I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This past
month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
--
Jim Giblin
Jim Giblin wrote:
> I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
> and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This past
> month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
> using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
> belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
> and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
> this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
>
> --
> Jim Giblin
You stated that the sander was sitting in the corner for years. The original
belt may have dry rotted during this time. Was the replacement belt new, or
was it purchased at the same time as the sander?
--
Jack Novak
Buffalo, NY - USA
(Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
Nova wrote:
>
> Jim Giblin wrote:
>
> > I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
> > and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This past
> > month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
> > using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
> > belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
> > and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
> > this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
> >
> > --
> > Jim Giblin
>
> You stated that the sander was sitting in the corner for years. The original
> belt may have dry rotted during this time. Was the replacement belt new, or
> was it purchased at the same time as the sander?
>
> --
> Jack Novak
> Buffalo, NY - USA
> (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
Dry rotted? Maybe sitting out in the sun and rain for 4
years but probably take longer than that. I've got new
belts and old belts that have been hanging in my garage for
15-20 years. Used one to replace a belt on a rock saw a
year ago and it still looks like it did when I first put it
on a saw. Some are kind of hard but they were hard when
taken off a piece of equipment.
Something wrong with his set up. It's not the belt, besides
he ruined a replacement belt too.
"Jim Giblin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
> and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This
past
> month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
> using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
> belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
> and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
> this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
Definitely not normal. They should last much longer.
Something is cuasing them to break. What did the first belt look like?
Sometimes there can be a spur or some other imperfection in the drive wheels
or system causing damage to the belt as it runs.
--
Regards,
Dean Bielanowski
Editor,
Online Tool Reviews
http://www.onlinetoolreviews.com
------------------------------------------------------------
Latest 5 Reviews:
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Jim Giblin wrote:
> EXCESSIVE TENSION TO FUNCTION PROPERLY". Because of this admonition, I
> set
> the tension on the new belt then backed off a bit. The belt subsequently
It's a tricky thing. Too loose, and the belt will eat itself. Too tight,
and the bearings will be under too much stress on one side, and/or the belt
will eat itself.
It's not the best design I've ever seen, but it's the same as every other
sander in this class. They're all virtually identical, except the Ryobi.
That's why my next one will be the Ryobi. Though even that one has the
stupid toothed belt design too. I really don't like those.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Jim Giblin wrote:
> Is the Ryobi any good (or at least that much better)? Many threads in the
> newsgroup seem to put them down.
I figure if the Delta self-destructed after five years, any similar machine
will suffer the same fate. I wouldn't be buying the Ryobi because I expect
it to last longer, but because it's a different design whose improvements
look useful.
Truthfully, I'll probably just buy a 1" sander more appropriate for
sharpening when my current sander goes. I practically never sand anything
anymore except when I'm grinding.
If I were buying a 6"/36" combo sander today though, I'd definitely give the
Ryobi a shot.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Thanks for all the input folks! I suspect the tension on the belt, as
suggested by Silvan, is the problem. The manual is vague when it discusses
the appropriate tension. It says, in bold print and all caps, "NOTE: THE
BELT (A) SHOULD BE FIRM BUT NOT TOO TIGHT. THE BELT DOES NOT REQUIRE
EXCESSIVE TENSION TO FUNCTION PROPERLY". Because of this admonition, I set
the tension on the new belt then backed off a bit. The belt subsequently
failed and, upon inspection, the teeth on the drive wheel are now ground
down to nubs. The replacement belt cost $12.50. I suspect the cost for a
replacement wheel would be equally outrageous. All is not lost however
because the local Delta Service Center has the current 4" belt/6" disc
sander on display for $78. It is much easier and probably no more expensive
just to buy a new sander.
"George E. Cawthon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Nova wrote:
> >
> > Jim Giblin wrote:
> >
> > > I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years
ago
> > > and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This
past
> > > month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and
began
> > > using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service
the
> > > belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the
belt
> > > and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use.
Is
> > > this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
> > >
> > > --
> > > Jim Giblin
> >
> > You stated that the sander was sitting in the corner for years. The
original
> > belt may have dry rotted during this time. Was the replacement belt
new, or
> > was it purchased at the same time as the sander?
