I did figure out a way to get a little more life from the belts: I stop sanding every few seconds and rest the sander on the steel table of my table saw to cool the belt. Then I won’t keep belts in stock because I sometimes go a year or more between projects and my belts just get old. The garage gets pretty warm in the summer time, here in Rocklin, California, and I think it ages the belts faster.
Q:. I recently bought a new belt sander and a supply of new belts. A:. Belt seams rarely fail, despite the friction and high-speed flexing that sanding belts endure. To rule out belt age as a possible problem, purchase what you expect to use within eight months to a year and store unused belts in a temperature-controlled place.
It can be incredibly frustrating when you pay good money for sanding belts then they break at some point of the process of using them. Paper belts are much more fragile than cloth backed belts and thus are prone to breakage. Going to a cloth backed sanding belt will prevent creases, tears and breakage in many situations.
Asked by: Julia Eichmann Score: 4.7/5. Belt seams rarely fail, despite the friction and high-speed flexing that sanding belts endure. If you’re looking to strip down and finish entire planks, a belt sander is a good choice because it will offer pretty uniform results across the breadth of its sanding surface. One way to know for sure if you need to replace your sanding belt is to run your palm against the direction the belt would make if the sander was switched on.
why do sanding belts break Related Question:
What causes sanding belts to break?
A reason why your belt could have popped could be because of excessive loading of the material being sanded. While this is not the most common, we have occasionally seen that foreign particles in the machine or a wide variation in workpiece thickness can cause too much pressure and thus cause the belt to snap.
Can sanding belts be repaired?
You can also mend or make abrasive belts by this DIY method: Obtain some bias binding tape from a fabric store, or you can make your own. Then use CA adhesive to bind the bias binding tape to the cleaned edges of the sanding belt you want to make or repair. I have done this many times, and it works fine.
How can I make my sanding belt last longer?
Another way to extend the life of your belts is to prevent clogging and loading in the first place. This can be done with an abrasive belt grease stick that goes on the belt before use. These sticks have a lightweight grease that spreads a thin layer of lubricant over the surface of your sanding material.
Do sanding belts have a shelf life?
Do Abrasives Have a Shelf Life? It depends on the abrasive. Vitrified bonded grinding wheels have an almost infinite shelf life, but the possibility of accidentally damaging a wheel in storage increases over time. Organic bonded grinding wheels and coated abrasive discs and belts do have a shelf life.
How much tension should a belt sander have?
Most wood sanding applications (such as mould sanding using narrow cloth belts) require a belt tension of approximately 40 psi. However, there are some special exceptions. For example, abrasive planing operations using coarse grits typically demand belt tension in the range of 70 to 90 psi.
Can you cut sanding belts?
You can cut sanding strips from sanding rolls or sanding belts. Cutting from sanding rolls is the more ideal solution. The key is to trim the leading edge so that the angled edge matches the drum circumference.
What tape is used on sanding belts?
Apply the Scotch 8959 tape by using a small piece of swimming pool noodle or other firm foam/rubber like a squeegee pressing firmly and leaving overlap on both ends, make sure there are no air bubbles and the tape is perfectly flat covering both splice ends equally.
How do you glue a sanding belt back together?
Lay one end of the belt, grit-side down, on the bench; then apply cyanoacrylate glue to the end of the belt. Lay half of the bias tape’s width on the glue, place waxed paper over the tape, and use a weight to press down on it for about 30 seconds, or until the glue sets.
How long does sandpaper on a belt sander last?
The sander’s rotating power can also impact how long the sandpaper will last. For example, using it on a 1095 blade can make your sandpaper last for over a month. Instead, if using it on an S110V, it can last only a few hours.