DrumAdmin
When it comes to sanding wood, nothing works as well as a good drum sander does. However, drum sanders are very expensive. So, many times, renting one may be a better thing to do than buying outright.
With that in mind, here, we try to give you a general idea regarding when you should rent a drum sander and when you should buy one.
The experience factor
When it comes to utilizing the power of a drum sander, experience really counts. In case you are just a hobbyist and have no prior experience in sanding wood using a drum sander, your best bet is to call a professional who knows how to work with a sander to tackle any job that you may have. This is because, if you handle a drum sander wrongly, you may end up damaging your floor very severely.
Put another way, you cannot learn to use a drum sander just by watching YouTube videos or reading guides on the internet. Getting hands-on experience for a period of about 6 months, or more is the only way to understand how to handle a drum sander sensibly. Without practical knowledge and experience, it is nearly impossible to use a drum sander the way it is supposed to be used.
The financial equation
A good drum sander does not come cheap, that is a given. If you wish to purchase a tool that is sufficiently capable, you must spend at least $2,000. And, if you want something very professional, you may need to shell out as much as $10,000. Besides, you cannot use a drum sander alone.
You require a few additional things, or tools, too. That means, if you go for a rental, you will end up spending more than $60 per day as you will have to buy a few extra things yourself. Plus, within just a day, even a really good sander can cover only about 600 square feet of area. So, if your job consists of sanding thousands of square footage, purchasing a drum sander may prove to be the smarter choice financially.
The purpose aspect
In case you are a professional woodworker, and you expect to work with your drum sander very frequently on a regular basis after purchasing it, you are better off totally eliminating the idea of renting from your head. In a scenario like this, buying is bound to serve you well. This is because, if you rent a sander for half of the year, you will incur a lot of losses in the long run.
You should strongly consider purchasing a good sander, even though doing that may set you off thousands of dollars initially. Also, note that most woodworkers report that they get the best results when they use both their planer and sander together. So, selling your planer to get a sander may not be a very smart thing to do. You may want to keep both the tools.
Deciding whether to buy a drum sander or rent one, is not the toughest job in the world! Still, you must consider a number of different factors before reaching a final decision.
