Lots of shops store abrasive belts for their widebelt sanders over long dowels or posts in a rack, but Matt Malley of H&B Woodworking in Plainville, Conn., says he has encountered problems with belts conforming too closely to the smaller diameter of storage poles, so he found a better way.
Storing widebelt sander belts over PVC pipe the same size as the sander’s rollers, can extend belt life and improve performance.
Lots of shops store abrasive belts for their widebelt sanders over long dowels or posts in a rack, but Matt Malley of H&B Woodworking in Plainville, Conn., says he has encountered problems with belts conforming too closely to the smaller diameter of storage poles, so he found a better way.
For his wall-mounted widebelt storage he uses pieces of PVC pipe sized to closely approximate the diameter of the sander’s own rollers. That way the belts are not deformed in storage. He says the result is smoother sanding and longer lasting abrasives.
Updated: Apr 05, 2011
This article appeared in CabinetMakerFDM, April 2011. ©Copyright 2013, All Rights Reserved.