Performax conveyor

[Robert Edington]

My Performax 1632 sat unused for years. I used it for flatting disks for bowls. I just retired and am getting back into turning again. My conveyor belt came apart from the heat and age.

I ordered one from Industrial Abrasives.

No matter what I do, I cannot get it to track. I can have the motor side tight (the direction the belt is drifting) and the other as loose as a goose and it will still drift towards the motor side.

I may be doing something wrong. Not sure.

I loosened the four bolts (two on a side) that support the rollers and slid off the old conveyor belt. I installed the new belt.

I used the two adjustment (tracking) bolts trying to get it to track. No luck. I reread the instructions, and tightened the four bolts after setting some tension, and then tried to use the tracking bolts. Still no luck. I tried many different combinations many times. Nothing stopped it from drifting to the motor side.

Could the belt be bad?

Any techniques or ideas would be appreciated.

RP

[Joe Kaufman]

If you reverse the direction of the belt will it consistently run off the opposite direction? Supposedly, if the rollers are not parallel with the platen surface that can cause tracking problems.

Several years ago I had the use of a friends 1632 for over a year and the belt adjustment was sensitive and required frequent adjustment. It wasn't consistent in the direction of run-off. One time I didn't notice how far off it had moved and the belt caught and tore the glued joint loose for about an inch. I re-glued the separated portion of the joint with medium CA and finished the job. I purchased a new belt but the repaired belt tracked consistently so I didn't change it. The friend said the repaired belt is still on the 1632 and working great. The repair was at about 6 years ago.

I purchased a Performax 1020 after the 1632 incident and it always tracks off to the motor side like yours. I have a new belt but haven't installed it. I usually find another method and don't frequently use the 1020. The 1020 belt is more difficult to change. I have it bolted down to a 1/4" thick aluminum plate and 1" plywood.

[John K Jordan]

I reread the instructions, and tightened the four bolts after setting some tension, and then tried to use the tracking bolts. Still no luck. I tried many different combinations many times. Nothing stopped it from drifting to the motor side.


Several of us discovered years ago that the instructions in the manual are backwards. Several people went insane and had to be committed. Some gave up woodworking football and joined an austerity cult. Others just poured gasoline on the sander and set fire to it. I was able to get my 22-44 to track perfectly by doing the opposite of the manual.

I cannot guarantee all manuals are backwards; they may have made a correction. And I don't remember which way is correct although I may have made notes in my manual and could try to check later. But if the way you are adjusting is not working it might not hurt to try the opposite.

JKJ

[Robert Edington]

Well, I'm not crazy yet. But I'm close! I actually tried doing it opposite. I'm afraid I've gooned it up so bad it'll never work.
I called Jet. They have a guy who used to work for Performax. He is supposed to call me.

[Steve Demuth]

I have become convinced that it's something about the belts themselves. I have a Delta rather than a Performax, but despite being able to adjust and repair every machine in shop to a nice fit and finish - including some that started out a long way from "on target," I have never been able to get a drum sander conveyor to track.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I have to ask, is it a Jet belt? I have heard that the non Jet belts sometimes refuse to track. That being said, I find it takes WEEKS to get mine to track with no adjustment. If it tracks now, tomorrow it may not. I have no idea what causes this, but after a couple months of occasional use, mine finally can track without adjustment. Be patient.... It is frustrating. Good luck!

[Sam Puhalovich]

Just went through the exact same 'scenario' with a Industrial Abrasives replacement belt for a Jet 22/44.
The old belt tracked perfectly ... on occasion the material wouldn't 'feed' with the belt ... the grit was obviously smooth.
I received the belt and watched a YouTube video on the change-out routine and followed those instructions.
Fully loosened the adjustment bolts ... removed the 2 bracket mounting bolts that bolt the conveyor to the frame ... and swapped-out the belt(s).
In adjusting the tracking; the motor side of the belt ended-up exceedingly tight and the out-side had no tension.
I put the old belt back-on using the same the routine: it again tracked perfectly with even tension on both bolts.
I called and explained that I was reluctant to run the machine in that set-up: received a new belt in about 6 days.
I swapped-out the belts ... the new belt has the same tendency, but, not to the same extent ... I had tension on both sides.
I ran the belt by-it-self for about 15 minutes without any noticeable change ... then decided to flip-it to see if it would track to the out-side.
To my surprise it still had the same tendency to track to the motor-side ... just not-as-bad ... I had more tension on the out-side adjustment bolt.
That was 4 days-ago. I haven't had occasion to use the sander very-much since then ... so time-will-tell.

