Crapsman Bench Sander modification

[Wicked_S10]

Well, I spent the afternoon modifying my belt sander. I bought a sears crapsman on sale for about $60 a year ago, and I use norton zirconia oxide belts and discs and I love the thing. My only wish was that it took a longer belt, as we all know, the longer your belt is, the cooler it runs and the better it will last. I thought about building a whole new sander, but most of the plans out there are only for wimp 2" wide belts, and I like haveing a 4" belt. A new 4"x54" wilton in a similar style to the crapsman is well over $2k, so I decided to lengthen the one I have. My pop's passed away 6 months ago, and left me all of his tool, and he just so happened to have an identicle sander to the sears one I bought, so if I f-ed it up permanently, I wasn't out any money.

Here is what I started with:
http://www.rollmeover.com/bronco_fab/bronco/sander001.jpg

I lengthened it 9.25"s, which happens to be dead on for a 54" belt (I hope anyhow, I dont have any belts to try onit at the moment). I had the thing jigged up and clamped down 8 ways from sunday, but it still pulled a little bit. The nice thing about the crapsman, is the non driven roller is adjustable for tracking, so it is not going to matter much if it isn't perfect. I may be unhappy that the table has a bit of a bow in it, but if it poses a problem, I will just weld a new top on it accross the whole length.

Here is what I ended up with:
http://www.rollmeover.com/bronco_fab/bronco/sander002.jpg

Now to order some belts and see how it does :D

Later,
Jason

[yager]

awsome !!! Thanks for sharing !!

[eschoendorff]

That's damn cool! Can't wait to hear how well it works.

[Murph]

:smokin: I inherited a Ryobi from my FIL a couple of months ago that's probably identical to this one.

<files idea away in Spare Time drawer>


Andy

[guidolyons]

Cool idea :smokin: Let's see some sparks!

[Wicked_S10]

I am working on it, I think I am just going to try to find a cheapo aluminum oxide belt at a hardware store. I have to order 10 belts at a time from my local airgas, and I hate to buy $70 worth of belts if it isn't going to work. Found some places online that sell individual belts, so that is an option too, but being the weekend I will probably just hit up sears and some hardware stores to see if I can find something.

Oh, and BTW, if the little 2/3 HP motor doesn't keep up, I forsee a lot bigger motor in it's future :D

Later,
Jason

[Wicked_S10]

Well, I got my belt in the mail today from McMastercarr. Through it on the sander, and turned it on, and before I could switch it back off it had stripped about half the belt off. I intentionally made the sander .25"s long than it needed to be in hopes that I could get a bit better tension on the belt. What I failed to consider is that the spring loaded tracking adjustment may not be able to overcome the extra tension, it couldn't. Belt ate itself on the inside of the sander. Once I modified the tracking knob not to be spring loaded anymore, the remaining 2.5"s of the belt tracked just fine. I am going to go ahead an order a case of belts. It seems like it will work well now that I have the bugs worked out. BTW, used the remainder of the belt just a bit, and it cuts just as well as my shorter one, doesn't really show any signs of lacking power, and the belt didn't load up with any shit at all.

http://www.rollmeover.com/bronco_fab/bronco/sander003.jpg

Later,
Jason

[PaulT]

Thats a very good idea! Good thinkin'

[kwrangln]

Well, I got my belt in the mail today from McMastercarr. Through it on the sander, and turned it on, and before I could switch it back off it had stripped about half the belt off.

Congrats, you just found out why I only bump the switch after changing a belt. Never even let it get up to speed without checking if a belt is going to dive off one side. You can flip the switch quick enough to only get 2-3 revolutions out of it, which is enough to tell you to either tighten or loosen the tension.

Cool project, maybe after the new has worn off my current belt sander, I'll follow in your footsteps. Before that tho, I'll probably throw in a stronger motor.

[Wicked_S10]

LMAO, yeah, I threw the switch, and steped back to watch it, it took off really slow, and I was thinking it was going to need a bigger motor, and what I was going to use for it, and then it took off like a mofo and started making expensive confetti. The motor was just haveing trouble starting because the belt was snagging on the bearing houseing... Oh well, I ordered a case of belts today, so I should be able to try it w/ a full width one again tomorrow. BTW, if any of you are looking for good metal cutting belts, check McMaster, for one they were the only place I could find that would sell me just one, and for two, their price by the case for Norton NorZon Plus was even cheaper than the case of 36" belts of the same type that I bought from airgas. McMaster's web site does not list them as norton's, but apperantly their zirconia alumina ones are. I am a pretty loyal airgas customer, and they typically give me awesome prices on stuff they stock, but the belts are special order, they wanted $77 for 10, Mcmaster gets $51. Not too bad.

Later,
Jason