Size of motor for the Flatmaster Drum Sander

What motor size do I need and what speed should I be running the drum at? Or What is the Advantage of a Balanced Drive Sytem?

For the 18" drum, we recommend that you have a 1/4 HP motor. As far as speed is concerned, this is going to depend on what kind of drive system you have. If you are using Linkbelt and Balanced pulleys, your motor will be able to run faster and therefore you will have a faster feed rate. If you are using a rubber belt, you must use pulleys at a 1:1 ratio, (both 1-1/2") and the drum should be running at 1725 RPM. If you were to try to use 2 different sized pulleys with a rubber belt, the belt would take the shape of the larger pulley and in turn this would cause slippage. This is not a good thing if you are trying to sand something. The balanced drive system that we offer, can help your drum run faster, have less vibration and get a faster feed rate. When someone first introduced us to this option, we thought it was just a joke, but then we tried it and the difference was immediately obvious! This is a worthwhile investment. The 24" V-Drum should be using a 1/2 HP motor running at 1725 RPM.
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