Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 22

Thread: Sander Belt Joint Failure

  1. #1

    Sander Belt Joint Failure

    3" sander belts (couple of brands) stored in my unairconditioned garage-shop are coming apart at the seam as soon as they are applied to the wood. Does the glue fail over time or with moisture? Has anybody else had this problem? Ideas for rescuing them?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Belden, Mississippi
    Posts
    2,742
    Some folks have repaired, but I just get a new belt. Consensus is that belts will be prone to failure after about a year. I buy just a few at a time. Never had one break (yet).
    On the other hand, I still have five fingers.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Cache Valley, Utah
    Posts
    1,722
    This comes up periodically. Yes, the glue joints age and fail. When I took over a school shop program a number of years ago one thing I inherited was around a hundred belts for the portable sanders. Every one of them failed, and trying to repair them wasn't worth the effort. I threw them all out.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Palm Springs, CA
    Posts
    1,085
    Very common for old belts. I lost 3 boxes of 3x24 belts that I bought on a bulk sale and had them stored in my garage for several years. The belts failed almost instantly on contact with wood. I threw them out after cutting up a few for general purpose sanding on my lathe.
    Dick Mahany.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SoCal
    Posts
    22,494
    Blog Entries
    1
    There are some things that it does little good to stock up on no matter how good the sale is. Glue, filler. abrasive belts, many finishes, etc. The general consensus from those who attempt repairs seems to be to use the failed belts as sandpaper and buy belts as you need them.
    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Kapolei Hawaii
    Posts
    3,236
    Yes, they get old and fail. Coincidentally, I just had to toss out a bunch of 6 x 48 belts that I did a bulk buy.... I lost 4 belts in 1 afternoon. Tossed the "good" ones too out since they were all bought at the same time. Lesson learned, 1) using those magic sanding belt "erasers" makes the belts last for long long time. 2) don't buy too many belts, since the glue doesn't last forever.
    I'm about to lose my drum sander conveyor belt soon. That one is not cheap. That is a tool I will have a hard time not having...... Maybe I should order a new belt.
    Anyone tried to apply CA before they fail to strengthen the joint?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio
    Posts
    1,346
    Have lost lots of belts that were brand new never used just one year old or older. Give them to High school wood shop where I work. Kid cut them up and use them as regular sandpaper.
    One thing that seems to help is when I first get a belt is to use it just long enough to get it hot, then set it aside and heat up the nest one. Have not tried a heat gun yet. I just sand with them
    Ron

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Posts
    868
    Quote Originally Posted by Ron Selzer View Post
    Have lost lots of belts that were brand new never used just one year old or older. Give them to High school wood shop where I work. Kid cut them up and use them as regular sandpaper.
    One thing that seems to help is when I first get a belt is to use it just long enough to get it hot, then set it aside and heat up the nest one. Have not tried a heat gun yet. I just sand with them
    Ron
    This ^^^

    Reading the above posts amazed me that you guys would not have repurposed the failed new belts!
    Too much to do...Not enough time...life is too short!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    McKean, PA
    Posts
    15,595
    Blog Entries
    1
    My Porter Cable 3 x 21 belt sander applies a great deal of pressure to the belts. I was getting belt failures and really needed to use the sander. I found that I could place a 1/16th inch thick spacer in the tensioner and it would back off the pressure enough so that belts wouldn't break. I sanded the entire piece without breaking a single additional belt.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Itapevi, SP - Brazil
    Posts
    672

    I have had this problem in the past

    Quote Originally Posted by edward woods View Post
    3" sander belts (couple of brands) stored in my unairconditioned garage-shop are coming apart at the seam as soon as they are applied to the wood. Does the glue fail over time or with moisture? Has anybody else had this problem? Ideas for rescuing them?
    I had a batch of 20 years old belts from B&D I tried to use some years ago: every one barely resisted the handling without glue fail. The ones that resisted that handling, literally, broken apart in a couple of seconds even without any load.

    I do not know the kind of glue used in that application but I read in some places it is "programmed" to fail in a couple of years. Since then I do not purchase bulk sand belts - just on demand.
    All the best.

    Osvaldo.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Okotoks AB
    Posts
    3,495
    Blog Entries
    1
    This subject comes us periodically & I'm really curious as to what the deal is. Lots of people report the problem, so it is a real thing. I've never had a belt fail at the glue joint and some have been 15 years old. My current stock of belts (Klingspor) is about 10 years old & I haven't had a failure yet. I got a bunch of them on a good sale.

    They are stored in my garage/shop, which is heated when I'm in there & otherwise the thermostat is set to 4.5* C. No AC, but in Alberta it doesn't get terribly hot. average humidity is typically around 50 - 60%

    For those with failures; what are your storage conditions.

  12. #12
    Coleman from Klingspor gave a talk to local WW group a few years back. Said Kelvar splices have a lifetime of about one year. At factory, they keep splicing material in a freezer to extend it's life. Old fashion, single direction belts lasted, longer, but had a "bump" at the joint. Best to buy only what you need, and from a seller with high inventory turn over.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Okotoks AB
    Posts
    3,495
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Wrenn View Post
    Coleman from Klingspor gave a talk to local WW group a few years back. Said Kelvar splices have a lifetime of about one year. At factory, they keep splicing material in a freezer to extend it's life. Old fashion, single direction belts lasted, longer, but had a "bump" at the joint. Best to buy only what you need, and from a seller with high inventory turn over.
    Then why are my belts lasting so long then? My storage conditions are not exactly ideal.

  14. #14
    I've always thought the diagonal seams were a big part of the problem. Think about how one peels a sticker or piece of tape. You try and get a corner started, then the rest comes easily. If the seams were straight across, they'd have to fail all at once.

  15. #15
    Thanks,Bruce, had not heard that. Does Klingspor sell both types? Can't say that I ever noticed a bump with any.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •