belt sander woes

Message

yeoman · #1 Post by **yeoman** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:34 pm

Hi all,

I have a ryobi belt sander, and for bowmaking, the belts are just great. However, when I used them on steel, they quickly got worn out.

Are there specialty belts to use with steel?

Dave

Coach · #2 Post by **Coach** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 3:48 pm

I have been told the best belts for stock removal are ceramic with a grinding aid in the top size coat which reduces heat

Zirconia is an excellent stock removal belt approx half the price of ceramic.

I havent personally tried any of these yet .

On another note , be very careful when grinding steel on this type of machine . I went through two machines in 6 months due to the fact that the filings get attracted to/inside the motor , which then in turns shorts the motor out . A bad design for metal grinding IMO.

Glenn Newell · #3 Post by **Glenn Newell** » Wed Jan 09, 2008 8:59 pm

You can buy belts for grinding steel, you might have to go to someone who can make them for you, they aren't hard to find, I have mine made up from a saw sharpening shop, they normally have a good supply of belts to choose from and will make them any size.
Coach I haven't heard of those ceramic belts before, they might be the shot for sanding down the fibreglass laminations, I will make some enquirers into them, thanks for that...Glenn...

losty · #4 Post by **losty** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:11 pm

yeah i fried the motor in my linisher while grinding metal. wont be doing that again lol. would it be better to use a bench grinder?

Coach · #5 Post by **Coach** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:09 pm

losty wrote:yeah i fried the motor in my linisher while grinding metal. wont be doing that again lol. would it be better to use a bench grinder?

You just cant get the flat grinds on a bench grinder .
Unless you get a set up like this

Graeme K · #6 Post by **Graeme K** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:26 pm

Hi Dave
When you use linishing belts on metal they need to quite long to have a reasonable life. Even the belt on the grinder above is more or less the shortest that is satisfactory for metal. Most industrial linishers have the drive and idler wheels as much as 1.5m apart. The thing that wrecks the short belts on metal is the heat generated and the fact that to get them to cut you have to press too hard and this breaks the abrasive from the adhesive base.

Graeme

GrahameA · #7 Post by **GrahameA** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:36 pm

Hi Graeme

The other alternative is to move the belt slower. My homemade linisher is driven by 1440 rpm motor and has been used to sharpen my wood lathe tools for more than a few years..

Coach · #8 Post by **Coach** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 6:54 pm

Graeme K , yes it is true that most industrial grinders have much longer belts than mine , therefore more surface area , and therefore they last longer . Also at a MUCH LARGER cost

A KMG grinder , which I would LOVE to have , is about $2500 for the basics .
You dont have to press harder to get the belt to cut , unless it is dull . Which will happen quicker with the shorter belts I use . In saying that , it's all relative , the belts I use are about $3.50 each ,, the longer ones are then more expensive

Grahame A ,,, I cant see why moving the belt slower would be an advantage , as it would then take longer . Once again , relative .
Ah , unless you are thinking of the heat problem

Which is solved if you regularly dip your blade , which is something I do to try to combat that problem .

greybeard · #9 Post by **greybeard** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:12 pm

Hi Dave,
I have been using Zirconia belts manufactured from a 3M product.The photo shows the code designation.
They are not all that more expensive than a standard belt and last a lot longer.

Daryl.

Coach · #10 Post by **Coach** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:29 pm

Where do you get them from ?

Stewart Townsend · #11 Post by **Stewart Townsend** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:06 pm

Coach good to see you are now using a multitool. I used a one for years.

Grahame A ,,, I cant see why moving the belt slower would be an advantage , as it would then take longer . Once again , relative .
Coach grind one blade on a Radiasmaster or a KMG clone and you will change that statement. (I did). There is a lot more control grinding steel with less speed.

Graeme K The thing that wrecks the short belts on metal is the heat generated and the fact that to get them to cut you have to press too hard and this breaks the abrasive from the adhesive base. Graeme K that could be the reason, I don't know. But I have 2x36, 2x48 and 2x72 grinders. Say with 240 grit belts, price versus work done the 2 x 72 belts are the cheapest.

Coach · #12 Post by **Coach** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:13 pm

Yeah Stewart , I am on my way up

The point I was making about slower moving belts , was not about control , as I can understand you would have a lot more , but rather on the belt wearing out .

greybeard · #13 Post by **greybeard** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:18 pm

Hi Coach,
I purchase the belts from Australian Industrial Abrasives Pty. Ltd.
The following link may be of assistance.

http://www.australianabrasives.com/

Cheers,
Daryl.

GrahameA · #14 Post by **GrahameA** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 6:04 am

Jeff

The thing about slower moving belts - for steel - is that the cutting rate is down and thus the belt does does not get as hot. Plus there is a whole world of cutting speeds depending upon the materials you use. A very quickand simplistic explanation:

Question: What abrasive speeds are best for which materials?

Answer: In general abrasive speeds from 4000 to 8000 surface feet per minute are recommended for mild steels and aluminum. Abrasive speeds from 3000 to 6000 surface feet per minute work well with stainless steels and cast irons. Exotic materials such as titanium generally prefer speeds below 2000 SFPM. Plastics and other polymers usually prefer speeds below 2000 SFPM. Woods and similar fibrous materials are often best ground below 6000 SFPM. Grinding speeds are determined by the material to be ground, the finish desired, and the abrasive used.
http://www.burrking.com/faqs_finishing_grinding.html#3