# Converting Band saw to belt sander?



## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

I was given a used 10 inch Ryobi 3 wheel band Saw by a good friend. he got tied of adjusting it all the time and I finished with it to see what I could do.

After breaking numerous blade I decided to try to convert it into a belt sander. Now, my friend who is very mechanical is playing around with it to do so. So far he has put a backing plate for the belt to rest against and is now working on the wheels.

He wants to put a 1 inch belt on and to do that he has to repace the drive wheel plus the two wheels with bearings and make wider wheels. he was going to do that on the lathe.

To me, that is a fair bit of work and I was looking for a simpler conversion. I have seen and used a similar conversion to a belt sander on the same machine and have used it but did not take any notice of how the conversion was done. I was told at the time that many people had done that same conversion when they upgraded to a bigger 2 wheel band saw.

I have googled and have only seen one reference which was on a bigger machine then mine and he used some PVC pipe that fitted over the original wheels. he then machined a crown to sit the wide belt.

He had to get specially made belts to fit but that is no problem for me because we have a source that can supply and make any size belt we want.

Any suggestion?

Pete


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*this thread*

conversion from bandsaw to belt sander:

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/jointer-bs-build-33107/


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## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Thanks for that link "Woodnthings". I spoke to my mate today about the extra work but he says no problem.

So, it looks like he will make new wheels to take a 1 inch belt so I can use it for sharpening. He is also going to provide a metal strip as a backing plate so i can put a 5/8 inch belt on as well for small detail sanding.

He is also going to see if he can reverse the blade direction and if he can then arrange a special switch at the back that can put the machine in reverse or forward gear depending if I am sharpening ( anti clockwise ) or sanding ( clockwise. )

If all goes to plan I will put up a photo. My friend fits the description of " Tell a man it cannot be done than stand aside and watch him do it. "

I am fortunate to have such a good friend.

Pete


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Pete,ours is mainly for "slack-belt" use.IOWs,no platen.....which depends on individual shop/intended use.Its a 3/4x72 belt.

We also have a 2" slackbelt that was litterally thrown together out of a crashed/wore out 3x21 Porter Cable handheld sander.The old sander was just laying in a pile.The funny part is,we've been using it for 20+ years and have never turned the tracking screws?It showed the value of a narrow sander....Its neat,cause it has a platen on one side and slackbelt on other.

I run 2x48" belts on it.They usually come from a trashed/wrecked belt from a bigger 6x48.Tearing the leftovers down to 2" wide.Thats where the idea for "repurposed" belts for Band sander came from.These are coming from the leftovers from a longer edge sander belt.

We didn't do "jack" for prepping belt.Seriously....just ripped the bloomin thing apart at the scarf and epoxied it back together,once shortened to fit band length.Have read where you can take a propane torch and burn excess threads from edge of ripped belt.BW


As a headsup to members here.....not only are these small bandsaws practically free.Keep an eye out for old Craftsman 6x48 sanders.Just like 3 wheel BS's...these 6"ers are NOTORIOUS for tracking issues.Owners get completly fed up with the rediculously bad tracking systems on these.You should not give more than 25$ for it....with free being a regular occurance.

With a minimum of head scratching,and a little ingenuity...the tracking systems can be fixed.We have two....both were freeby's.Both have been up and running for 20+ years now.Still a little quirky.....but they work great.Ones had the belt speed jacked up for metal....the other is set-up for "nose" sanding wood.BW


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## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Great replies from "Woodnthings" and 'BW' . Thanks.

BW, you mentioned changing the length of the belt. How did you do that. That is an issue i would like to solve myself without getting a professional belt guy in.

My mate can do it but he said we will have to find a suitable glue that can adapt to the small amount of heat caused by the belt revolving around the three wheels.

Look forward to your reply.

Pete


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*new wheels?*

why not "extend" the width of the stock wheels? 
If flanged fill the center with Bondo or auto filler, crown to suit and that will give you 1/4" more.
Not enough?
A suitable size plastic or metal container with the bottom all but removed will slip over the stock wheel and extend over the edge.
The Bondo idea with a 1/8" strip of plastic secured to the rim with screws every so often and seamed properly. Then wrapped with a suitable size inner tube cut to width.
A wide leather belt?
A small rubber tire off a bicycle or cart?

At some point of adding extra width the machine's internals will get in the way and put a stop to it......

I wouldn't go to the trouble of making new wheels ...and burden your mate, rather come up with a creative solution that you both agree upon.  bill


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## STAR (Jan 1, 2008)

Bill.

I agree with just about everything you have said. I suggested using the original wheels and putting a fill in the groove and widening by using some sort of fill and then a flange with a slight crown.

