Loose belt.

[Dogfisher1]

I just got my Craftsman 2 x 42 belt sander and I am not sure if it's set up properly. I haven't set up a ceramic liner for the platen yet. How far away should the platen be? There seems to be a lot of play in the belt when it's moving. When I put a little up pressure on the tower it straightens right out. Should there should be more tension? How far should the belt table be from the belt? It's grinding the table a bit before I've even begun to use it and I have it set about 1/4" away. I was planning on JB Welding a piece of ceramic tile to the platen but I need to find some square head bolts for the ceramic to sit on. I'm all set to start grinding but I am not quite sure if I have it set up right. Any suggestions??

[cbsmith111]

If your belt is eating your work table at that distance then your belt is entirely too loose or something else is wrong. You shouldn't have it that far away. It's hard to say what the problem is without knowing how that sander is set up. The main problem with my cheap 1x30, other than it being a 1x30, is the fact that the tracking and tension adjustment are one and the same. There is some variation in the length of belts. Some of hem I just can't use because they track all the way off the wheels before they get tight enough. The sad part is I can't use Norton blaze belts. They are one of the finest available, but they will not tighten up on the sander. Try some different belts and see if it makes a difference. It sounds like you might possibly have something aligned or adjusted wrong too though. When you figure it out and use it a little I'd be curious to know how that sander performs. I've thought about buying one to use for different things.

[Ray Rogers]

I've never used a 2x42 so I can't help you there except to say I agree with CB's assessment of the situation. But, I can say that you don't need square head bolts for the foot of your ceramic platen. In fact, it would probably be better to use regular round screws with a small metal bar so that the foot goes all the way across the base of the ceramic forming a solid foot instead of the square heads by themselves which form a couple of hard points. Just countersink the screws into the metal bar to form the foot.

If you have some double sided carpet tape available you might try that instead of the JB Weld. As long as you have a solid foot underneath the ceramic the tape should hold the ceramic just fine and it's much easier to remove if you ever need to replace the ceramic. Both my grinders are set up that way and have been trouble free for over 12 years.......

[Dogfisher1]

I think I got it. Loosened the set screw on the spring handle and turned it back so it puts more load on the spring.

[Dogfisher1]

Well now that I got the tension solved I have another problem. It looks like the wheel are not aligned. If I center the belt on the bottom wheel and the top wheel and then turn it on. It instantly scoots over 3/8" on the bottom. It started shredding the belt until I noticed it. To keep it from happening I have to run the belt 3/8" off of one side of the top wheel and that doesn't seem right.

[Ray Rogers]

That can happen on most any sander. Usually means the tracking adjustment isn't set right. Of course, sloppy bearings, flex in the frame, axles that aren't set square - all kinds of other things can contribute to those kinds of problems. Aside from having access to 2x72" belts, all those types of problems with little sanders is one main reason why someday, like the rest of us, you'll probably spend about $2000 on a grinder that can actually handle the job. You might still have tracking problems from time to time but you should be able to adjust for it ...