My New Burnisher/ Sander Setup.

[billymac814]

The belt really isn't tight at all as you can tell from the pictures, the end curves up very slightly even with the loose tension. Theres no real way of getting it too tight as its impossible to get the belt on, this was as tight as i could get it and still work it on. I think if it was a thinner belt it would be easier to get on but this thing is really thick and not too flexible at all, its different than the thinner belts on sewing machines where its fairly easy to walk them onIt doesn't slip and the curve of the board is so slight(maybe 1/8") that I'm not concerned with it but if I was doing it again I'd still extend the 2x4s back farther to make it more rigid. I also only had a short piece of a 2x4 laying around so I was using what I had.

I'm not pressing that hard, if I was it would actually tighten the belt.

This definitely just has bushings, it does have two holes on the top, are these oil holes? It doesn't mention oil or anything in the instructions it came with. I'm not too concerned really, if for some reason I have a problem Ill replace it with one with bearings

The motor is 1/3 hp, so were the other two I've been using but those two were both used and quite old motors so its hard to say what kind of life they had and if I burned them out. The one is still fine but the start up (capacitor?) no longer works so I had to spin it to start it, I didn't want to do that anymore with this one. This motor is off of a sump pump which already had a switch on it so I didn't have to worry about a switch.

I haven't used it yet other than to test it to make sure the belt didn't slip, I'll report back if there's any issues but I don't foresee having any major issues.

[Beaverslayer]

Billy, if the pillow blocks have bushings rather than bearings, then you do not have to oil or grease them. Over time, depending on the amount of use, the bushings will get worn and your shaft will wobble. Once this happens then you can replace them with sealed bearing pillow blocks and they will outlast your leather business.

If you put a few more screws into the base it should reduce the flexing of that plywood. One of the main reasons you would want the belt tight, is to reduce belt wear (kind of like wheel balancing/alignment) if the belt bounces while rotating, then the belt will wear in a funny pattern, then the whole thing will vibrate over time. By using an "A" section belt with the cogs the belt will compress smaller and contact the pulleys on more of the surface and allow for less belt tension.

[billymac814]

There's no where to put any more screws, I could put a filler block under it and get screws a little farther out past where the table ends. Its very slight though, it was more pronounced before I screwed it to the table, now its just the very end and hardly noticeable.

I don't foresee me wearing this out any time soon but next time I will get the one with bearings. I assumed this one had bearings and the other one had heavier bearings by the way it was worded. As soon as it starts to wobble ill replace it.

Are those belts you're talking about the same width and are they as heavy and stiff as this one? I just picked this up at tractor supply along with the pulley, I didn't pay much attention to it other than the 1/2 wide part and picked a length I thought would work.

One other thing I may do is put a shield behind the sanding drum to keep some of the sawdust from flying around everywhere. I'd rather it end up on the floor than the bench.

[needles]

i like it it cool.... I want one.....

[Beaverslayer]

Yes an "A" section belt is pretty much the same width as a 4L belt, there's a good chance the tractor supply place will have them. If you've ever looked at the belts on your car engine, you'll notice that now-a-days they are all "cogged", a far superior design over the solid belt. Here's a picture with a bit of information on a cogged belt:

If you ask for an AX37 or an AX36 either one should be a stock item.

Good idea about the dust guard, that way the motor wont fill up with flammable particles and cause some unwanted reactions.

[billymac814]

Thanks, that looks like it would make it more flexible too which might be a good thing.

I have a big sheet of kydex that I don't use much, I might use that as the guard. I noticed the older weaver setup has a guard but the one in their catalog doesn't. Its handy having the sanding drum right here to use. In my old shop I had a belt sander near by and used it but the new shop I've been using my finisher its not as close by, not a big deal when I'm doing larger runs but for the occasional use this will be handy to have right at my bench.

[Beaverslayer]

The flexibility of the belt is what makes it far superior than a regular belt.

I designed and engineered car washes for 20 years in a past life, I spent a lot of time designing drive systems for them. I used to know by memory the formulas to determine the horsepower transfer from the motor to the item being driven, but all that eludes me today, not that you would need to know this.

Glad to be of help in your quest to make your shop more efficient.

[billymac814]

Ill order a belt the next time I place an order at McMaster Carr. I don't get to Tractor supply too often and I don't recall seeing the clogged ones there.

Thanks again for the info

The flexibility of the belt is what makes it far superior than a regular belt.

I designed and engineered car washes for 20 years in a past life, I spent a lot of time designing drive systems for them. I used to know by memory the formulas to determine the horsepower transfer from the motor to the item being driven, but all that eludes me today, not that you would need to know this.

Glad to be of help in your quest to make your shop more efficient.

[SOB Holsters]

nice work man, that's awesome!

[billymac814]

I made the dust shield today, it was a fairly simple ordeal but should at least minimize the dust a little bit or at least concentrate it to one spot instead of all over. I secured it with snaps just in case its ever in the way ill be able to easily remove it.