I have a cheap Black & Decker belt sander. The belt slips halfway off every time I use, new belt or old belt; it does not matter.
I am not a woodworker, craftsman or carpenter. I don't use it often but it is handy to keep around. Is just a cheap belt sander? Is there an adjustment I can make? Is it my technique? Type of belt?
It's hard to say, but there is a knob that you can twist that moves the belt back and forth to control the tracking of the belt. Try fiddling with that and see if you can't the belt on.
Hi Higgledy,
As another poster mentioned, there is usually a tracking adjustment to help you keep the belt centered. Generally, the rollers are crowned slightly to help the belt track in the center. You can check for this crown by laying a straight edge along the length of the rollers. The rollers should have a larger diameter in the center. If there is no crown, then it will be virtually impossible to keep a belt tracking without continuous adjustment. The problem is that the belt heats up as you use it, changing it's length and shape. If there is no crown then the situation is hopeless.
A friend of m> I have a cheap Black & Decker belt sander. The belt slips halfway off
It should have a tracking adjustment on it somewhere, generally there is a knob or wingnut or something near the front roller. If it is of recent manufacture, it would be fair to call it "cheap" but if you are fortunate enough to have an older one, it may (depending on exact model) actually be a decent tool.
I had a Black & Decker belt sander. By carefully adjusting the tracking I could run it 20 seconds before the belt slipped off. When I actually needed a belt sander I bought a Makita. Oh the difference; you put the belt on and it works!
On Oct 28, 11:36 pm, "Toller" wrote: [snipped for brevity]
Three thumbs up on the Makita. I go through beltsanders on a regular basis. Porter Cable (4x and 3x but not the ChooChoo yet) Bosch, Ridgid (which I returned) and a few others. I bought the Makita as an act of desparation, as nothing else was availabe in this town at that precise moment yet another Porter Cable blew a motor bearing. The Makita turned out to be the best one I have ever owned. I am beating it up pretty hard, but doesn't quit...oh...and the belt tracks beautifully. (One nasty side effect was that I had pretty much justified, with the help of others here, to go buy that insanely expensive Choo Choo version of Porter Cable...now I may never have that fabulous tool.)
I tried the adjustments too. no luck. what a piece of s5it. How does B&D get away with it?
a piece of s5it. How does
That is a really good question. A mediocre tool might just hold up long enough to help somebody. Stuff like Ryobi, for instance. But the absolute drek that B&D puts out is almost criminal. All the parts are there, yet they can't even bother to try to make them work even a little bit. I'm with you higgledy, how do they get away with it?
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