Thread: 50" scotchbrite belt on 4" belt sander ok?

Hi, I used Scotchbrite belts a lot when metal polishing a few years ago, but we were using dedicated open frame linishers, or open frame portable units. The significant difference is that we worked at the point where the belt wrapped around the drive wheel rather than against a platten. These systems are basically a pedistal mounted double ended spindle, with seperate turn around rollers some distance away (1.2m or more), so the belts are quite long.

The belts don't like heat as they are formed from plastic, and using them in the machine you describe suggests that they will get heated from similtanious contact with the platten and work. Also because of the short belts they would be working a lot harder than they would in a long belt industrial machine, and with a mostly enclosed belt path, they won't have a lot of opportunity to cool in use, so belt life would be limited compared to that achievable in an industrial setting.

The belts are readily available in 1, 2, and 4 inch widths from abrasive suppliers, and can generally be made to custom lengths if needed. I feel that you would be able to use them safely with the machine you have, but would not expect them to survive for a long time.

Hey, thanks for that. I'll try and get hold of a 4" version. I should have added that I have used the 2" scotchbrites extensively as I work as a stainless steel fabricator - just wasn't sure if I could put a (easy to find) 2" belt on a 4" sander!

Ben