1x42 belt sources?

[larry4406]

I need to get some belts for my Delta belt sander/grinder. Where do you buy your belts? The last belts I purchased were from Sears and were aluminum oxide and generally worked well.

I use the sander/grinder on lawnmower blades, brackets, etc. Thinking about zirconia belts vs aluminum oxide. Is it worth it to step up to zirconia?

This source has belts in the $3-4 each range and a nice selection of grits:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?cat=1,43072&p=48040

This source only lists 36 grit but is cheap at $1.79 each
http://heleta.com/review/product/list/id/777/category/173/

This source has a reasonable grit selection with prices in $2.24-$3.16
http://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/?searchterm=1x42+zirconia&hdrsrh=true

Not sure what the above sources charge for shipping.

 

[BillK]

Larry,
I buy 4 x 36 belts from MSC mainly because they carry Norton belts. I have found that the Norton ones outlast everything else that I have tried. Seems like this is a true case of "you get what you pay for"

 

[sr71]

Ditto on the Norton... I prefer their grinding wheels as well.

 

[exmaxima1]

Aluminum oxide is the cheapest and wears very quickly on steel. I tried some "ceramic" belts and they last far longer on harder materials like mower blades, plus they cut more aggressively with less heat buildup.

 

[Graham08]

McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/#sanding-belts/=14qh7g4

You won't know the brand until they show up, but pretty much all of the abrasives I get from there are Norton. That link is to the "general purpose" belts. They also have "high performance" which are a different abrasive than aluminum oxide and last longer.

 

[mopar440_6]

Norton, SAIT, or Merit Abrasives for brand. Amazon has a lot of SAIT belts in the $22-$25 per 10pack range.

Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

 

[tstaude]

when we are in a pinch at work, we sometimes take a 6" wide belt and rip with a straight edge and razor blade. If you find the belt you like, you can size it accordingly.

BTW, 3M cubitron if you want to hog off material rapidly.

 

[BillK]

McMaster-Carr: http://www.mcmaster.com/#sanding-belts/=14qh7g4

You won't know the brand until they show up.

If you send them an e-mail they will tell you who the manufacturer of any item is, usually within 30 minutes or so.

 

[larry4406]

Thanks for the feedback. Also found this source with decent pricing
https://trugrit.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_147_5&zenid=4a24861ce91502a237a379ce31d26ea0

 

[metalmagpie]

Don't buy a lot of sanding belts. The glue joints fail after a few years just from sitting on the shelf.

Trugrit is a good source. Other knifemaker supply sites also sell belts; however, 2x72 is a much more common size than 1x42.

If you dig around and come up with the SKU for the old Harbor Freight 1x42 belt sander you can pull up its manual and find the SKU for the belts they sell for it. Then you may be able to order those belts from their parts network. I have had good luck with Chinese abrasives.

Aluminum oxide is a reasonable abrasive, but there are definitely newer and better ones.
The latest one is 3M Cubitron. Those belts are more expensive but last a LOT longer.

I used to own a 1x42 belt grinder and loved it. I sold it to a guy who still has it and loves it. They are damn handy around a shop.

metalmagpie

 

[larry4406]

Thanks Metalmagpie.

I was thinking on ordering 5-10 to have on hand since SOL at local hardware stores. Good point on degradation of glue from storage.

 

[James-W]

Don't buy a lot of sanding belts. The glue joints fail after a few years just from sitting on the shelf.

Trugrit is a good source. Other knifemaker supply sites also sell belts; however, 2x72 is a much more common size than 1x42.

If you dig around and come up with the SKU for the old Harbor Freight 1x42 belt sander you can pull up its manual and find the SKU for the belts they sell for it. Then you may be able to order those belts from their parts network. I have had good luck with Chinese abrasives.

Aluminum oxide is a reasonable abrasive, but there are definitely newer and better ones.
The latest one is 3M Cubitron. Those belts are more expensive but last a LOT longer.

I used to own a 1x42 belt grinder and loved it. I sold it to a guy who still has it and loves it. They are damn handy around a shop.

metalmagpie

I have used Harbor Freight belts in the past. They work quite well for wood, but not so good on metal. On metal they seem to wear down rather quickly.

 

[Gizmosity]

I've used Klingspor for years and years, although for wood. They carry quite a few different types of belts in that size. I've never been dissapointed in the quality of their abrasives.