Belt Sander eats belts

[learyarch]

My second identical sander, never had a problem with the first or with this for a few years. The PC repair guy says nothing wrong, I am using cheap belts. Not so, bought some of his, it eats them too. Failures seem to start at the tape joint. Any suggestions? Replace pad? Replace drive wheel?

[UtahAV]

Hi learyarch,

Sanding belts are directional. Make sure that the belt is running in the proper direction. Inspect the platen on your sander. If there is any wear on the metal shoe replace it. What material are you sanding? If you are sanding something very hard that creates a lot of heat in the platen you may be melting the seam on the belt.

I hope this helps.

-UtahAV
-Mark

[ponch37300]

Is the belt tracking right? If it is pulling to the inside to much it might be catching on something.

[learyarch]

The belts are tracking fine. Heat would make sense, but why? Sometimes it only takes a couple of minutes, does not seem to matter what I am sanding, though it is usually hardwood. There is no wear on the platen. Most belts are directionally marked, though I am not sure how it would make a difference. The Porter Cable belts I bought from service are not directionally marked. I wonder if the tension on the belt should be reduced? And how?

[Stephen Tashiro]

Is this a variable speed sander? Is the sander running at the correct speed?