Jet 16 32 Drum Sander Problems

[Mike Eastman]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here but I do a lot of wood stuff.
Just bought a Jet 16 32 drum sander and am having trouble getting the drive belt to track straight. I've tried turning the belt around, I even waxed the belt platform and the belt still drifts to the outside away from the motor. I'm ruining the belt if I use it too much and don't reposition it. Any suggestions?

[John Coloccia]

Hey everyone,

I'm new here but I do a lot of wood stuff.
Just bought a Jet 16 32 drum sander and am having trouble getting the drive belt to track straight. I've tried turning the belt around, I even waxed the belt platform and the belt still drifts to the outside away from the motor. I'm ruining the belt if I use it too much and don't reposition it. Any suggestions?

Call Jet. Getting that belt to track can be fiddly, and sometimes the drive platform is defective...like mine was.

[Mike Eastman]

Thank John,

From the reviews I've read, getting the platform to work is a real pain. Bad reviews go back to 2004 and I can't believe Jet hasn't figured out a way to fix this! :mad: I bought this as a floor model and had problems so I returned it and exchanged it for a brand new one in the box. It has the same issues! I also read many great reviews where people had no problems. Maybe the third time is a charm. I guess I'll have to start the long process of calling, trying the fix they request, calling again, trying another fix, calling and so on bla, bla, bla.

I have a 3 car garage completely stuffed with great equipment for wood working and this sander is the only problem I've had.

All suggestions are welcome. Thanks,

[Matt Day]

It's a trial and error kind of thing. I don't think you have defective equipment, it's just very fiddly and takes patience and time to get it right. I have a Grzzly DS with basically the same drive belt design, and it required the same adjustments.

[Ken Krawford]

I also had problems with the belt. The secret for me was to make VERY SMALL adjustments and let the machine run for a few minutes before tweaking again.

[John Coloccia]

The problem is that rubber drive roller needs to be crowned to track correctly, and sometimes it's just not or it deteriorates. Sometimes it's as simple as just replacing the roller. In my case, the platform was warped a bit too, so they just ended up sending out a complete assembly. They also had to send me a new Jointer/Planer because the table were warped. I think they just sent both at the same time, but I'd guess if it was just a roller, they'd just send you a roller to try out.

Sometimes the belt itself is bad too. I only use Jet replacement belts. Regular sanding belts never seem to track well. OLD, dried out belts don't work well either. You can certainly start by simply replacing the belt and seeing if that solves the problem.

[John Coloccia]

Hey, listen...take a piece of duct tape or electrical tape, and wrap it once or twice around the center of the drive roller, maybe a couple of inches wide. See if that solves your problem. I'll bet that it does. Also, be sure the adjustable roller is parallel to the table. If it's tilted, that can cause annoying problems also. Also, be sure you're not cranked down too tightly on the adjustment. Go just tight enough that when you push down on the belt, it doesn't slip. Too tight will wear out that rubber roller. I'll bet it can bend it too, or flex it at least. It's on a wimpy shaft and since it's crowned in the middle, it will bear down on the middle and tend to straighten it out.

I like to start with everything loose, and then just snug up the rollers to get it going. From there, I get it tracking. Then I bring it up to full tension, turning the same amount on both sides. You'll still have to fine tune it as you go, but I think that's easier than trying to track and tension at the same time.

Just FYI, here's another thread with the same problem, and two more people who needed new conveyors from Jet. This isn't an unheard of problem. Definitely calling them is the first step.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?108514-Belt-tracking-on-Jet-22-44-Plus

[Steve Mellott]

It also takes a lot of LUCK to get this tracking right.

[Mike Eastman]

The drive belt platform and rollers are a piece of crud! I think the drive belt (80 grit sandpaper) is stretching a little and helping me control the drift. I've been using it a lot and only have to readjust it once every 10 to 15 passes.

Thanks for everyone's help! Continue this thread if anyone finds an answer I'd really appreciate it.

[Gary Muto]

I had a little trouble with mine originally. I determined that I had too much tension. Or, I determined that after I backed off on the tension (as John indicated) that the belt tracked OK. I backed off the tension until the belt slipped and snugged it up to just stop slippiing. Adjusting tracking from there was pretty straight forward.

Mabe my tracking was way off but once I started with a loose belt, it went pretty quick. Make sure the adjusting screws/nuts are set to the same length for a good starting position as well.

It's kind of like adjusting a carburetor on an old car. Use small increments and once you have it working satisfactory, don't mess with it.;)

[Shawn Pixley]

Maybe I was lucky. I adjusted mine fairly easily. You do make small adjustments and then let it run a few cycles.

[Chris Padilla]

My Delta 18/36 drum sander has the same problem and I've never figured out HOW to keep it from drifting. I just scoot it over after a while and play with the pressure I put on the rollers trying to find the magic position. I never have. I might try John's trick about crowning the driver roller with some tape.

[John Coloccia]

Doesn't take much, Chris. I think I used just a layer or two while I was waiting for my drive assembly.

[howard s hanger]

I must be lucky. I recently purchased a Supermax 19-38 and it was perfect right out of the box. Tracks as straight as a string, doesn't burn the wood.

[Mike Eastman]

OK, they're sending me a new drive belt to try. We'll see if it makes any difference. I hope it does so I can start making 1/16" veneer. If not, I'll have to try for a new drive table. Eventually something has to work!

[Mike Eastman]

Ok, so they sent me a new drivebelt and this one is thinner and is a 100 grit instead of an 80 grit. It fits flat and works great! No drifting.298811

[Chris Padilla]

Thanks for updating this thread, Mike!