The drum sander pullled us aside for a little heart to heart tonight, and since we greatly respect the drum sander and all it does for us, I thought I’d pass along the message.
Please don’t run small pieces over and over in the same spot on my drum. I get wore out in that spot and then a 90% good sanding belt has to be replaced just because of a 1/2" strip that’s worn out of me. And because I’m such a PITA when it comes to replacing my belts, it just sucks. For both of us.
In all seriousness, try to run your smaller-than-the-drum pieces through in various spots on the drum width to even out the wear. We’ve had to replace two belts in as many weeks for just this reason.
Pro tip: The planer can benefit from the same treatment to even the wear on its knives.