. Its motor’s forward/reverse gearbox delivers two speeds (8 and 12 surface feet per minute), while its rear drum is adjustable for easy fine-tuning. To keep your workpiece level at all times, the drum sander features a cast iron table with four solid jackscrews and chain drive timing.

With 6-inch wide, 25-inch long drums, this Powermatic drum sander is made to large enough to handle 5 1/4-inch thick, 25-inch wide materials—ideal for professional use. For a lifetime of vibration-free sanding, it’s equipped with a heavy-duty steel cabinet, which also offers plenty of storage space for tools. And for a more efficient way of removing dust, it has two dust ports with handy directional baffles.

Cabinet makers and other woodworking professionals report that this drum sander stays true to the Powermatic name and quality. They like that it’s built like an industrial-grade machine at an affordable price and that its motor and dual-drum design allow for smooth sanding and rarer paper changes.

Includes:	Closed stand
Maximum Board Width:	25”
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 5 1/4"
Conveyor Speed:	8 and 12 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,725 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Motor Power:	5 HP
Voltage:	230 V
Construction:	Heavy cast iron table and steel drum with rubber coating
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	6” x 25”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	43” x 44” x 43”
Weight:	730 lbs
Warranty:	5-year warranty

The latest member of the SuperMax Tools drum sander line, the SuperMax Tools Drum Sander with Stand 16-32 comes with more notable improvements than earlier models. Combining the SuperMax Tools quality promise with innovative features, it easily makes it to the list of the best drum sanders for the money.

What users love most about this SuperMax drum sander is that it saves them a lot of time and rework when doing wood finishing tasks. Plus, they like that it’s capable of sanding boards as wide as 32 inches in two passes. With its variable-speed function (0 to 10 feet per minute) and patented quick-adjustment lever, it’s no wonder how it allows for better efficiency in any woodworking project. This quick-adjustment feature significantly reduces the setup time by letting you adjust the height of the drum (from 0 to 3 inches) with just a pull of a lever.

To help you accurately maintain the thickness of your workpiece, this SuperMax drum sander has a built-in digital readout, allowing you to easily view and adjust each setting. It’s also equipped with Intellisand technology, which helps prevent your boards from getting damaged, burned, or gouged.

Designed for stability, its drum carriage is securely bolted to the base, keeping the entire sander steady and aligned. The SuperMax drum sander 16-32 even comes with a turbo vented dust port, which increases your dust collector’s airflow by 15%, and an open stand to mount and stabilize the tool as well as your wooden boards.

Includes:	Open stand
Maximum Board Width:	32” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 3”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,740 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Motor Power:	1 1/2 HP
Voltage:	110 V
Construction:	Extruded aluminum
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 16”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	22” x 34” x 48”
Weight:	148 lbs
Warranty:	2-year limited warranty

If you want a more user-friendly version of the SuperMax 16-32, the SuperMax Tools Drum Sander 19-38 SUPMX-71938-D is your best drum sander choice. Sure, it doesn’t have a digital readout, a turbo vented dust port, or a quick-adjustment lever like the 16-32, but it does offer easy adjustments and simple indexed alignments, allowing for a straightforward operation.

Like the 16-32, it features Intellisand technology, which prevents your material from getting damaged. It automatically adjusts the speed of the conveyor to prevent the drum from overloading and creates a consistently flat finish on any kind of wood surface.

Powered by a 1 3/4-horsepower TEFC induction motor, this SuperMax drum sander delivers a variable speed of 0 to 10 feet per minute and creates perfectly flat boards as wide as 38 inches in two passes. Its motor is housed in a finned aluminum enclosure, which prevents the motor from overheating, even for long hours of use.

Need a drum sander that you can move around your shop? This portable drum sander suits your needs perfectly. It comes with an open stand, which has four easy-gliding wheels, allowing you to easily transport the tool or stow it away when not in use.

Featuring a 10.5-inch curved steel impeller and reversible motor mounting capability, this portable drum sander generates optimal airflow and efficiently directs it to the dust collector. It even includes plastic collection bags at the top and bottom for collecting large volumes of dust.

According to reviewers, the SuperMax drum sander 19-38 doesn’t give any cause for complaints. They even think that it’s better-built than other known drum sander brands and that it’s heavy-duty enough to be considered industrial-grade. While it’s built to be heavy-duty, it runs quietly and has the perfect size and features for small woodshops.

Apart from users, woodworker magazines think that it’s one of the best drum sanders out there. It gained 5 out of 5 stars from WOOD magazine and the Editor’s Pick award from American Woodworker magazines, further proving that it’s a must-have for professionals.

Includes:	Open stand
Maximum Board Width:	38” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 4”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,740 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Motor Power:	1 3/4 HP
Voltage:	110 V
Construction:	Extruded aluminum drum
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 19”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	27” x 46” x 52”
Weight:	245 lbs
Warranty:	2-year limited warranty

Another Jet drum sander made the list of the best drum sanders, and rightfully so. Equipped with a 1 3/4-horsepower motor, the Jet JWDS-1836 Drum Sander with Stand 723530K delivers quite the power to tackle any sanding task head-on. It’s also designed to be large enough to handle up to 3-inch thick, 18-inch wide boards in a single pass.

This Jet drum sander has all the features of the other Jet products on the list, including a tool-less adjustment dial, a self-cooling aluminum drum, and a precision-machined reinforced steel conveyor bed. It also comes with a dust hood, which is designed to mirror the drum shape for efficient dust collection. Plus, it has a variable speed of up to 10 feet per minute to suit your preferred feed rate.

Included with this open-end drum sander is a stand, which has a 20- by 37-inch footprint for greater stability, a storage shelf, and pre-drilled holes for wheel attachments. With a relative depth scale on its handwheel, it lets you accurately measure and adjust the depth of the belt.

