How to Replace Belts on Belt Sanders

Belt sanders are a shop essential. The ruddiest and hardest to control of the sander family, they are used predominantly for "rough" sanding over large areas. The belt sander uses two parallel rollers that are spun by a motor. The sandpaper belt runs on these two rollers. These belts should be changed regularly to maintain the tool's effectiveness and/or to change the grade of sanding desired.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make sure the sander is unplugged and cleared of sawdust. Flip over the sander so that the belt is facing up.

2. Locate and pull the release handle. This will bring the rollers closer together, causing the belt to slacken. Slide the old belt off.

3. Slide the new belt onto the rollers in the direction the arrow indicates the belt should spin. Disengage the release handle so that tension returns to the belt.

4. Check the alignment of the rollers. They should be exactly parallel. If they are not parallel, secure the sander with the belt side up and turn on the sander. Adjust the tracking knob until the rollers are parallel and the sandpaper stays centered. If the rollers are not properly aligned, the belt could come off during sanding or damage the housing of the sander.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when aligning the belt. Don't touch it while it is spinning.

References

• Belt Sander Survey
• Sander Safety
• Sander Information