belt sander help

[R6 Racer]

I have a 4" x 21" craftsman belt sander that just died. My issue is that I can not find anyone who makes a 4 x 21 belt sander & I have over 100 4 x 21 belts of varying grits.
Thought 1) find a new 4x21 belt sander..... does anyone know of a manufacturer that makes a 4 x 21 unit?
Thought 2) run my 4" belts on a 3 x 21 sander (there are a few new ones out there)..... anyone see any problems arising from using a belt that's 1" wider than spec?
Thought 3) cut my 4" belts down to 3".... thoughts?

Looking for the solution. Im in the middle of a time sensitive project that I need the sander for.

Any help....

Steve

 

[Robinson1]

Pretty sure the 4x21 has become obsolete and replaced with the 4x24 sanders. Id probably just ebay the remaining belts and buy a new 4x24 sander. The makita 9404 seems to be a solid unit.

 

[R6 Racer]

When looking I did see the Makita (4x24). I like it but I would really like to get something that will use up my belts. 4 x 21 belts are all over the net for cheep. I don't think they would even sell.

Steve

 

[The Cobbler]

4x21 could be cut into 3x21 if you wanted to go that route

 

[R6 Racer]

That's what I think I will have to do. I have more $$ ******* in belts than a new 3x21 cheap unit would cost. If I could find a 4 x 21 that would be ideal

 

[ALLFAST]

Hello R6,

I see countless high quality vintage beltsanders all over CL around my area. Are there no prospects in your area?

Shawn

 

[tarbellb]

Buy "used" 4x21

Cut belts down to 3"

Do keep in mind belts like this have a shelf life, the glue joint will start to fail. I would check to see if they are still good and worth keeping?

Lastly

Spend your new tool money on the much improved dual action sander like the Bosch 1250DEVS (updated to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WK42NC5/?tag=atomicindus08-20)

That thing hogs off way more material then a belt sander, easier to control, less fatigue, and can be near dustless with a vac attached.

Just sayin

 

[Dumber than lumber]

I have a 4" x 21" craftsman belt sander that just died. My issue is that I can not find anyone who makes a 4 x 21 belt sander & I have over 100 4 x 21 belts of varying grits.
Thought 1) find a new 4x21 belt sander..... does anyone know of a manufacturer that makes a 4 x 21 unit?
Thought 2) run my 4" belts on a 3 x 21 sander (there are a few new ones out there)..... anyone see any problems arising from using a belt that's 1" wider than spec?
Thought 3) cut my 4" belts down to 3".... thoughts?

Looking for the solution. Im in the middle of a time sensitive project that I need the sander for.

Any help....

Steve

Wait a minute. Belt sander just “died”?
It might be something as easy as carbon brushes. Or a switch.
Did the garbage man already take it away?

 

[Lwel9226]

Wait a minute. Belt sander just “died”?
It might be something as easy as carbon brushes. Or a switch.
Did the garbage man already take it away?

Or a replacement motor???

LynnW

 

[exmaxima1]

How old are the belts? In my experience, belts over 5 years old tend to break at the seam within seconds. It may be time to bite the bullet, dump the belt sander, and replace it with a modern random orbit disc sander.

 

[dnschmidt]

This is true ^^^^^^

 

[Steve_P]

I agree on the belts not lasting forever. I had a 4X21? B&D or Craftsman sander from my dad, from the 70s. I used it ~15 years ago and the belts all self-destructed almost immediately as the glue joint failed. I remember that the last time he got belts for it, probably late 80s, he had to order them thru the mail as they were unavailable locally even then and had to be custom made. I bought a new Makita sander and it's a night and day difference.

Edit- not that it matters, but maybe it was a Skil

 

[Half-fast eddie]

replace it with a modern random orbit disc sander.

You need both a belt sander for real heavy work, and an RO sander for heavy to light work.

Daughter wanted to create something crafty from a used pallet, needed to “improve” the surface of the slats. Started with a belt sander and 40 or 60 grit, then RO with 80 and called it done.

 

[tarbellb]

You need both a belt sander for real heavy work, and an RO sander for heavy to light work.

Daughter wanted to create something crafty from a used pallet, needed to “improve” the surface of the slats. Started with a belt sander and 40 or 60 grit, then RO with 80 and called it done.

Not if you get a dual action orbital/disc sander.