> >
> > --
> > Jack Novak
> > Buffalo, NY - USA
> > (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)
>
> Dry rotted? Maybe sitting out in the sun and rain for 4
> years but probably take longer than that. I've got new
> belts and old belts that have been hanging in my garage for
> 15-20 years. Used one to replace a belt on a rock saw a
> year ago and it still looks like it did when I first put it
> on a saw. Some are kind of hard but they were hard when
> taken off a piece of equipment.
>
> Something wrong with his set up. It's not the belt, besides
> he ruined a replacement belt too.
Jim, I don't have that particular sander, but that don't sound right to me
at all.
I'd call Delta Tech support, They have always been pretty helpful to be.
Tony D.
"Jim Giblin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
> and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This
past
> month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
> using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
> belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
> and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
> this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
>
> --
> Jim Giblin
>
>
> I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years
> ago and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This
> past month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and
> began using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service
> the belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the
> belt and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use.
>
> Is this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
No, it's not reasonable at all. My first belt lasted for three or four
years of frequent, hard use.
If you chewed yours up in eight hours, my first guess would be you didn't
have the tension high enough, and you stripped off the little teeth and
eventually broke the belt. They have to run pretty tight to stay engaged
properly with the teeth on the wheels. My second guess would be belt
fatigue, since you say it sat in the corner for years. They're made out of
some kind of weird fiber stuff. When my first belt broke, it was cracked
all over the place, and it looked like time had simply done it in.
Third guess is bearings. I think that's what's wrong with mine now. It has
a catch and a knock in it which makes the whole machine shudder at a
certain point in the rotation cycle. The machine is well on its way to
eating the second belt.
I'm planning to replace the machine, personally. I could put new bearings
on it, but by the time I buy a new belt and all the other parts, I'm well
on my way to getting one of the Ryobi sanders from HD that looks like it
would be much more useful.
I don't use it much anyway, since I do most of my "sanding" with hand planes
now. About all I do use it for is grinding plane irons. It works for
that, but the CLUNK CLUNK CLUNK sound is very disturbing.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Is the Ryobi any good (or at least that much better)? Many threads in the
newsgroup seem to put them down.
"Silvan" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jim Giblin wrote:
>
> > EXCESSIVE TENSION TO FUNCTION PROPERLY". Because of this admonition, I
> > set
> > the tension on the new belt then backed off a bit. The belt
subsequently
>
> It's a tricky thing. Too loose, and the belt will eat itself. Too tight,
> and the bearings will be under too much stress on one side, and/or the
belt
> will eat itself.
>
> It's not the best design I've ever seen, but it's the same as every other
> sander in this class. They're all virtually identical, except the Ryobi.
>
> That's why my next one will be the Ryobi. Though even that one has the
> stupid toothed belt design too. I really don't like those.
>
> --
> Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
> Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
> http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
>
I'd say no. I have a Craftsman version and have it going on a year of
fairly constant use with no problems. It's probable the pulleys might
be out of alignment (the belt is running at an angle). Other options
could be a pulley with a burr on it or the belt is too tight/loose.
On Sun, 04 Jan 2004 05:20:36 GMT, "Jim Giblin"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
>and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This past
>month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
>using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
>belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
>and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
>this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
I have had two similar versions of this tool by grizzly, wore one out and
other still going, in 8 years have gone through 2 belts and a few hundreds
of hours of sanding. Check the alignment of your pulleys and check to make
sure that they are smooth.
"Jim Giblin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I bought a Delta 4" belt/6" disk sander (model 31-460) on a whim years ago
> and it has been sitting in a corner of the shop gathering dust. This
past
> month I have been building some birdhouses for a charity event and began
> using the sander for the first time. After about 8 hours of service the
> belt that drives the sanding belt wore out and broke. I replaced the belt
> and the replacement wore out after about 8 hours of intermittent use. Is
> this reasonable? Is this the service life of these drive belts?
>
> --
> Jim Giblin
>
>