JJ

"James Johnson"

22/08/2007 7:41 PM

Auto cleaning wide belt sanders?

Folks, does anyone know of a manufacturer of wide belt sanders (say 20-24')
that has an automatic cleaner for the belt. Something like a crepe rubbing
stick that tracks back and forth across the belt. If anyone knows of such a
device, please e-mail me directly with the pertinent information.

TIA.
James Johnson


This topic has 26 replies

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 3:42 PM


"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> dull by just feeling it.
>
> It may or may not load up but it makes no difference, dull is dull.
>
> Lew
>
>

Agreed, cleaning does not sharpen.

b

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

22/08/2007 9:12 PM


> IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the belt,
> not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>
> Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools, aren't
> they?
>
> Lew

disposable, yes, but the operative word is cutting. dispose of them
when they get dull, not when they get dirty. the OP's idea of tracking
a rubber cleaner might be worth pursuing, but I think I see a curve of
diminishing returns with horsepower going that route. what I do is not
let them get glazed dirty- as soon as they get any buildup change out
the belt. clean the dirty ones by a 10 minute soak in hot water with a
little laundry soda followed by a quick scrub with a stiff nylon brush
and hang to dry.

FH

Father Haskell

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

22/08/2007 11:15 PM

On Aug 23, 12:12 am, [email protected] wrote:
> > IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the belt,
> > not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>
> > Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools, aren't
> > they?
>
> > Lew
>
> disposable, yes, but the operative word is cutting. dispose of them
> when they get dull, not when they get dirty. the OP's idea of tracking
> a rubber cleaner might be worth pursuing, but I think I see a curve of
> diminishing returns with horsepower going that route. what I do is not
> let them get glazed dirty- as soon as they get any buildup change out
> the belt. clean the dirty ones by a 10 minute soak in hot water with a
> little laundry soda followed by a quick scrub with a stiff nylon brush
> and hang to dry.

I used to sandblast them. Two minutes in the cab, and
they were good as new.

FH

Father Haskell

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

22/08/2007 11:20 PM

On Aug 22, 8:53 pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:

> IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the belt,
> not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>
> Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools, aren't
> they?

So are X-Acto blades, but I always rehone and strop them when they
go dull. Decent steel, easy to make sharper than new.

FH

Father Haskell

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 9:14 AM

On Aug 23, 4:06 am, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I wrote:
> > > IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the
> belt,
> > > not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>
> > > Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools,
> aren't
> > > they?
>
> "Father Haskell" wrote :
>
> > So are X-Acto blades, but I always rehone and strop them when they
> > go dull. Decent steel, easy to make sharper than new.
>
> Just curious, how do you resharpen sanding grit once the edge is gone?
>
> Lew

The edge is as sharp as when you bought the abrasive. What
"dulls" it is it's clogged.

FH

Father Haskell

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 9:18 AM

On Aug 23, 11:11 am, "HotRdd" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Never tried sandblasting them... How much did it change the grit of the
> paper? What medium where you using.

Sand. No noticeable change.

> Right now I take the paper off and throw several of them in a bucket of hot
> water and then hang them on the side of my traier and pressure wash them.

JP

Jay Pique

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 5:07 PM

On Aug 23, 4:42 pm, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > dull by just feeling it.
>
> > It may or may not load up but it makes no difference, dull is dull.
>
> > Lew
>
> Agreed, cleaning does not sharpen.

Yellow pine creates a big mess in a big hurry. I heard a story once
about a guy that had some sort of gun that sprayed dry ice pellets at
the belt while it was still going 'round in the machine. Don't
remember hearing if it worked or not.

JP

sg

steve

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

26/08/2007 9:16 AM

I go to thrift stores, and buy old crepe soled shoes for a quarter or
so, then bandsaw off the tops, and use the soles to clean belts with.
It works really well.
Steve

LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

22/08/2007 5:53 PM


"James Johnson" wrote:
> Folks, does anyone know of a manufacturer of wide belt sanders (say
20-24')
> that has an automatic cleaner for the belt. Something like a crepe
rubbing
> stick that tracks back and forth across the belt.

IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the belt,
not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.

Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools, aren't
they?

Lew


LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 1:06 AM


I wrote:

> > IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the
belt,
> > not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
> >
> > Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools,
aren't
> > they?

"Father Haskell" wrote :

> So are X-Acto blades, but I always rehone and strop them when they
> go dull. Decent steel, easy to make sharper than new.

Just curious, how do you resharpen sanding grit once the edge is gone?

Lew

HN

"HotRdd"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 11:11 AM

Never tried sandblasting them... How much did it change the grit of the
paper? What medium where you using.

