Smoother Sanding Belt Seams?

[Brian Kent]

I have a Grizzly 1014z combination sander that I am very happy with.

6" x 48" belts. I use it all the time both for shaping and finishing. It has taken me three years to go through all the belts that I bought from Grizzly when I got the machine.

My one problem is that the seams on the belt are slightly thicker than the rest of the belt. Every time the belt turns, it hits the sanded piece. This results in a slightly convex sanded surface.

This is not a problem for average furniture making or even most boxes, but there are times when I would like to avoid this problem for an even flatter sanded surface. I use the belt sander at the beginning of plane flattening too, and could use it a little further into the process without the seam problem.

Does anyone have a good source for 6" x 48" sanding belts that manage to avoid the thicker seam?

(If not I'll reorder from Griz).

Brian

[David DeCristoforo]

Who ever you are getting the belts from, they are crappy belts. The seams on good quality belts should not cause any problems like the ones you are experiencing. Belts from Norton, 3M or any other quality vendor should solve your problem. There are tons of online sources. You may find them locally at a cabinet shop supplier if you have one nearby.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Once in a while, I'll notice a slight bump in a 180 or 220 belt (6 x 89). I'll use the palm sander with 100 grit on it and wear off the belt's grit over the seam.

[Brian Kent]

That's good news on both responses. I'll try the 3M first. Thank you.

[pat warner]

There are many belt splices. Next time order up skived and on a bias.
This splice wastes material on both sides of the joint. Whence joined (usually with a very thin and strong tape) the splice (at some angle) has nearly the same thickness as the rest of the belt and therefore no bounce. Johnson Abrasives has done this for me.
Routers. (http://patwarner.com/)