Byrnes thickness sander review

Review of Jim Byrnes thickness sander from Byrnes Model Machines. This is an unsolicited review and my personal opinion. I have not been offered or accepted any compensation for this review.
www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/

[@alexholden]

I wonder if you could work around the problem of finer sandpaper being thinner by putting a layer of ordinary paper between it and the drum to pack it out a couple of thou.

[@gerarddelmonte4205]

His thickness sander has been invaluabe to me in making wood ship models and my art sculpture boxes.

[@greggarriss2107]

The router table video caught my attention because I saw a Byrnes table saw sitting on your bench. I've used mine daily for the past 10 years and also have the thickness sander. I wish he made a router table as well.

[@s.g.devries8557]

Yep, and a bandsaw, and a drill press.... I've had my saw since about 2006. Really would like the new wider table, but don't want to ship mine back for the retro-fit because I use it so much.

[@tcsyme]

Thanks for the great info, and temptation! Like yourself, I've had the saw for a decade or more, can't live without it, and have been considering the thickness sander as well. As soon as you started on those resawn pieces I thought about making a couple of passes over the table saw to waste away most of the excess before going to the sander. While the table saw capacity won't clean it all, it looks like you could have gotten most if it, and then cleaned it up with the sander. Even with a 3-inch board, you would then only need to sand the middle third until you got close to the final clean up passes. It might be time to call Jim again...

[@s.g.devries8557]

I usually do cut things down more with either the table saw, or even a band saw. I will resaw boards to between 1/32 and 1/16 larger than the final size (depending whether there is any bowing that I need to also remove). Now that I have had the sander for a few years, I don't know how I got along without it. Thanks for the comment!

[@tcsyme]

@@s.g.devries8557 Yeah, that can get along without it thing scares me. I'm sure I will be in the same boat!

[@WHJeffB]

Awesome tool!! Would love to have one, but sadly, Jim passed away late last year and at least for the foreseeable future, these are not available. Just my luck. Finally have the money to start purchasing top quality tools like this, and they're not available any more! Hope you're getting a lot of use out of it...

[@Steve.Garrison]

I want one of these now, it looks like a very solid well-built machine. Is it fairly simple to change the abrasive?

[@royalfolkspark]

What direction is the sanding wheel turning ?

[@s.g.devries8557]

The Firmament the drum spins against the direction of feed so that if you let go of a piece of wood the drum would spit it back out. I believe this is typical of drum sanders because you don’t want the drum ripping the wood out of your hands and shooting it out the back end.

[@r.llynch4124]

wish he could make a bench top pin router

[@paolovirgoletti2056]

Hi I write from Italy...I don't found the way to contact the company... I don't know but is impossible to send an email from his website...can someone give me the company mail? I'm interested in buy drum sander. Thanks at all.

[@s.g.devries8557]

paolo virgoletti thanks for reaching out. If the website contact isn’t working, try: [e-mail] I don’t own the disc sander yet but I have the saw and thickness sander and they are superb.

[@paolovirgoletti2056]

@@s.g.devries8557 thanks a lot!!...I'll try to contact him...It looks very good machines and I'll buy it...Have a nice day