[Robert Edington]

Sounds just like mine. I already called Industrial abrasives. But I told them I'd work on it some more. Reversing the belt didn't help.

[glenn bradley]

The folks at Supermax sold parts for Performax machines and could be helpful.

[John K Jordan]

Sounds just like mine. I already called Industrial abrasives. But I told them I'd work on it some more. Reversing the belt didn't help.

Did you try measuring the diameter of each end of the belt to see if that was an issue?

However, if reversing shows identical symptoms it seems like the belt should be fine and the problem is somewhere in the machine. It seems odd that one end would be less tight than the other.

I'm wondering if the belt is made from a fabric or some material that stretches or distorts slightly at an angle to the travel. Just thinking out loud here...

Mine has always tracked fine after the initial adjustment but with the original belt - I'm not excited about the prospect of replacing it some day. Be sure to let us know how this works out.

JKJ

[Doug Rasmussen]

Assuming the belts are not stretching (hopefully, they're paper backed which does not stretch like fabric backed), the belt will run to the side with the least tension. That's also assuming the rollers are both in the same plane and level with the table surface.

One thing I've done with conveyor type belts is to add some more crown to the driven roller. This can be done by making a few wraps of duct tape on the center of the roll. The rule of thumb I've used with high speed sanding belts is 1/8" crown per 6" of width, that might be a little much on such low speed belts though.

[Robert Edington]

I called Jet. They would not talk to me because I didn't buy a Jet conveyor belt.
I watched the YouTube video.
I went out to the shop. Sat down in front of the Performax and sprayed Silicone lube on the outfeed roller bushings and on the angle brackets it was attached.
The belt was always running off to the motor side. So I made sure the bolts holding the angle brackets were loose. I turned on the conveyor and started tightening only the motor side. Very controlled. Just 90 degrees or less at a time. I marked the roller so I could monitor the belts movement.
It took a long time. But as I continued to tighten the motor side only it stayed put. The belt was flat.
So the belt on the other side was very loose. I repeated the process, just trying to get the bulge out of it. About the time it started to flatten out, it started to drift. I stopped and reset the belt and slacked the non motor side alittle. Restarted it and tightened only a little.
It stayed put for now.
Well see tomorrow.
Thanks for your responses.
RP

[John K Jordan]

Robert, any update on your sander belt?

JKJ

[John Terefenko]

This is funny because I am having the exact same thing. Bought from the same place but i have the older 1632 Performax and can not get that belt to stay put no matter how I adjust those bolts. So now I just slide the belt every so often by hand. I figure some day it may settle in. i too had my old belt start to break and was able to CA part of it but it gave out eventually so had to go new.

[Robert Edington]

Yes sir,
I wrote something on 3 Feb. But, today I used it since I got it to track. It worked fine and did not drift. The belt is loose on one side and tight on the other, but it's tracking.
I only did two rings today. Not a big job.
You need to make sure the "L" brackets that hold the outfeed roller will move freely. They must move with tightening and loosening of the captive wrench/bolt movements.
Then, get a chair, sit down behind that thing and slowly tighten the bolt until it starts to move. I mean, less than 90 degrees at a time. Give it time to react. I put a mark with Sharpie on the outfeed roller at the edge of the belt to see readily when it moved. I tightened the other side until it started to move than backed it off. So far so good.
I hope this helps.
RP

[George Bokros]

I have been following this thread because I am having trouble getting my 16-32 to track. I do not know how old my belt is since I bought it used. I have a new belt from Klingspor but have not put it on yet. I will try what Robert said in his last post and see what results I get.

