All Replies on Hand held belt sander question

I’ve never had problems with that and I buy my belts at Lowes. I do have to adjust so that the belt remains centered, but that is an easy adjustment on my belt sander.

Maybe you have your adjusted too tight or too loose.

-- This post is a hand-crafted natural product. Slight variations in spelling and grammar should not be viewed as flaws or defects, but rather as an integral characteristic of the creative process.

They are 2 ways to seam the belts, and one style the belt has an arrow in the inside of the belt for direction of rotation and that is for the seam construction. check yours.

Try the Ace brand if there is a store nearby. They have some that are omni directional and they are quality belts.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton

I’m well aware of the directional issue and centering. This ain’t my first rodeo. I do have an ACE hardware in town, and looked at the Shop Smith belts today. Almost $10.00 ea. WAHHHH!
Bill

-- [email protected]

May not sound like the greatest, but….mine are bought at Harbor Freight. Yes, they are cheap belts….usually enough for a job or two. At the price for them, that is fine by me. I buy the RED belts, not the blue ones. have yet to have one break…...

-- A Planer? I'M the planer, this is what I use

Duh, undo the belt tensioner/release when storing the sander . . .
M

-- Madmark - [email protected] Wiretreefarm.com

Duh, undo the belt tensioner/release when storing the sander . . .
M

- MadMark

Come on Mark, “it aint his first Rodeo” maybe the Rodeo Clown though. Sorry, just could not pass it up.LOL!!

Bill, I have read about this issue previously. Someone seemed to think it was due to the belts drying out and the glue getting brittle. I use the 3M purple belts and have never had any problems with them even after years. HTH

-- Art

Bill, I have read about this issue previously. Someone seemed to think it was due to the belts drying out and the glue getting brittle. I use the 3M purple belts and have never had any problems with them even after years. HTH

- AandCstyle

That is the brand I use, bought in boxes of 3 or 5 belts, I have about 4 different grits, stored in a WI garage, and most are over 20 years old and no problems with them.

Duh, undo the belt tensioner/release when storing the sander . . .
M

- MadMark

Duh, I’ve never released the tension on the belts except to change them and I’ve never experienced the problem he has described. It sounds like an old wives’ tale to me.

-- This post is a hand-crafted natural product. Slight variations in spelling and grammar should not be viewed as flaws or defects, but rather as an integral characteristic of the creative process.

So then anything that hasn’t happened to you means its false? Or does it mean that you haven’t done enough work to see it happen?

The bands take a set, letting the heat cycle under tension weakens the belt bonding. Extreme cases cause a ‘thump-thump-thump’ and won’t track before breaking.

Duh.

M

-- Madmark - [email protected] Wiretreefarm.com

Back in the 70’s I had a whack of 4×24 sanding belts break at the bond. Just took em back. 60 grit if memory serves me well. Never happened since!

“Wot” nobody returns sandpaper!!!! was the reaction….but take em back they did . It is always possible that it was a bad batch of adhesive.

Even in Calgary’s dry climate, never a problem, and I don’t release tension on any of the belt sanders or sanding machines. Shit happens.

-- Real_cowtown_eric

So then anything that hasn t happened to you means its false? Or does it mean that you haven t done enough work to see it happen?

The bands take a set, letting the heat cycle under tension weakens the belt bonding. Extreme cases cause a thump-thump-thump and won t track before breaking.

Duh.

M

- MadMark

I’ve done enough work….I’ve never seen it happen.

Shit happens.

- realcowtown_eric

Pretty much what it adds up to. I’ve heard and read about it in the past….never seems to be any real consistent rhyme or reason to it. I’ve rarely(if ever) heard about the problem in commercial shops, which kind of makes me lean to ‘shelf life’ argument.
I had a Klingspor? Rep ramble something about not ordering more than I could use in a year…I wouldn’t regardless, so I didn’t question him as to why….again, I suspect it might be a shelf life issue.

Who knows…shit happens.

For what it’s worth Bill, most of the belts I buy are either Klingspor, or Sia. Never any problems.

-- It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle

Thanks guys. I’ll try to find some 3M belts this week. Might just be a brand issue.
Bill

-- [email protected]

I’ve had a couple of sanding belts come apart over the years, but it’s pretty rare. I think it’s the age of the glue.