Replies

1. 
   oldusty | Nov 02, 2009 11:18pm | #1

      Eef,

     Check with a local cabinet hardware wholesale distributor that sells to cabinet shops , schools contractors .        Any abrasives distributor even a welding supply house . that is a common size and if you buy them in a box / case perhaps 5 - 10 at a time my guess is you can get a good Resin Bond cloth belt for between the low and the high price you mentioned .

             regards         dusty

1. 
   Eef | Nov 03, 2009 12:22am | #2

   dusty,thank you. l'll take a peek in that direction.
   eef

2. 
   YesMaam27577 | Nov 03, 2009 03:24am | #3

   Try Klingspor's.

   They're on line, and they are a big supplier to industrial users, yet they sell to the public.

   I won't be laughing at the lies when I'm gone,
   And I can't question how or when or why when I'm gone;
   I can't live proud enough to die when I'm gone,
   So I guess I'll have to do it while I'm here. (Phil Ochs)

1. 
   Eef | Nov 03, 2009 06:37pm | #5

   yes,thank you.
   eef

3. 
   lwilliams | Nov 03, 2009 03:49am | #4

   try Econ-Abrasives:
   https://www.econabrasives.com/

   We've been happy customers for years.

   I know others used to swear by Industrial Abrasives Co.:

   http://www.industrialabrasives.com/

   I've never bought from them but a lot of folks on a now defunct woodworking forum suggested them for years.

1. 
   Eef | Nov 03, 2009 06:38pm | #6

   i,
   thank you for the links.
   eef

4. 
   SawdustSteve | Nov 04, 2009 03:11am | #7

   Hi Eef.... From past experience (retired Tech teacher) my students thought that the proper practice was to cut the wood anywhere from 1/8 to 1/2 inch oversized and then use the belt sander to GRIND to the line. After a very short while, I installed a key switch on the belt sander. I HAD to see what was being 'sanded' before they got the key from me. The rule was... If you let your friend use the sander on 'your' key, you won't be using the sander for a while.

   Now for the hard questions... Are the belts RIPPING or are they breaking at the belt joint?? Are you (your stuidents) using a belt cleaning block to avoid pitch build-up and burning?? Are the belts butt jointed or overlap jointed??? If the belts are overlap type, and old (several years) the glue may be brittle or failing, without it being anyones fault. I assume you are replacing the belts and watching the direction arrow on the inside of the belts.

   Knowing the 'ritual' of ordering school supplies, you sometimes have to 'take' whatever the low bid company supplies. That in itself can be the problem. You may have to explain to your chairman that what is being sent is not the QUALITY you spec'd out. ( I ordered Vise-Grip and got some cheap imported 'made in ???' stuff instead)Yea, it may be the lowest bidder, but it's not worth s**t if it doesn't last. See if any of the companies that are listed in earlier responses will send you a sample belt to try out. You may have to specify a particular manufacturer/brand and then add the following statement on your order form.. NO SUBSTITUTION!

   It took me several go-arounds before I could get this info through the thick head of the business manager.

   SawdustSteve Long Island, NY (E of NYC)

1. 
   Eef | Nov 04, 2009 06:51pm | #8

   good morning steve,
   the belt sander is sort of the "moment of truth" work station for student projects. most come away from using the sander with a semi decent looking project. some, as in quite often, "grind" their work down to a barely recognizable representation of what i had planned. a few use the sander to sharpen sticks as fast as possible before i come and put the kabosh on their doings. there are also those days when, before third period is over, i have replaced the belt twice. the most common form of destruction to the 7 dollar belts is students grasping their work too high up, away from the belt and then the work "skips" on the belt, putting a hole in it.
   these belts are all butt joined, without direction arrows. putting a lock on the damn thing sounds most intelligent.
   thank you,
   eef