Right now I take the paper off and throw several of them in a bucket of hot
water and then hang them on the side of my traier and pressure wash them.




"Father Haskell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Aug 23, 12:12 am, [email protected] wrote:
>> > IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the belt,
>> > not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>>
>> > Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools, aren't
>> > they?
>>
>> > Lew
>>
>> disposable, yes, but the operative word is cutting. dispose of them
>> when they get dull, not when they get dirty. the OP's idea of tracking
>> a rubber cleaner might be worth pursuing, but I think I see a curve of
>> diminishing returns with horsepower going that route. what I do is not
>> let them get glazed dirty- as soon as they get any buildup change out
>> the belt. clean the dirty ones by a 10 minute soak in hot water with a
>> little laundry soda followed by a quick scrub with a stiff nylon brush
>> and hang to dry.
>
> I used to sandblast them. Two minutes in the cab, and
> they were good as new.
>

LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 10:43 AM


"Leon" wrote:

> Surely you nave used a belt cleaner, if not you need to buy one and
extent
> the life of your belts, disks etc. many times over. Those rubber
cleaners
> truly work very well and quickly.

Bought a couple of "erasers", tried one, found it to be a complete
waste of time, threw them in the trash.

You can feel the grit with your finger and tell when the edge is gone.

Depending on what I'm doing, can totally destroy a belt or disk in
less than 30 minutes.

Lew

LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 10:47 AM


"HotRdd" wrote:

> Right now I take the paper off and throw several of them in a bucket
of hot
> water and then hang them on the side of my traier and pressure wash
them.

When you can buy 6", H&L disks in the $0.21-$0.23 range, why would you
bother?

Lew


LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 12:00 PM


"Morris Dovey" wrote:

> Eh? Do you use 6" H&L disks on your wide belt sander?

Actually, I use a commercial drum sander for such tasks.

They have a 75HP unit that handles 48" wide material.

Why try to reinvent the wheel?

Lew

LH

"Lew Hodgett"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 12:22 PM


"Leon" wrote:

> Are you actually sanding wood, or epoxy and or fiber glass? That
would make
> a difference is suppose.

Depends.

If I'm using 16 or 24 grit on either a disk or a belt, then it epoxy
is involved either as fiberglass or fairing putty.

Epoxy absolutely destroys abrasives.

I'm lucky to get 30 sq ft sanded with a 9", 16 grit disk, before it is
time to change.

A box of 25 disks doesn't last very long.

If I'm using 60 grit and finer, then it is with a ROS and wood.

When I'm working with wood, you can tell when the paper is getting
dull by just feeling it.

It may or may not load up but it makes no difference, dull is dull.

Lew

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 12:52 PM


"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> I wrote:
>
>> > IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the
> belt,
>> > not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>> >
>> > Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools,
> aren't
>> > they?
>
> "Father Haskell" wrote :
>
>> So are X-Acto blades, but I always rehone and strop them when they
>> go dull. Decent steel, easy to make sharper than new.
>
> Just curious, how do you resharpen sanding grit once the edge is gone?
>
> Lew
>
>
Most of the time if the belt is loaded up it is not dull simply loaded up
with sticky material.

DG

"Dave Gordon"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 3:21 PM

"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>>
>> I wrote:
>>
>>> > IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the
>> belt,
>>> > not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>>> >
>>> > Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools,
>> aren't
>>> > they?
>>
>> "Father Haskell" wrote :
>>
>>> So are X-Acto blades, but I always rehone and strop them when they
>>> go dull. Decent steel, easy to make sharper than new.
>>
>> Just curious, how do you resharpen sanding grit once the edge is gone?
>>
>> Lew
>>
>>
> Most of the time if the belt is loaded up it is not dull simply loaded up with sticky material.
Run a cheap'n'nasty paintbrush onto the moving belt will also get most of the dust off, but for the
resinous deposits you do need a crepe-rubber block.

MD

"Morris Dovey"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 1:07 PM

Lew Hodgett wrote:
| "HotRdd" wrote:
|
|| Right now I take the paper off and throw several of them in a
|| bucket of hot water and then hang them on the side of my traier
|| and pressure wash them.
|
| When you can buy 6", H&L disks in the $0.21-$0.23 range, why would
| you bother?

Eh? Do you use 6" H&L disks on your wide belt sander?

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

MD

"Morris Dovey"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 2:04 PM

Lew Hodgett wrote:
| "Morris Dovey" wrote:
|
|| Eh? Do you use 6" H&L disks on your wide belt sander?
|
| Actually, I use a commercial drum sander for such tasks.
|
| They have a 75HP unit that handles 48" wide material.
|
| Why try to reinvent the wheel?

