I've been using the drum sander at my woodworking club for my guitar building projects, but they've decided that exotic woods can't be used because they gum up the sandpaper. I'm happy to provide my own sandpaper, but it seems they want to restrict access. Now, I need to find a drum sander of my own. I'm looking for something with a conveyor that allows me to set the thickness since options like the Sand Flee won't work for my needs. My budget is under $500, and I'm open to used options, but I'm not finding much within my price range online. I'm just not sure if new options exist at this price or if I might have luck finding something used.
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You should be able to find a used drum sander for around $500 if you’re willing to wait. I scored a nice Delta 18/36" for about $300. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t handle really short parts well, so you'll need to be careful lifting the boards since the hold-down rollers are only spring-loaded. If you're dealing with exotic wood and smaller parts, consider getting a spiral head cutter for any planer you might already have. A planing sled can really help too—just tape down your pieces and take shallow passes!
I actually have a Powermatic planer with helical heads that I got for a steal at a live auction. I was the only bidder, so it was quite the lucky find! But I wanted to mention that the sled technique might not work here since my pieces are also too short. The rollers on mine are spaced about 5 or 6 inches apart, so anything shorter tends to get chewed up.