Belt tracking on Jet 22-44 Plus

[Russell Tribby]

I've had this drum sander for a little less than a year and have used it sparingly. Ever since the initial purchase I have been unable to get the belt tracking as it should be. In retrospect I should've addressed this as soon as I got it but I just wasn't using the sander much back then. I turned the initial belt around and that didn't help. I just had Jet send me a new belt, which I received yesterday and put on the sander. Same issues. The belt will run for a couple of minutes and then will start to noticeably track left. After about 3-4 minutes it has run itself clear into the ceramic guides underneath the table. I've followed the manual suggested method for adjusting the tracking and that has not worked. I've tried to over and under tension the belt with no results. I've even overtensioned the right side to see if I could get it to pull to the right and it still wanders left. What am I doing wrong or is there something wrong with the table?

[george wilson]

I had the same issues,but to a greatly lesser degree with my Delta 18-36". I can't tell you how to solve it,but I want to advise you to file down any brackets,or other parts that may tend to damage the belt as it moves over them. On the Delta,I took the square corners off of the brackets that hold the rollers,as they could cut the belt.

I've done everything you did,but my sander at work would still go to the right,and have to be put back. My same model at home is better. You definitely have a problem.Have you tried adjusting the rollers at the back end of the table,as well as those at the front? I am not familiar with your sander,or if it can be adjusted at both ends of the table.

If it runs left,have you over tensioned to the left? It could make the problem worse,but worth a try. Mine ran to the operator's right. I wonder if a slight crown on the rollers would help. Old flat belt machine tools using wide leather belts always had crowns in their pulleys. The belt would hunt for the crown. That's why I say it might make things worse. Check the back end of the table to see of it can be adjusted.Maybe a few well placed shims of aluminum foil or paper under a bracket would help if they cannot be adjusted at the rear end of the table.

Crowning the rollers slightly might work,but it might also cause a baggy looseness to develop in the center of the belt,which you wouldn't want. This isn't much help,except to warn you to file off square corners the belt might run over.

[Tom Hintz]

If the belt is tracking to the left and you apply extra tension on the right side, it is going to track even more to the left. If it runs left, you have to "make the left side longer", or add tension on that side.

[Ron Bontz]

My 22-44 was doing the same thing. Reminded me of my old craftsman belt sander. Anyway, I solved mine by taking the time to over correct, let it run a bit then back it down. It seems to be running pretty true since. IMHO a belt will almost always stretch more on one side than the other until broken in. Then it's time to replace it.:D Take care.

[Russell Tribby]

If the belt is tracking to the left and you apply extra tension on the right side, it is going to track even more to the left. If it runs left, you have to "make the left side longer", or add tension on that side.

I've always been told the opposite but it obviously hasn't worked. I'll give your suggestion a shot. Thanks.

[Russell Tribby]

Well....no dice. I've gone to both extremes and it is still tracking left. Even if I put almost all the tension on the left with none on the right it will eventually come left. I've sent an email to Jet and hope that they'll have some answers for me.

[Ron Bontz]

I hope Jet replaces it for you. You may want to check your rollers as well. Best of luck.

[Gordon Peery]

Same problem on my 3 month old Jet 10-20. Belt tracked strongly to the outboard (left) end. No adjustment would cause it to track towards the inboard. I reversed the belt, ordered another - on Jets "nickle", reversed it - Nothing! Finally Dave (Jet Tech.) had me loosen the four cap screws holding the drive roller motor and lower it about 3/32". This caused the surface of the rubber drive roller to be 1/16" lower than the platen at the inboard and outboard ends. I was then able to track the belt either outboard or inboard.

BUT, as I worked on a two-hour very "light touch", shallow depth of cut - like a quarter of a quarter of a turn of the knob using from 80 to 180 grit strips , on hickory, oak and maple, I felt like a piano tuner trying to track the belt....just barely easing the adjuster bolts as I worked, to try to keep the belt off of the ceramic trackers.

Now, after miking the rollers at the in and outfeed, in and outboard in relation to the platen (right on, at all four corners), I'm convinced that the problems before and after Jet's Tech help were due, primarily to poorly made conveyor belts. Those belts just may never stay "tracked".

For anyone considering a Jet....... at least the 10-20: Go for it!! Wonderful Sander! I'm primarily doing low production, fine tolerances (.635" thickness, (+/- .002 all around, on 4" x 30" hard, hardwoods - as mentioned. That sounds more like machine tool tolerances; I must be "sick"! :-)

At the rate I'm going, one abrasive strip of each of my selected grits will last me for months; no burn or load-up, but haven't dealt with glue lines or pitch yet. An amazing addition to my shop; the only answer to bringing a squirrely, tear-out prone yet beautifully figured piece to precision thickness and as smooth as a baby's bottom!

Gordon

[Russell Tribby]

Thanks Gordon. I'm hoping to hear from Jet today. I'll give your suggestion a try.

[Dan Forman]

I had the same problem with my 22-44. I called Jet and talked to one of their tech support guys, and he gave me a bunch of things to try, which I no longer remember. Non of the solutions worked, and they first sent me a new belt, and when that didn't change anything, they ended up sending me another conveyor unit. The new one is still a little finicky, but is much better than the old one. One thing to remember is that there is quite a long reaction time before you see the belt move after an adjustment, but it sounds like your situation is the same as mine, there was nothing I could do to keep it from moving to the left.

There was a fairly simple adjustment of one of the rollers the support guy talked me through, that he said often would fix the problem; sometimes things get knocked out of alignment during shipping. I really can't remember just what I did though, and in my case, it didn't work, but it might work for you. I'd recommend calling, much faster and more satisfying than email. Good luck.

Dan

Edit: After reading Gordon" post more carefully, he described the roller adjustment I was referring to.

[Chris Padilla]

Like George, I also have the Delta 18-36. Mine tracks to the right...away from both motors (one that spins the drum and one that rotates the conveyor) and towards the open end.

It still works itself off but after constantly fiddling with it, I've managed to find the spot where I can minimize how fast it tracks off. I've ended up developing a fast way to readjust the belt so that it really isn't too much of a bother to pull it back.

For my sander and belt, more tension on the right side and loosening the tension on the left side significantly slowed the tracking. The only adjustments I made were on the feed side roller. I'm not sure if the exit side rollers should be adjusted but I've never touched mine.

[Russell Tribby]

I heard back from Jet and they'll be sending me a new conveyer belt assembly. They've been really helpful in all of this. The belt they sent me only took a couple of days to get here and they've worked dutifully to get this resolved.