Ever had a belt sander that eats belts?

[guy48065]

Tried to use my Ryobi 3x21 sander yesterday on a mahogany buffet top and went thru 4 belts in 5 minutes. All different (used, new, brands). All cleanly popped the scarf joint. Sander was tracking perfectly and didn't run long enough to generate any heat.

 

[crerus75]

Yes, this happened to me with my Craftsman 3x21 a couple of years ago. All new belts, all blew the scarf joint apart. Turned out that, while the belts were new, they had been stored for a long time in a damp environment (basement). I don't know if it was the moisture, the shelf time, or both, but the belts would last minutes at best. A couple of new belts from one of the box stores solved it. I'm guessing that either time or humidity has compromised your belts.

 

[rlitman]

Sounds to me like old belts.

 

[exmaxima1]

Sounds to me like old belts.

+1
Old belts fall apart in seconds

 

[rlitman]

Well, the seams fail first for me. But on a good abrasive belt, the abrasive lasts a long time. So, I'll keep the broken belts for hand sharpening duty (scary sharp).

 

[guy48065]

Well I guess I need to buy some new premium belts to test before I start buying parts. Now I need another large project to sand.

 

[A_Pmech]

Yes! I blew up three 8x108 belts yesterday. At 8,000 FPM they literally explode.

My MSC care package just arrived.

 

[Marctrees]

ya, they get old and break at joint.

Now.... is it age??....or heat/ humidity and age??

I don't know, but for a few years now I store my bulk stash in the AC'd house, not in hot humid Texas shop.

A hassle, but much better luck now. Marc

 

[jimkinney]

Watch the direction the belt is running in. Most belts are bi-directional, but not always.

8x108, I bet that's a big mess to clean up.

 

[engineer2]

I usually buy 3M belts for my Ryobi BE-321 belt sander. They seem to last a long time. I just sanded 300 sqft of subfloor with it using a new 10 year old belt and it worked just fine.