I dunno - but I'm certainly glad we cleared that one up. :-D

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 7:05 PM


"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Leon" wrote:
>
>> Surely you nave used a belt cleaner, if not you need to buy one and
> extent
>> the life of your belts, disks etc. many times over. Those rubber
> cleaners
>> truly work very well and quickly.
>
> Bought a couple of "erasers", tried one, found it to be a complete
> waste of time, threw them in the trash.
>
> You can feel the grit with your finger and tell when the edge is gone.
>
> Depending on what I'm doing, can totally destroy a belt or disk in
> less than 30 minutes.
>
> Lew
>
>

Are you actually sanding wood, or epoxy and or fiber glass? That would make
a difference is suppose.

BA

B A R R Y

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

24/08/2007 7:11 AM

Lew Hodgett wrote:
>
> When you can buy 6", H&L disks in the $0.21-$0.23 range, why would you
> bother?
>

I totally agree for smaller discs. For 12" and wide stuff, the eraser
is helpful.

Lr

"Leon"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 12:50 PM


"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "James Johnson" wrote:
>> Folks, does anyone know of a manufacturer of wide belt sanders (say
> 20-24')
>> that has an automatic cleaner for the belt. Something like a crepe
> rubbing
>> stick that tracks back and forth across the belt.
>
> IMHO, if a belt has started loading up, it's time to change the belt,
> not trying to screw around with an eraser to try to clean it.
>
> Sanding materials are considered as disposable cutting tools, aren't
> they?
>
> Lew
>
>
>
Surely you nave used a belt cleaner, if not you need to buy one and extent
the life of your belts, disks etc. many times over. Those rubber cleaners
truly work very well and quickly.

md

mac davis

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 7:38 AM

On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:50:58 GMT, "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote:


>Surely you nave used a belt cleaner, if not you need to buy one and extent
>the life of your belts, disks etc. many times over. Those rubber cleaners
>truly work very well and quickly.
>
I use crepe blocks and sticks on belts, disks and palm sander squares..

I think you have to use judgment on how often or many times you clean the paper
before changing it again, though..

I remember Darrell Feltmate's sanding tutorial saying something like "you can
clean sand paper, but you can't sharpen it"..



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

md

mac davis

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

24/08/2007 10:23 AM

On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:16:58 -0400, "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote:

>mac davis wrote:
>> On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:50:58 GMT, "Leon"
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Surely you nave used a belt cleaner, if not you need to buy one and
>>> extent the life of your belts, disks etc. many times over. Those
>>> rubber cleaners truly work very well and quickly.
>>>
>> I use crepe blocks and sticks on belts, disks and palm sander
>> squares..
>>
>> I think you have to use judgment on how often or many times you
>> clean
>> the paper before changing it again, though..
>>
>> I remember Darrell Feltmate's sanding tutorial saying something like
>> "you can clean sand paper, but you can't sharpen it"..
>
>You can't sharpen it but aluminum oxide abrasive is hard enough to cut
>hardened steel. On most woods it clogs a lot faster than it dulls.
>
>--
For sure... I clean my 2" and 3" H&L sanding disks several times before they're
dull or torn, especially when sanding pine of something clogging like that...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

JC

"J. Clarke"

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

24/08/2007 3:16 AM

mac davis wrote:
> On Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:50:58 GMT, "Leon"
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>> Surely you nave used a belt cleaner, if not you need to buy one and
>> extent the life of your belts, disks etc. many times over. Those
>> rubber cleaners truly work very well and quickly.
>>
> I use crepe blocks and sticks on belts, disks and palm sander
> squares..
>
> I think you have to use judgment on how often or many times you
> clean
> the paper before changing it again, though..
>
> I remember Darrell Feltmate's sanding tutorial saying something like
> "you can clean sand paper, but you can't sharpen it"..

You can't sharpen it but aluminum oxide abrasive is hard enough to cut
hardened steel. On most woods it clogs a lot faster than it dulls.

--
--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

JD

Jane & David

in reply to "James Johnson" on 22/08/2007 7:41 PM

23/08/2007 12:04 PM

In article <[email protected]>,
"James Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Folks, does anyone know of a manufacturer of wide belt sanders (say 20-24')
> that has an automatic cleaner for the belt. Something like a crepe rubbing
> stick that tracks back and forth across the belt. If anyone knows of such a
> device, please e-mail me directly with the pertinent information.
>
> TIA.
> James Johnson

Not automatic, but Highland has this big rubber slab:

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/browseproducts/Abrasive-Drum-Cleaner.h
tml

PDX David


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