Shopsmith Forums

I just received my new Shopsmith sander. When I release the tension to remove the belt I have to push on the idler drum just a bit ,oppisate side of the knob, to give me enough slack to pull it off. Not a big deal, just wonder if that is normal.

Also the backer plate is higher at the two middle screws than on each end. Again not huge but noticeable. I could not find my feeler gage to measure. Should I try to correct?

Is this the belt sander or strip sander?

BPR

Sorry! It is the belt sander.

cincinnati wrote:I just received my new Shopsmith sander. When I release the tension to remove the belt I have to push on the idler drum just a bit ,oppisate side of the knob, to give me enough slack to pull it off. Not a big deal, just wonder if that is normal.

Also the backer plate is higher at the two middle screws than on each end. Again not huge but noticeable. I could not find my feeler gage to measure. Should I try to correct?

We are glad you finally found your wandering sander! Yeah!:D

If the pushing is not a problem for you, just leave it alone. I always work a finger under the belt at the power end to get the belt to slide under the outside edge of the machine. Once the belt starts to slide it comes off pretty easily.
It has to get over the raised center of the idler drum.

The backup plate should be perfectly flat. Once, I evidently over heated mine and it developed two sags. Both in between the mounting screws. Once replaced, I have been careful not to over heat it again. Not to worry though, it is not easy to heat the plate up. You have to abuse it like I did, trying to sand a very large, heavy piece. If yours is a bit high in the center, maybe you can put two or four shim washers under the end(s). I'd give it a try by first shimming only one side - the drive side.

I know this is a no-no in some shops, but I have had excellent luck by cleaning the drive drum with silicone. It really helps to keep that rubber roller sawdust and gunk free, and seems to preserve the liveliness of the rubber. Same with the bandsaw tires, but that is another story.

Thanks!

No, Changing the belt is not a problem at all. Since it is brand new I was more concerned of a problem that will become evident down the road.
I need to get a feelers guage and check to see how much it is off before I do anything. But know it is enough to need adjustment. I want to use it a little more before doing anything. I will also call Customer service first to see what they recomend.
I am a little overboard on things like this. When I purchased a ZTR mower I had to check EVERYTHING before I put it into service. Check the torque on every nut etc.... Talk about being out of adjustment. You would think they never looked at the owners manual. But it was a cheap one. Only $6,000 LOL!!!

I am very happy with the sander. To be able to slow the belt down is great. I used it for the first time last night. Workes better than I thought it would.

Guess I'm a bit confused. By the backer plate do you mean part number 5029639? (part no. 30 in the exploded diagram)

How would you be able to check it's alignment with a feeler gauge? I use a straight edge, on the top of the plate. You can also take out the six mounting flathead screws and check the flatness of the plate on a bench.

I'm sure you will love your belt sander!:)

"How would you be able to check it's alignment with a feeler gage? I use a straight edge, on the top of the plate. "

Exactly how I did it. Use a feeler gage to measure the gap between the straight edge and the backer plate.

Oh! Never even thought of getting that close. You may be, as you put it, a little overboard. But this is not necessarily a bad thing!:D