6 x 48 belt sander refurb

I bought one of these for $60.00 a few years ago. I use it a lot. The original motor does not have the power i would like. The switch quit working and a new one is really expensive. I’m sure I have gotten my monies worth from it, but it has a home for now. I don’t know much about pulleys. How much bigger is your new one for a 1 hp motor? I have a few 1/2 horse motors. I could try one of those. I also have a switch from an old Delta shaper. Maybe I need to work on the sander.

-- Robert, so much inspiration here, and now time to work!!!

Looks like a great rehab,nice work.

-- https://www.artisticwoodstudio.com/videos

robert…...I use this calculator to determine pulley sizes: http://vintagemachinery.org/math/sfpm.aspx This is a bandsaw calculator, but the math should be the same. By playing with the numbers, you can determine the pulley sizes you need. My motor is 3450 rpm, and the “band wheel” here is the main belt pulley….mine is 3”. I’ve got a little wiggle room on the wheel pulley, but it’s inside a housing that limits its size to about 2.5 to 3 inches. With a 2.5” pulley on the motor shaft, I’m seeing a belt speed of 2700….maybe a little fast. Changing the driven pulley from 2.5 to 3 inches will get my speed closer to 2200, and getting my hands on a 2.25 pulley for the motor shaft would get me to about 2400…which I think is ideal.

Any opinions on which speed is better? 2700, 2400, or 2200?

Made some more progress today. One of the problems with this old sander was the lower front housing on the 9” disc. It was originally designed to be held in place with five screws that you had to loosen to change sanding discs:

The screw holes in the plastic shroud were hogged out and useless, so I drilled them through and set it up instead with machine screws and winguts:

Poured some concrete today, too…..went ahead and poured some for the lathe while I was mixing it up:

It’s nearly time to pull out my trusty old can of black paint.

Fantastic photos, thanks for sharing. I’ve been weighting tool stands down with boxes of tile for the moment but was thinking about building boxes and pouring concrete or putting concrete bricks in them. Glad to see I’m not crazy! :-)

Thanks for the info on calculating pulley size. I need to spend some time on this machine. It is a workhorse for me. I took the 9” sanding part off. It was in my way for flatting cutting boards. That was before I got a drum sander. I have had no problems with tracking. I had to fix one of the cam bolts but as long as I take time, I can get it to track very well.

-- Robert, so much inspiration here, and now time to work!!!

Your’s is the same sander I picked up at a yard sale for $25. The table is alittle different though. All I had to do was do a little cleaning, change the belt, and some adjustment, and it runs like a top. By far my best tool deal.

All done…...on to the next project.

Nice refurb job!

Resurrecting an older thread, but does anyone know what size bearings are used in the idler roller on these old Craftsman sanders.?

Just two bearings from Sears—including shipping and tax—will run almost $50 which is more than the sander is worth. I was given a sander in pieces and have the idler roller, but the bearings and shafts are missing. I already have the 7/16-rod to turn a new ilder shaft, and 5/8-inch rod for the adjusters. The Sears parts list shows a bearing with a snap ring—Part Number 38536, and I’m hoping to find a commercially available equivalent bearing. I’ve measured the idler bore as 1 3/16 inches, but haven’t been able to locate a bearing with that outer diameter with a 7/16-inch bore.

In a pinch I can turn a new bearing carrier insert to accommodate off-the-shelf bearings, but I’d like to see if I can find a commercial equivalent to the original bearings before tackling that.

Any suggestions?

I took a look at mine and the side of the bearing says 6200RS. I’ve had good luck (and prices) getting bearings from Accurate Bearing http://www.accuratebearing.com/index.php in the past.

When I plug 6200 into the web I get some results like this, for $7.50: http://www.scootercatalog.com/wheel-bearing-6004rs-2.html?utm_source=googlepepla&utm_medium=adwords&id=20503017361&utm_content=pla&gclid=CJ2fu9O227QCFQu0nQod828AmA

Of course there’s various grades of bearings out there, but I’ve put many a $10 bearing on my old machines and they run with no problems. There’s definitely no need to pay $50 for them.

James,

Thanks for the unbelievably quick response. I have had this sander sitting in my shop in parts for years, but after seeing your project here, I was inspired to finish it. (Last weekend I bought my Harbor Freight stand, so I guess I’m committed!)

I am surprised to see that Emerson used metric bearings, but I have found no SAE bearing that matches. I did the SAE to metric conversion, and the specs for the 6200 2RS is within a millimeter in all dimensions of my measurements of the idler roller.

If you get a chance and can see them, would you mind passing along the numbers on the bearings on the main drive roller and the sanding disk shaft?

BTW, this was my first post on LumberJocks and I look forward to many more!

Thanks again for an inspiring thread. Like you, I enjoy resurrecting tired equipment—much of which outperforms most new things in today’s market.

Ken

I have an earlier model with brass bushings in the rollers and bearings only in the pulley shaft. I also picked up a newer gen like yours for $2.50 at auction without a motor and will probably refurbish that and just keep a different grit on it. People pass by this old stuff and think a new Harbor Freight unit is better. That’s ok, more machinery for us who know better.

James or anyone else still here,

I picked up the 6200-2RS bearings today and they fit the roller bore perfectly. Do you remember if the idler roller bearings are a press fit onto the shaft? I am having to fabricate the shaft since I don’t have one, and I have a length of 7/16-inch cold rolled stock and can take a few thousandths off on the metal lathe, but I wanted to see if I need a press fit, or a slip fit.

TIA.

Ken

That’s great news on those bearings! I don’t know if you have it or not, but here’s a link to the manual and parts diagram for a similar Craftsman sander. I used it as a reference for my refurb. From the Vintage Machinery site: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/detail.aspx?id=1222

As to your question about the idler bearing, the diagram indicates (and I saw it on mine) that the bearings are retained on both sides by 5/8” retaining rings. Additionally, the diagram indicates different part numbers for the bearings on either side of the driven pulley; so it appears that there are three sizes of bearings used – two of the same on the idler, and two different ones on the driven…...so it appears on paper, I’ll get out there and try to spy part numbers on the other two bearings tomorrow.

You asked about speed, how about a variable speed?

I find that some materials, plastic for example, like to melt at higher speeds.

-- "It's fine in practise but it will never work in theory"