Belt sander

[Scruffy]

Their’s a 6 by 48 belt sander with a 12 disk on a local auction. It’s 1 1/2 hp and not direct drive. Wonder if it could be slowed down to use for steel.? It’s a reliant modeldd126

Thanks scruffy Ron

 

[Alan H.]

Ron,
If it is belt drive you can change the speed of course. But the reality is that for grinding steel the belt speed is the same or higher than wood. So says 3M and others.

 

[Buffalo20]

I took the disk off my 6” x 48” Delta/Rockwell (as I truly hate them) and left the speed alone, to me, its the belt that makes the difference, the difference in a bad belt and a good belt, is night and day. I actually want to speed mine up, to where the belt is in the 3000 fpm range.

 

[Robert LaLonde]

Use my little 1x30 back and forth for wood or steel without changing anything, but the right grit for the job.

 

[Boswell]

I always thought that you wanted Wood sanders to go slower to reduce the likely hood of burning. For Steel, faster belt speed = faster grinding

 

[toolman_ar]

I have a Grizzly G1276, and after cleaning out all the saw dust...

It grinds steel just fine. I think the main difference between shaping wood and steel is the type of belt you use.

I like my sander!

toolman_ar