Jay Houghton
09-02-2019, 9:53 PM
I have a used 15" wide belt sander that was branded under a lot of names, Grizzly, Powermatic, etc. They are all the same. This one is probably 10 years old. I had a belt break last week and upon investigating how to replace it (them), the upper sheave is landlocked...so to speak. In other words it's on the end of the sandpaper drum but supported on the outside by a casting and bearing. So there's literally no way of slipping a belt onto it without taking one end of it out of the bearing race. I'm totally amazed by that and when I downloaded the manual from Grizzly on the newer ones, which look almost identical, I see they redesigned it so the pulley on the end of the drum is open ended.
I do have a manual for mine but it says nothing about belt replacement. I ended up getting a set of Fenner Twist Belts, at great expense, but at least you can wrap those around the pulleys and then connect the belt. Still not an ideal solution but better than the work of a major disassembly. Unless I'm missing something this is a terrible design!
Anyone do a belt change on this machine or one similar?
Jay
I do have a manual for mine but it says nothing about belt replacement. I ended up getting a set of Fenner Twist Belts, at great expense, but at least you can wrap those around the pulleys and then connect the belt. Still not an ideal solution but better than the work of a major disassembly. Unless I'm missing something this is a terrible design!
Anyone do a belt change on this machine or one similar?
Jay