Despite the learning curve and slightly difficult paper replacements, this drum sander’s overall performance exceeded the expectations of users. They think that it’s easy to set up and that it seems to be made with the highest quality in mind.

Includes:	Open stand
Maximum Board Width:	18” (single pass), 36” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 3”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,725 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Noise Level:	75 dB
Motor Power:	1 3/4 HP
Voltage:	115 V
Construction:	Extruded aluminum and steel
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 18”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	39” x 22.5” x 25”
Weight:	164 lbs
Warranty:	5-year limited warranty

Looking for a workhorse of a drum sander? Here’s a machine that’s powerful enough to handle the thickest boards: the Delta Woodworking Dual Drum Sander 31-481. Capable of sanding 25.5-inch wide, 12.25-inch super thick materials, it’s the best drum sander to use for all kinds of woodworking projects.

With a 3-horsepower motor and dual drums, it’s unsurprising why this Delta drum sander can easily provide wood surfaces with a perfectly flat finish. Aside from its high capacity and powerful performance, it’s built for the toughest jobs and years of use. It’s made with a heavy-duty steel frame and superior finish, offering a lifetime of durability.

For easy sandpaper replacements, this Delta drum sander comes with tool-less tensioning clamps and a latching top door, allowing direct access to the dual drums. It also has two 4-inch dust ports, which require 600-cfm airflow for efficient dust removal. And for better control over every kind of board, it offers a variable speed of 3 to 20 feet per minute.

According to cabinet makers, carpenters, and other construction professionals, this Delta drum sander delivers plenty of power and professional results with every project. While it weighs almost 500 pounds, its industrial-grade quality and performance more than make up for its weight. Overall, they are pleased with how this machine helps them create high-quality pieces with the utmost ease and efficiency.

Includes:	80 grit and 120 grit sanding strips
Maximum Board Width:	25 1/2"
Board Thickness:	1/4" to 12 1/4"
Conveyor Speed:	3 to 20 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,550 rpm
Dust Collection:	Yes
Motor Power:	3 HP
Voltage:	230 V
Construction:	Aluminum
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 26”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	31” x 46” x 53”
Weight:	485 lbs
Warranty:	5-year warranty

With just the right amount of sanding capacity and the right size for small workshops, the Grizzly Industrial Open-End Drum Sander G0458Z is one of the best drum sanders for professional woodworkers and DIY enthusiasts alike.

Using a 1 1/2-horsepower motor and a dual-speed 4-inch sanding drum, this open-end drum sander delivers a feed rate of 2 to 12 feet per minute and sands up to 36-inch wide, 4 1/2-inch thick boards. It features a 4-inch wide dust collection port for effective removal of dust and chips as well as a top cover for easy sandpaper replacements.

Unlike other open-end drum sanders, this Grizzly drum sander is built with a table that moves up and down, rather than a moving head, allowing for better drum support and consistently perfect results. Combine that with dual drums and the variable-speed conveyor precision control, and what you’ll have is the ultimate precision and control over every workpiece.

Reviewers particularly like that it’s a solidly built machine that doesn’t take up too much space. They report that it handles large panels and gives their building materials a completely smooth flat surface, perfect for smoothing rough-cut lumber and other woodworking projects.

Includes: 100 grit sandpaper Maximum Board Width: 36” Board Thickness: 1/8" to 4 1/2" Conveyor Speed: 2 to 12 fpm Drum Speed: 3,450 rpm Dust Collection: Yes Motor Power: 1 1/2 HP Voltage: 120 V Construction: Aluminum and steel Drum Dimensions (Dia): 4” Overall Dimensions (L x W x H): 35 1/2" x 22 1/2" x 50” Weight: 235 lbs Warranty: 1-year warranty

There’s a reason why Powermatic is well-loved by professionals, and it all boils down to solid design and, of course, power. So as expected, another drum sander from the same brand made the list of the best drum sanders today: the Powermatic PM2244 Drum Sander 1792244. While it has a lower sanding capacity than the Powermatic DDS-225, it still maintains the quality that you might expect from a Powermatic machine.

Powermatic understands the needs and expectations of woodworkers, which is why it engineered this drum sander with convenient features for the job. It includes infeed/outfeed tables, which come in handy for providing your materials with 37 1/2 inches of stable support.

With this Powermatic drum sander, you’ll have a clear view of every setting and an easy way of adjusting it. It features a built-in LED control panel, which displays the digital readout, belt speed, and power. It also comes with a large chrome handwheel, making drum height adjustments a breeze.

To eliminate the need for manual adjustments, this Powermatic drum sander comes complete with a feed logic system. What this component does is that it continuously keeps track of the load on the drum motor, automatically regulates the conveyor motor speed, and prevents the machine from overloading.

Keeping your sandpaper and other tools secure and organized won’t be a problem anymore, as long as you have this Powermatic drum sander in your workshop. It’s built with a cabinet below, providing you with tons of storage for your tools.

Users highly recommend this for any professional looking for a powerful plug-and-play drum sander. They say that the digital readout accurately displays the depth and other data and that the drum, along with the entire machine, seems to be perfectly aligned.

Includes:	Closed stand, extension tables
Maximum Board Width:	22” (single pass), 44” (two passes)
Board Thickness:	1/32” to 4”
Conveyor Speed:	0 to 10 fpm
Drum Speed:	1,720 rpm
Noise Level:	74 dB
Motor Power:	1 3/4 HP
Voltage:	115 V
Construction:	Extruded aluminum, cast iron, and steel
Drum Dimensions (Dia x L):	5” x 22”
Overall Dimensions (L x W x H):	42 1/4" x 37 11/16” x 49 1/2"
Weight:	328 lbs
Warranty:	5-year warranty