Belt sander

[Maddog1941]

I have a 1980s True Value belt sander and the sanding belt won't stay on. There is a screw on the side that we tried to adjust so the belt would track properly but won't seem to help. Any ideas?

 

[crguy]

Take it apart and figure out why it doesn't work.

 

[larry_g]

How old is the belt? If old and improperly stored may be your problem. Realize that all shafts have to be parallel to start with and at least one wheel has to have a crown on it. The belts will go to the tight side.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[jakemac]

I'm guessing that the sander has been dropped or put down hard one too many times.
One of the rollers is out of parallel. The adjustment screw won't be able to compensate.
Either you need to true up the rollers, or replace some of the assembly to get it running true again.

You could check the bearings for slop, but I doubt that is the issue.

 

[JZiggy]

I used a well-loved belt sander that had lost the crowning on the rollers. They were supposed to be slightly crowned (thicker in the middle) to help the belt track to center but instead were dished the other way from wear. If the adjustment wasn't perfect the belt would run off easily.

 

[LOTW]

Someone with a lathe should have no trouble correcting that

 

[The Tool Tyrant]

Did you try a different belt just to rule it out as the problem?

 

[DenisG]

The adjusting screw or block that holds it might have stripped threads.

 

[exmaxima1]

Look at it as an opportunity to get a new belt sander. Look at Bosch, Makita, or vintage Porter-Cable (USA, not the new Asian-made ****). Good luck!

 

[PugetDude]

Look at it as an opportunity to get a new belt sander. Look at Bosch, Makita, or vintage Porter-Cable (USA, not the new Asian-made ****). Good luck!

+1

My 30 year old Makita and 20 year old Porter Cable belt sanders have been awesome. Hundreds of hours on them, no major issues. Still on the original cords and brushes. The platen on the Makita is getting thin, but it's still running strong.

 

[JRC3]

I doubt somebody with a 35 year old True Value belt sander needs a high dollar replacement. Go to the pawnshop and pick up a Black and Decker, I see them all the time for $20. I even bought one because I needed a little lightweight one for something and liked the small front roller.