JET 10-Inch Benchtop Drum Sander, 1 HP, 115V 1Ph (Model JWDS-1020)

This is everything I would expect from JET. I own four JET shop tools (DC, Jointer, bandsaw) and this completes the package. I used to have a JET contractor saw (20 yrs old) but recently sold it and got a SawStop. The drum sander was accurate out fo the box, belts are relatively easy to change and gives controllable and reproduceable results.

Lightspeed shipping!! Ordered 5/12/25 Arrived 5/13/25 UPS. and a Fantastic machine!

My wife gave this to me as a Christmas present. It was delivered by Amazon and the box was fine. The product was packaged well and I mounted it to a portable table. My first project with it was to sand some hard wood pieces that are about 2” wide and 12” long. I’ve never had a trim sander but I knew from using my surface planer that you need to go slow and take your time. I started with 1/64” increments and it bogged the conveyer belt, so I backed up to smaller increments. It worked well for a few passes, then I had a board come through with depressions in it. I look at the sand paper. It was still clipped in but had an overlap where the paper fat just a little loose. I tried to tighten the paper back up. That’s when I realized how cheap the paper holder was. I’m not real confident that the simple clips they use are ever going to hold up for future projects. I had a little problem with the conveyor belt not tracking properly, but I adjusted it and thought it would be ok, but after reading some other reviews I have my doubts. I love the concept of the drum sander and have wanted one for some time. Maybe the bigger versions are better products, but there’s no way I recommend this product to other woodworkers. I’ve boxed it up to be picked up be Amazon.

I bought this upon the recommendation of a professional woodworker. It works beautifully. It will take some time to learn the best speed for various jobs. Also, I litterally spent two hours trying to change the sandpaper (now that I know how it is much easier). Highly recommend.

I’ve read and seen many negative reviews on this machine, both here and on YT. I really hesitated to buy this thing but it was the only drum sander that checked the boxes in my list. Size and weight were most important to me as I have to get my equipment down a flight of stairs to my basement shop.It came well packaged and was damage-free. No smashed motor fan cover which many have complained about. It was pretty much ready to go out of the box. I placed it on my bench and connected my dust collector. I switched on the conveyor then the drum and ran a few test boards through. The sander performed very well. It’s really quiet and dust collection is very good.So far after two weeks of ownership I have run through about 150 linear feet of wood through it. It has performed perfectly. The boards come out clean and with no snipe (after slight roller adjustment). The boards also come out with a uniform thickness.So far I’m very pleased with this drum sander. Maybe I got lucky and received a good one. YMMV.

This is not a bad benchtop drum sander, but it is not a good one either. Mine showed up with some of the same issues that other reviewers have had. The fan and shroud were bent out of the box, but the box was not damaged. I had to use a ball peen hammer to fix the shroud as it was severely bent. The fan was less bent up, but I had to remove it from the motor to straighten it, which isn't hard, it is just a single set screw that holds it to the shaft, but these things should not need to be done on a new machine. Dust collection is good, or at least as good as one can expect on a drum sander. Up and down adjustment is fine, although mine seemed a little sticky at first. The threads were gooped with some grease, but too heavily, and I had to clean them off and regrease them with a lighter grease(and much less). The belt speed control works as intended and I did not have any issues with the belt adjustment not working like a few others said in reviews. For a Jet product, I would expect better. Other Jet products I have purchased like my band saw and drill press have been flawless out of the box, and I would like them to improve on the quality of this, especially at the price point. I hope that this product does not mean that Jet quality is going down across the board.

The media could not be loaded. If you order this sander, be aware that your first steps after unpacking it are not in the instruction manual. You guessed it, straightening a bent fan and pounding out a dented fan cover. Don't think that it won't happen to the one you order because that is what I thought and I was wrong. It is a shame that with the weight of this machine the packaging is not beefed up a little better especially after all of the complaints about it.I am updating my review from 3 to 5 stars. I work with small light pieces of wood so after running 30 or so pieces through the sander I can say that this machine will be a nice addition to my shop. It sure is a shame the packaging is not up to snuff but as long as the machine keeps working as it should then I will be happy.So on to the brighter side of things. I ran a small piece of wood through the sander a few times and it seemed to do what it is supposed to so that makes me feel better after spending that much money on it. I will give an update after I have had time to put more boards through it.