Do you think its possible to get a smooth sanding job from planer to
performax with only 220 on the drum? Will I have to touch up with a 220
random orbit pass? Or will I need to go from planer to 150 to 220 to
random orbit? This is on an alder board say, 2.5 inches wide.

I hear all these online folks warning that a drum sander is just so
weak and slow compared to a wide belt sander. I fear its more of a toy,
and my manual sanding may be just as fast. Am I wrong? I cannot afford
a wide belt right now, so it seems my choices are a drum sander, a belt
sander like the woodtec described above, or nothing. I would love to
automate a bit more, but only if it will actually help me.

t

ps thanks for the praise