How to Change the Belt on a Sander

Belt sanders make the job of stripping old paint or stain from a piece of furniture or smoothing raw lumber quicker than doing the sanding by hand. The belt does wear out periodically and needs to be changed. When smoothing a piece of lumber it is possible to move through many belts of reducing grit to achieve a fine finish. Changing the belt is a fast and easy job.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Unplug the belt sander from the power outlet. Safety is a high concern. When changing the belt you don't want the sander to start up. Serious injury can result in this situation. Choose a workspace where you have enough room to lay the sander down and arrange your belts in order of increasing grit.

2. Look on the side of the sander and locate the lever for releasing the tension on the belt. The lever will be between the top and bottom of the belt. Releasing the tension will allow you to remove the belt and reinstall the new belt.

3. Release the tension and pull off the old belt. Place the old belt aside so that you don't confuse it with the new belts. If you are simply changing grits, place the belt you removed in the correct location to match the ordering of the belts that you set up in step one.

4. Take the replacement belt and examine the inner side. Look for an arrow that indicates the direction of rotation. Align this arrow so that when the sander is operating the belt is going in the direction of the arrow. Carefully fit the belt around the roller drum in the front and back. Slide the belt down to the center of the drum, and then restore the tension by moving the lever back in place between the belts.

5. Plug the belt sander back into the outlet and you are ready to sand with either a new belt or a lower grit of sand.