Thread: Stroke sander sanding belt sources

We get all our belts for work (linisher, wide-belt and portable belt sander) from Abrasive Products.
Not sure if they're in QLD but I'm sure they'll deliver.

Try and get non-directional belts if you can, we normally get a bit more life out of them by turning them around once they go dull. Also try to get belts designed for metal (we normally get Norton Metallite) as they cut better for longer.

That makes sense-thanks very much for the reply!

Stewey, we can't forget The Sandpaper Man, either.
(A forum sponsor, good range, good prices).

Thanks, I didn't forget them, and I've bought things from them-great stuff.
But I looked on their wesbite (and in the brochure they send out) and didn't see any mention of them being able to make things up like that...

Originally Posted by Stewey

Thanks, I didn't forget them, and I've bought things from them-great stuff.
But I looked on their wesbite (and in the brochure they send out) and didn't see any mention of them being able to make things up like that...

In that case, another option is Australian Industrial Abrasives

I think they're in Yatala, QLD.

I meant to ask - exactly what is a 'stroke' sander. Never heard the term before.

Edit: I just had a peek at the Sandpaper Man's brochure and under 'Abrasive Belts', he does say 'Custom-Made sizes. Probably worth an email.
Been meaning to do the same myself - I need sleeves for my spindle sander with grits not listed in his material. (I've been buying double-length 9" sleeves from Carbatec and hack-sawing them in half.)

Thanks for that!

A stroke sander is a big belt sander/machine with a really long sanding belt between 2 posts, and a table on wheels underneath the bottom of the belt, and either a graphite pad on a lever, or a hand-held one, that you move along the belt, to press down on top of whatever you are sanding.

It's great for doors, tabletops, and wide joinery, and smaller stuff.
(I think you'll find a bit about them of you search 'stroke sander' here, especially in the old woodwork machinery category.)

Originally Posted by Stewey

Thanks for that!

A stroke sander is a big belt sander/machine with a really long sanding belt between 2 posts, and a table on wheels underneath the bottom of the belt, and either a graphite pad on a lever, or a hand-held one, that you move along the belt, to press down on top of whatever you are sanding.

It's great for doors, tabletops, and wide joinery, and smaller stuff.
(I think you'll find a bit about them of you search 'stroke sander' here, especially in the old woodwork machinery category.)

Thanks, Stewey. Found a pic of one. Basically an oscillating belt sander. I've got an oscillating edge sander on my wish list, but nowhere near as big as your's with it's 6120mm belt.

N.B. I just edited my last post with more info.

Thanks, Humphrey. I didn't see the 'custom' part...
I've emailed them.

Re the sander, ours is an antique one, single phase with three pulleys. The drive pulley on the left is about 18" diameter, and the idler on the right and the tensioner about 50 cm above it are about 6" to 7" dia. The whole thing has the capacity, just, for about 8 ft on the bed, or maybe 7 ft I didn't measure it.
I missed a beauty at a clearing sale a year ago-no bids-they wanted $300, it was 3 phase. A mate of mine said to meas I was looking at it "You do NOT want that!". I said "Why do you say that?".
He said they look tremendously useful, but take up so much shed space, and seldom get used, then are really difficult to sell when you decide it wasn;t worth it. He had one for about 15 years, and had difficulty finding someone to give it away to, when they moved house. (He's in the fibreglass industry)

I disagree though & picked this up for $250, locally. The seller inherited it from a retired cabinet maker when he bought the cabinet maker's house 14 years ago. It's probably 1940s-50s vintage? He was selling it as his wife accepted a job in France as a teacher & they decided to emigrate permanently, and buy all new woodwork equipment when they get to Europe - he said it is just so cheap for good stuff over there.

I'm glad we have it. It's not perfect, possibly not ideal, but is just another tool for those odd times when it's just the right opne, it was well worth the shed space & price. We assembled some dexion shelving over it, and store stuff underneath & above it, so you do not notice the loss of floor space when you're not using it. The 'footprint' is about 3 ft x 9 ft by the time you include the pulleys & motor dyna-bolted to the floor!

Originally Posted by Stewey

Thanks, Humphrey. I didn't see the 'custom' part...
I've emailed them.

