Drum sander vs planer: what the makers say each does

What does a drum sander do?

WEN says drum sanders work much like a thickness planer, but use a strip of sandpaper wrapped around a drum instead of blades to sand a workpiece to an exact thickness and a fine finish. (WEN Products)

WEN says they are usually floor-standing, though benchtop machines exist, and suit advanced woodworkers and production shops that need a high degree of precision. (WEN Products)

What does a thickness planer do?

WEN says a planer brings a piece of wood to a uniform thickness with two parallel faces, taking rough stock down over several passes. (WEN Products)

The difference the makers draw is the cutting tool: knives on a planer, an abrasive strip on a drum sander. The figures below show how that plays out in capacity.

How do width capacities compare?

Powermatic's PM2244 manual lists a maximum board width of 22 in. (559 mm) in a single pass and 44 in. (1188 mm) in two passes.

For comparison, DEWALT's DW735 benchtop planer lists a maximum planing width of 13" (325 mm).

How thick and how thin can each go?

Powermatic lists a maximum board thickness of 4 in. (102 mm) and a minimum of 1/32 in. (0.8 mm) for the PM2244, with a minimum board length of 2-3/8 in. (60 mm).

DEWALT's DW735 manual lists a planing height of 6" (152.4 mm) maximum and 1/8" (3.2 mm) minimum, with a maximum cut of 1/8" (3.2 mm) for boards 6" wide or less.

How do feed rate and depth of cut work on a drum sander?

Powermatic's PM2244 manual says depth of cut depends on abrasive type and grit, workpiece width, wood hardness and conveyor feed rate.

The manual says a slower feed rate gives more drum revolutions per inch, allowing a greater depth of cut and smoother sanding, and its Feed Logic control slows the conveyor when the drum motor is overloaded. (Powermatic)

The PM2244 manual says too much tension-roller pressure can leave a snipe mark about 2-3/8" from the end of the board. (Powermatic)

A benchtop planer like the DW735 feeds at 14' (4.3 m) or 26' (7.9 m) per minute, according to DEWALT's manual.

This guide sticks to what the makers' pages state about thickness and finish, and leaves out flattening claims that the maker pages read here don't make.

Taikra doesn't rank or test tools; every figure here is from the maker's own page or manual, linked.

Setup and operating instructions are in each maker's manual.