So, I think we are on the same page and I think it will be easier. As far as making the wheel wider Kevin, my friend has taken that into account and has said that he has space for up to a 30 mm belt ( approx ( just under 1 1/4 inches) 

Kevin can be quite head strong at times, at least now our friendship is at a stage where we can discuss things. He is a perfectionist, he is also a good woodworking mentor for me. I tend to be gung ho, he is more methodical.

Fortunately their are a few things I can do better then him and I have a wider group of contacts than him because I have been in this area for over forty years I have a fetish for sharpening and making and rehabbing old tools. He hates sharpening and while he can turn and make chisel handles and smal stuff he could not be bothered.

So , I generally grab his chisels and old beater chisels and rehab them for him.

To give you and example of his singlemindeness, a few years ago he came over to my place and we went into my 30 x20 shed. He saw I had few power points and my lighting was poor.

The next Monday he was over and said we will get the electrics right. It took a full week. Five hours a day, no stopping for jokes, lets get it done. I would have been happy for him to just plug away and we enjoy our time inthere even if I only got a tenth done I would have been happy.

But not Kevin. Not only did we get a lot done, and a professional job too that an Electrician would have been proud of, no cutting corners, everything was done to the Code. I purchased everything from an Electrical supply company and he also had a heap of Electrical equipment hanhging around his shed which he provided to me.

Each Christmas Santa arrives for him with some special presents, but not to be outdone he gets Santa to give me something as well. I told him that is not how it was meant to work but nowing kevin that is the way it will work.

That is the reason I like to ask for different ideas to try to reduce his work load. he generally has something of mine on his bench that he is tinkering with. Any machinery or things that have broken down I let him look at them and he tells me if they can be fixed or junked.

Previously I just junked them. Last year my Scroll saw gave in. he had it on his bench for a year, I kept telling him to junk it. Just before Christmas he bought it over all up and running.

My Compressor died and he replaced the diaphragm, he said he just happened to have that same diaphragm which he got off an old junked Compressor he bought for parts for his. He has replaced my Jointer blades. The list goes on.

For all this, we do not live in each other's pocket, we just respect each other's individual circumstances.

Fortunately, their has been some things I have access to that he has not so I can return some of the favours, but really it is a full time job to try to make sure that this friendship is not a one way street.

Pete


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Do you have any old sanding belts around?Thats the best way to practice....


I'd read in the past,numerous ways of making connection on belts.Everything from proprietary glue's(seceret formulas)....to all manner of contact cement....even saw tape mentioned a few times.I was interested and kept reading/researching.That was a year or so past.

Fast fwd...to a month or so ago.I was showing one of my sons how easy it was to rip belts to whatever width we needed....using an old belt that literally was on the shop floor.Its a non-descript manufacturer,don't even know who made it?But...the factory joint is a scarf.And the first one we tore not only tore for width it also pulled apart at scarf.As a haha we slapped some EA40 Smooth-on epoxy on it(we use this almost exclusively in bow building)......came back the next day and fired up the sander....hasn't broke yet.

As an epoxy its very slow setting and can take extreme temps very well.Its also flexible....which is why its used in bow limbs.If you google bow building supplies,its very easy to find.Its been a "go-to" epoxy here for as long as I can remember.Its uses in the woodshop and in general cannot be overstated.Also used in gunsmithing.....Its basically the same stuff as Brownells "Accraglass" bedding compound.BW


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*really?*

I would never have thought that Accraglas would be the same as
an epoxy named Smooth-on ... Don't it have small segments of fiberglass in the mix for strength or is bedding compound different? Great to know how to seam sanding belts, now how to make the scarf joint and remove the grit.... 
Thanks for the info! :yes: bill


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## BWSmith (Aug 24, 2010)

Bill,think the technical term is flocking....and no,didn't wiki that.Used the term the other day explaining some quasi engineering BS,hope I was right,haha.

Anyhow,Accraglass....at least the few little "tins" I've bought didn't have any flocking.The instructions "directed" the end user twds that end,if needed.But out of the tin,it dosen't have any.Theres a cpl different "flavors" of the the stuff.The original is kinda like syrup in January.....the "gel" type is what looks/behaves exactly like Smooth-on.

Short story:
I was riding to some downtown city in NJ,snagging a milling machine a cpl months ago.The guy I went with to help,grew up in the depths of "modifed" Nascar racing.....Richie Evans and that crew.....So he's very familiar with the area.We're haulin azz in a bigblock PU truck,trying to get there and back before either of our wives find us missing.....didn't work,oops.

Anyway,we sail past the Smooth-on factory on such N such hiway.I told him thats the "stuff" we build bows with.......He said thats what they used in fabrication/industry for "Smooth-ing" out welds.This was back in the day.So I think,thats where the name originated,but could be wrong?

>The reason it works for bedding guns is because of its shock absorbing quality's......think tube chassis on a race car....think bow limbs.BW


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