Besides orbital for fine work, it has rotation only, similar to a bench top sander.

My Bosch 6" will match or beat just about any belt sander. They are used extensively in the custom boat, construction, and other heavy use trades.

It's honestly a game changer

 

[engineer2]

Find yourself a nice used Ryobi BE321 (BE321 VS Type II is a newer version I think).
I like it because you can lay it on its back if you need to do some hand-held pieces.

 

[R6 Racer]

Thanks for all the great replies.
The old one is a very old craftsman that came from my dad. The belts are all fairly new & last well when used. I haven't trashed it yet as it might be repairable, but that is a back burner project. I have 3 different dual action orbital/disc sanders. 2 corded(a bosch like tarbellb suggested) a palm by Milwaukee & 1 air. They all work very well, but not one of them removes material at even half the speed a belt does. (sorry tarbellb' ts a great machine but its not belt fast)
As far as I see no one makes a 4x21 anymore & I have searched every "for sale" site I can think of with no luck. The 3 x 21s I see now all around have half the amps mine had & to get that power I need to go to one of the new 4 x 24s out there. I'll keep an eye out for one of these (old craftsman) to appear for sale. But in the mean time I bought a cheep "king" brand 3x21 to get me by. I'll keep it until either I use up the belts I have or I find a replacement for the old cman. When the belts are gone I'll sell the King, if it lasts that long. Then go buy a proper 4x24 & belts for it. Steve_P the Makita 4x24 looks like the one I'll eventually go to. Is that the one you got?
I now have 1" x 21" belt leftovers I have no machine for. But I'll keep qem, eventually I'll find a use for em.

Belt vs orbital (my thoughts).... orbitals work well (very well really) but will not remove material like a belt (quality being equal) maybe half as fast BUT!!! its way harder to **** up a piece of material with an orbital than it is with a belt. One bad move can totally ruin a project in seconds with a belt. Maybe that's why they're used in most production situations.
I think Half-fast eddie has it right "You need both a belt sander for real heavy work, and an RO sander for heavy to light work."


Thanks guys
Steve

 

[lardy1]

I don't want to start another thread so I'll pose my inquiry here:

For those of us that know how to use a belt sander and can see great value in them, what brand of belts are you guys using? I used up my stockpile of Gator belts. Wasn't that impressed but they worked. What's a good choice besides clicking and hoping on Amazon?

 

[dnschmidt]

Obviously, 3M and Norton but you've going to pay for them. The best value for money (since I have a commercial account with each) is Klingspor and Abrasive Resource (Starcke). Both are German companies with large a large USA presence. Another premium German manufacturer of abrasive belts is VSM. Here is a good supplier of VSM belts and they sell to anybody at a decent price: https://www.aaabrasives.com/shop-ma...s/vsm-sanding-belts/zirconia-zk713x-belts?p=7

 

[amunner]

I don't want to start another thread so I'll pose my inquiry here:

For those of us that know how to use a belt sander and can see great value in them, what brand of belts are you guys using? I used up my stockpile of Gator belts. Wasn't that impressed but they worked. What's a good choice besides clicking and hoping on Amazon?

I also have a Craftsman 4x21 belt sander(1980 sometime) and always had trouble finding the belts. The Sears store near me carried them for a while but that store has closed near me. The last time I bought belts(7/19) I used this company in Gettysburg, PA. They are online at www.supergrit.com and have just about every size of abrasive wheel, disc, belt, etc. The belts seemed to be of good quality, no complaints, worked fine!

 

[RTM]

Supergrit, and the Kingsport retail site both carry great abrasive s at reasonable prices, with a huge selection.

 

[Steve_P]

OP, I bought the 3X21 variable speed Makita. I can't remember why I chose this over the 4", but I guess it's because of the VS, which I really fell in love with after getting a Metabo grinder with it. Again, this is a fantastic sander. I'm not a woodworker, but as others have said, you need to have a belt sander for rough work and rotary for fine.
For belts, I've been using the Powertec from Amazon. The price is right, and they last and track perfectly. 3M is great but vastly overpriced because it's a massive corporation that pays a CEO millions a year and has to continually raise prices in order to increase profits 10% a year.

 

[ZRX61]

Find yourself a nice used Ryobi BE321 (BE321 VS Type II is a newer version I think).
I like it because you can lay it on its back if you need to do some hand-held pieces.

That's my go-to, had it for years.