Belt Sander Idler Wheel Sticking

[whiskers]

My belt sander refuses to hold tension. I've read thread

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=10989

but am wondering about another theory. When I take off the (new) belt and turn the sander upside down, them blow the sawdust away, it seems like there's a bunch of crude around the washers, etc., on the ends of the idler wheel. The method to take the wheel off and clean the gunk off is not readily apparent.

What's the best course: 1) leave it alone; 2) take it all apart & clean well; or 3) spray the bleep out of it with WD-40, Liquid Wrench, silicon or something else. Anyone know?

[dusty]

[quote="whiskers"]My belt sander refuses to hold tension. I've read thread

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=10989

but am wondering about another theory. When I take off the (new) belt and turn the sander upside down, them blow the sawdust away, it seems like there's a bunch of crude around the washers, etc., on the ends of the idler wheel. The method to take the wheel off and clean the gunk off is not readily apparent.

What's the best course: 1) leave it alone]

I think you need to do what Nick describes in this Sawdust Session.

[SDSSmith]

[quote="whiskers"]My belt sander refuses to hold tension. I've read thread

https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=10989

but am wondering about another theory. When I take off the (new) belt and turn the sander upside down, them blow the sawdust away, it seems like there's a bunch of crude around the washers, etc., on the ends of the idler wheel. The method to take the wheel off and clean the gunk off is not readily apparent.

What's the best course: 1) leave it alone]
If you have re-tensioned the idler drum as described by the label in this post , you have adjusted the nut and tracking knob to allow for the variance in the belt length and it still does not tension the belt properly then I would take the sander apart as covered in the sawdust session.

[wa2crk]

I recently changed the bearings in our woodworking club's Shopsmith belt sander and when I took the machine apart I found a lot of string from previous belts wrapped around the axle. After removing the string I had a good sized birds nest on my work bench. The bearings showed signs of heat and some of the string was scorched. I guess it could have started a small fire.
Bill V

[whiskers]

Thanks, guys. I've got my work cut out for me the first chance I get. I now know how to take the sander apart, and, hopefully, put it back together again. I can see a couple thread wrapped around the wheel, and those are the first things to come out. My sander's about 30 years old, and while I don't do a lot of woodworking, when I do the sander gets more than it's share of the wear 'n tear.

[dusty]

jhonknes

Looks like spam to me. I have this on my ignore list.