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A few days ago I bought a (used) SteelCity 16-32 thickness sander. It looks like a knockoff of the Performax- basic open-sided drum sander with a rubber conveyor/feed belt powered by a DC variable speed motor.

It's in good shape (hardly used) but that model has been discontinued by Steel City. I talked to the 'parts guy' at SteelCity and they still have most parts available, but 'when they're gone, they're gone'.

Question: What spares should I buy for this machine? How durable are the feed belts, and how vulnerable are they to accidental damage? If the sanding strip tears on my homebuilt, it can definitely do some damage to the table. Also, do the belts 'wear out'? The manual says that if the work is slipping on the belt, it could be a symptom of a 'worn belt'.

I'm also thinking about a set of brushes for the DC motor.

My previous experience has been with home-builts without power feed, so I need some advice!

Thanks
John

Hi John - for me it boils down to the words of the great profit Eastwood - "Do You Feel Lucky - Punk." Since I don't feel all that lucky I keep a spare for my Performax but I have yet to have to replace my feed belt. It's kind of like when you purchase a snow blower and then it never snows.... I do know a number of other folks who have had to replace the feed belts on Performax thickness sanders.

My thoughts are that the belt is likely to fail when you are using the machine... and as such it could leave you in a lurch so the spare is insurance. Also IIRC correctly the aftermarket belts did not work at all for one of my bros on the ANZLF forum.

If this is a new-to-you machine congrats my friend!

I have a Performax 16-32 that has developed a pucker on each side of the joining seam of the feed belt. If I had another belt I would replace it in a heartbeat. Until I can find one at a decent price I have been timing my loads so they don't ride through on the seam, but it is a failure that is waiting to happen.

Tim

it never hurts to have spare parts available but I owned a 10-20 for 4 years and have owned a 16-32 for 2 years now I adjusted the belts on both to travel straight at the speed I run each at and I have had no issues at all with my belts.

Remember, companies like Industrial Abrasives can custom make a belt like that for you in the future. That being said, I wouldn't want to risk the down time so I keep a spare.

_________________
David White, Toronto

"All my favourite singers can't sing."

Right, but make sure they make it out of cloth and not paper. I got one from Klingspor that I could not be more unhappy with. Lesson learned.

Mike

I have sold several rubber replacment drive belts made for those sanders . I have a company that will make them custom for smaller sanders. They are NOT inexpensive . If you want the cloth backed belt is it basically a large sanding belt And they can stretch over time . However they will last much longer than paper as was stated above . The make time on a custom rubber belt is approx 2-3 weeks BTW My Company is White County Abrasive & Industrial Supply Inc.

wcaincj@aol.com

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John I have had to replace the feed belt on my performax.I can`t remember exactly why.but it gets used in my construction business as well as guitars so that may have something to do with it.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

I always keep a spare for any part that wears on all my machines.And the conveyor belt on my drum sander is one of them.I have all my operations timed for a certain time of the year. So it's important to me that i have those parts ready just in case.I don't want machine down time to cut into the process. I also keep the other two belts that run the drum and conveyor lift on the drum sander handy as well.

Thanks, everybody- lots of good advice here.

Spare belt(s) are 'in the pipeline' now.

I'll continue with the "Saga of the supposedly almost-new, used sander" later.
I'm getting to know it well, in all its intimate details!
It wasn't much money, and I don't charge myself an hourly labor rate!

Cheers
John

I doubt if anyone expects the Ritz when getting something made by them, still it seems a shame that they will not keep parts in stock despite discontinuing the model, effectively making it disposable.

I inherited a Craftsman jointer made in the late 1950's. It blew a bearing, I made one call to a small local parts distribution center, and they had it on the shelf.....

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It's not the miles ahead, it's the stone in your shoe


In Markham,Virginia

I gather that Steelcity did a deal with King, who now market the same sander. Perhaps part of the deal was to steer parts inquiries to King, once the SteelCity inventory runs out? The SteelCity tech guy mentioned that King could supply the belt as well (at a ridiculous price - $200+).

re: Craftsman tools- They're not what they used to be. Unfortunately with most of the cheaper tools I've found that the parts are so expensive that it hardly makes sense to repair them, even when you are handy enough to do the work yourself. For things like bearings and brushes sourced from somebody other than the tool company, it can make sense.

Case in point- the feed motor controller went 'bang' last night as I was thicknessing the last of a small pile of stock for sides & linings. There's a $1.05 BT137 triac in there that just exploded- it's on a small board with about $3 worth of other components. I don't even want to guess what SteelCity/King/Ryobi would charge for a 'new board'.
EDIT- I just checked- new board would be $25+shipping.

BTW, has anybody else noticed the feed motor getting hot on their machines? I notice that there's a mod on the web where one fellow added a muffin fan and shroud to cool the motor.

Cheers
John

I've got the answer to the feed motor overheating problem.

The feed drive roller runs in bronze bushings. The bushing at the motor end is inserted in the wall of the control box; the bushing at the far end is held in a flat plate bracket which bolts to the side of the platen. There was not enough end clearance for the roller to turn freely, and it was binding badly- very difficult to turn at all by hand.

This is probably why the motor was running hot, and the increased current draw was probably the reason for the triac failure in the controller. I'll know once I get the controller repair done- part should be here tomorrow.

The solution was to shim out the bracket with a couple of washers between the platen and bracket. The roller turns freely now and I put the drill motor on it to give it a good workout, after adding a small amount of 'Tenacious' oil to the bushings/shaft. You do have to be careful to keep the oil away from the rubber roller.

So, if the motor is running hot, it's not a fan that's needed, but a check on how freely the rollers are turning.

Cheers
John

John;
try www.customsandingbelts.com

a 16/32 needs a 16.250 X43.500 belt
Mc

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Mike Collins

Thanks, Mike. I've added them to my 'Supplier' file.
FYI, David White recommended http://www.industrialabrasives.com/ for abrasive-type feed belts and roll abrasives as well.
This page has some info on belt ordering:
http://www.industrialabrasives.com/drive-belt-for-delta-18-drum-sander-120x-01595-p-1632.html

For rubber belts, an eBay seller was recommended to me:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310194121957

People are incredibly helpful here- I really appreciate it.

Cheers
John

I thought I'd add to the 'saga of the sander' a bit more.

Turns out that the motor armature was shorted due to overheating (melted insulation). So the motor overheated enough to short, the short blew the triac (and all 4 of the bridge diodes) on the controller board.

Interesting aside for electronics buffs- all 4 diodes failed dead short- I'd assumed diodes usually failed 'open'.

A friend with a 'magic basement warehouse' had a couple of good DC motor candidates in his collection (I don't want to pay $200 for a new replacement motor) and it looks like I'm well on the way to getting the conveyor working again. Some 1/4" aluminum for an adapter plate and some creative thinking about shaft adapter will get the job done. Even better the new motor will run the conveyor a bit faster- I much prefer faster feed and lighter cuts when sanding.

IF YOU OWN A SIMILAR SANDER- Ryobi 1600, Steel City, King, Laguna and perhaps others- you will likely find that there is NO protection for the DC motor for overload. No fuse, breaker, or thermal cutout. It would be a very good idea to add a fuse to the motor circuit, which should not draw more than a couple of amps at most. Also, keep close watch on the motor for overheating, and chase down the cause (excessive friction in the roller assembly) if you notice the motor heating up.

Cheers
John