This question may be academic for you guys but,

I was hoping that someone could explain the pro’s and con’s of drum sanders vs. belt sanders.

Basically, the difference is that drum sanders use a cylindrical shaped drum that has a diagonal slot in it. The sandpaper is cut to the correct length and both ends of the sandpaper are inserted into this slot. Then the operator uses wrenches to tighten down bolts attached to cam style shafts. These shafts grip the paper and hold it fast. Sometimes, shims are needed to ensure enough pressure to hold the paper. It's an art in itself learning to tighten paper on a drum sander. Too loose and the sander "chatters" then the paper literally explodes. Too tight and the paper explodes. If done exactly right on a well adjusted machine, the paper and slot loading are not a problem and can produce excellent results. Plus, roll sandpaper is less expensive than sandpaper belts. These machines are typically of an older design and are quite heavy and loud.

Belt sanders for floors started in the mid to late 1970's with the Lagler Hummel. There may have been other, earlier attempts but the first successful belt floor sander was the Hummel from Germany. It was a radical change in design. It uses a cylindrical drum/roller like a drum sander but that drum has no paper loading slot. It has an upper, smaller roller that the continuous sandpaper belt rides on. It is easy to load the belts and very fast. The Hummel sander has a more raked handle making it more ergonomical to operate plus it is considerably lighter, making it easier to transport. You can find proponents and detractors of both styles of sanders. Neither is inherently "better". That being said, a majority of professional floor sander operators today use belt sander over drum sanders. IMO, they are just more user friendly and makes the job easier.

Thanks Gary.

You always know when a guy knows what he's talking about because his answer is to the point and easy to understand.

When I first got off into this endevor, I thought a big belt sander was like the small hand held belt sander, only a big version. Then I actually got to look at one. Nothing like the small hand held version. It is more like a drum sander, except it uses a belt. The belt doesn't ride flat so ½ of the belt does the work at the same time. It is like a drum, with an upper roller above the drum, the belt rides on, making it just like a drum, only using a belt.

Cutting & fitting roll paper on a drum, is a pain.

Hey Thanks. You guys are great.

I can rent a Galaxy Eagle 8”, I noticed that it was praised here. Was that because of the machine itself or because of the hard plate attachment?

Thank goodness my son is as big as a house because that thing is heavy.

Galaxy makes good machines. But like any rental equipment, things can get knocked out of adjustment. You want to make sure the belt is tracking properly, the wheels are adjusted so the sander cuts flat and not too much to one side and the drum pressure spring/adjustment is working and adjusted properly. If you've never operated a sander before, make sure the rental tech goes over everything with you.

Thank You, I will.
I’ll take a cheat sheet with me so that I remember everything to ask.

I’ve sanded a few floors before; either for myself or for friends who begged hard enough: always with 120v machines that I rented. And I was pleased with the results. I couldn’t tell you what brands they were. They were drum sanders to which you had to tighten down the paper. The trick for me was to always try and pick the newest sanders, the ones that looked like they hadn’t been used by a team of gorillas every day for the last decade. I don’t do it enough to make it worth buying one. These days all the rental houses seem to have the easy8.

Your web site has been a fantastic resource. It has made me reevaluate my process. I first started rethinking it when I was talking to a flooring contractor on a job site (I’m an electrician) He’s the one who told me I should be using a commercial 240v sander. He came out and saw what I was doing and said I was ready to step it up. (Unfortunately I lost his card. Searching for his name was how I stumbled upon this place. He also was the one who made me question my choice of using penetrating oil. I have another question about that too, but I will put that on the other thread.)

I figure if it’s cost effective and realistic, I’d like to give it a try and see if it’s easier to get good or even better results.