Tips for fine-tuning a belt sander for smooth operation and good control. I just had a 10′ plank fly back at me out of the wide belt sander. Ripples in the finish sanding can come from bad belt splices, conveyor feed system that has slack, poor bearings in the conveyor belt rollers or contact drum, or out of balance in the sanding unit as a whole.
how to set up a wide belt sander Related Question:
How do you organize a sanding belt?
Sanding belts should be stored on a rack and sanding discs and wheels should be stored on/in racks, bins, drawers, or boxes. Improper storage can impact the safety of the abrasive, especially for sanding belts.
How do you keep sandpaper flat?
A milk crate is the perfect dimension for sandpaper sheets, and this concrete-form 2×12 cutoff is just the right amount of weight to hold the paper flat.
Can you adjust tension on a belt sander?
If the belt is shifting toward the side of the sander that the knob is on, then loosen the knob by turning it about half a turn counterclockwise. If the belt is shifting away from the side of the sander that the knob is on, tighten the knob by turning it about half a turn clockwise.
How tight should a sanding belt be?
Most wood sanding applications require a belt tension near 40 psi. Because the goal is to keep the belt from slipping, users sometimes err on the side of using too much belt tension. Several problems can result from excessive belt tension.