[Robert Edington]

My conveyor belt had never been changed. I was the original owner.
The slow speed of the conveyor makes the changes very slow. Then when you make fast corrections, and large corrections to the drift, you get ahead of the drift and end up fighting yourself.
My belt is tight and flat on one side and loose on the other, but, it is tracking now. It does not slip.
Make sure those brackets are loose. You should have some wavy washers, and regular washers under the cap head screws. I purchased new 1" bracket screws because the threads were shot on two of mine (Factory defect). Lowes had them in the specialty drawer. I think they were 1/4-20.
RP

[Scott Haddix]

I have encountered this identical issue with my Performax and a new belt as well. I am thrilled (and saddened both) to hear that its not just me who has struggled with a problem that seems to make no sense mechanically.

I'll be watching this thread with interest, in the hope that we can collectively figure out a good, long term solution to this, even if it means purchasing a new belt from a different vendor.

[Robert Edington]

https://youtu.be/bU4qCx53kwA
The "official" Je how to video They make it look very easy.
I think the main thing is to make sure the four bolts that fasten the brackets that hold the outfeed roller are loose and will move when you tighten or loosen the tracking bolt.
Then get a chair, sit down, and don't make any big adjustments. My belt is looser on one side, but it is tracking and it works fine.
RP

[Roger Chandler]

https://youtu.be/bU4qCx53kwA
The "official" Je how to video They make it look very easy.
I think the main thing is to make sure the four bolts that fasten the brackets that hold the outfeed roller are loose and will move when you tighten or loosen the tracking bolt.
Then get a chair, sit down, and don't make any big adjustments. My belt is looser on one side, but it is tracking and it works fine.
RP
I believe this means that the problem is with the belt and not the machine. I have a performax 16/32 as well, and it tracks perfectly for many years now. Aftermarket belts may not be cut exactly the same as the originals.

[Robert Edington]

Well, I thought that as well. But when I turned the belt around, it did the same thing in the same direction.
I have my machine running now. One side tight and the other loose. I ran six wooden rings through it yesterday. It tracked fine.
RP

[Roger Chandler]

Well, I thought that as well. But when I turned the belt around, it did the same thing in the same direction.
I have my machine running now. One side tight and the other loose. I ran six wooden rings through it yesterday. It tracked fine.
RP
You precisely make my my point....the fact it is loose on one side when turned either way tells me the cut and seam are likely off. Not something that can be seen off a machine, but reveaed when installed. Perhaps the pattern/template they used was not accurate, or the cutting machine was not dialed in correctly. There is enough adjustment built into the Performax 16/32 that a small amount of slack can be absorbed and still run true. If I were a betting man, my money would be on a belt that does not exactly match original specs.......I am willing to say I could be wrong here, but I don't think I am.

[Biff Phillips]

Here is the best way to do it.. I used this to get my Supermax conveyer belt perfect. It will take time. Get a notebook. Put the belt on and use a digital caliper to measure the length of each tensioning bolt. Write in notebook. Run the sander for awhile.. It will tend to wander to one side, probably after an hour or less of use. We will use "wandered to the left" for this example. Loosen the tension bolts, slide the conveyer belt back to the middle. In your notebook, record "Wandered to left".
Retension the bolts, use the digital caliper again. Make the left bolt slighty more tension (on the supermax, this means the distance the caliper reads is longer).

Over time, you will see that the belt takes longer and longer to drift. Eventually you will get it "Dead on".. It took me about 10 iterations. The tiniest of adjustments.. like 1/64 of an inch matter. You really have no prayer of getting this right without keeping a log of all the settings you have tried.

[John K Jordan]

https://youtu.be/bU4qCx53kwA
The "official" Je how to video They make it look very easy.

They do make it look easy.

Is it just me or does it look like when they are done the belt is not tracking correctly in the one second of video at 0:52? It looks like the edge is moving towards the camera. They don't show how long they actually had to fiddle with it if they actually got it to track correctly over hours of use.

BTW, my belt is also looser on the outside end than at the motor end.

JKJ

[mreza Salav]

When I changed my belt on my supermax I encountered the same problem. I don't recall 100% but I think it was the same supplier.T
These are 100% issues of the belts not being true/parallel. I called and explained that I know this and it's their fault but given that I wanted things get going and didn't have time to wait for another belt decided to fix it: you need to wrap some rolls of tape around one side (to make up for the error in the tape). I've got mine to the point that now tracks fine but of course one side is a little looser...