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I really like the tips on the belt sander, will use that on mind belt sander, thanks for sharing
I have an old Craftsman belt sander I got from my dad. With the info on the video as well as the comments, I know my use of the old belt sander, will definitely improve now. Thanks for all the great tips that you provide to help us get better in our work in the shop.
Watching the video was very informative but one question that I either missed or it was not mentioned was regarding the downward pressure on the belt sander. Do you put ANY downward pressure on the sander as you are going back and forth or do you let the weight of the sander do the work?
I am a beginner at Belt Sanding, I love my Sander but I don't know how to use it, one of my problem is that my belt keeps moving on my machine, I have tried to use that levels but no improvement. Any video's on that?
I've had a 3" Craftsman for many years and the biggest problem I've had with it is that the weight of the motor is not centered over the belt which causes the heavy side to dig in. To solve this problem I fastened an arm across the top with a counter weight on the end so that the center of gravity is now down the center of the belt. Makes it difficult to work in tight spaces, but other than that this trick works well.
To clean the belt, I turn it upside down and clamp it in my workmate, that way the machine is fixed and I can run the cleaning thing over it by hand, and see where the sawdust is still. Also, instead of paying for the cleaning block, I take a flip-flop (can't call them thongs anymore, that means something different now) from my daughter or granddaughter and use that, works great. There may be something very wrong with both these ideas, and I would be interested to hear what it is.
Good timing, George, I have a lot of sanding to do to remove paint residue from some reclaimed plywood. The problem is that the only belt sander I have is a very old Craftsman that seems to have an appetite for belts. I've been looking for a new one for a reasonable price and not having any luck. I may wind up getting one from Harbor Freight. At least I'll have a new machine for about the same price as a refurb from CPO or ebay and it'll last well enough for my limited use. I liked your idea for the belt cleaner and may do that to mine.