Re the sander, ours is an antique one, single phase with three pulleys. The drive pulley on the left is about 18" diameter, and the idler on the right and the tensioner about 50 cm above it are about 6" to 7" dia. The whole thing has the capacity, just, for about 8 ft on the bed, or maybe 7 ft I didn't measure it.
I missed a beauty at a clearing sale a year ago-no bids-they wanted $300, it was 3 phase. A mate of mine said to meas I was looking at it "You do NOT want that!". I said "Why do you say that?".
He said they look tremendously useful, but take up so much shed space, and seldom get used, then are really difficult to sell when you decide it wasn;t worth it. He had one for about 15 years, and had difficulty finding someone to give it away to, when they moved house. (He's in the fibreglass industry)

I disagree though & picked this up for $250, locally. The seller inherited it from a retired cabinet maker when he bought the cabinet maker's house 14 years ago. It's probably 1940s-50s vintage? He was selling it as his wife accepted a job in France as a teacher & they decided to emigrate permanently, and buy all new woodwork equipment when they get to Europe - he said it is just so cheap for good stuff over there.

I'm glad we have it. It's not perfect, possibly not ideal, but is just another tool for those odd times when it's just the right opne, it was well worth the shed space & price. We assembled some dexion shelving over it, and store stuff underneath & above it, so you do not notice the loss of floor space when you're not using it. The 'footprint' is about 3 ft x 9 ft by the time you include the pulleys & motor dyna-bolted to the floor!

Sounds like a ripper.

I noticed earlier that there's a smaller one for sale in the marketplace, 1.5HP, 3-phase, $250: -
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f221/l...sander-163034/
(At least it was for sale, (at Fig Tree Pocket, near Kenmore), a couple of months ago. Dunno if it's still there.)

Humphrey, that Luna machine looks more to me like an edge sander, with the belt part hinged to rotate 90 degrees like it is, or back to vertical. Just like the machine you're after. It doesn't look so much like a stroke sander to me...but very useful anyhow for making precision graded sawdust and other hobbies-I'd like it if I could convince the wife it was significant to income...

Originally Posted by Stewey

Humphrey, that Luna machine looks more to me like an edge sander, with the belt part hinged to rotate 90 degrees like it is, or back to vertical. Just like the machine you're after. It doesn't look so much like a stroke sander to me...but very useful anyhow for making precision graded sawdust and other hobbies-I'd like it if I could convince the wife it was significant to income...

It's similar to what I want, but too big, different layout and not precise enough. It has a horizontal oscillating stroke of 600mm for large surfaces, whereas I want one with a 6" belt and short stroke for, among other things, accurately jointing the edges of medium-sized boards for boxes, guitar parts, scale modelling etc. (A stroke similar to that of my oscillating spindle sander. It has 4.5" sleeves and a stroke of 1".)
I have my eye on this one: - Jet Oscillating Edge Sander OES-80CS : CARBA-TEC
It has a 6" wide belt, 1/2" stroke and oscillates at 108/min, with a belt speed of 3900 sfpm.
A bit on the dear side, but I'd like to get one sooner or later, to go with my wide drum sander. Trying to avoid noisy jointers and thicknessers.

At the moment I still hand plane for jointing. Getting lazy.....

Yes, one of those would be nice...! I'm sure for the price, you could buy that Luna sander & tip it sideways, and still be $600 ahead!
What part of NSW are you in?
& what sort of guitars do you make?

Originally Posted by Stewey

Yes, one of those would be nice...! I'm sure for the price, you could buy that Luna sander & tip it sideways, and still be $600 ahead!
What part of NSW are you in?
& what sort of guitars do you make?

I'm in Nowra.
You're right about the Luna, although I'm not sure about precision, but it wouldn't fit in my tiny garage workshop. I'm already out of space, but would find a way to fit the Jet somehow. (Goodbye lawnmower?)
Lots of $$$ though.

Usually it's the boxes, scale modelling etc, but guitars are my latest bug. The first will be a 6-string through-neck accoustic/electric, based on a cigar-box guitar for looks, but with a custom box, reasonably standard 25" scale neck, double-action truss-rod, NGR fretboard. I'm only taking the fretboard to the edge of the body, so there'll be 16 frets, the highest 12mm clear of the body.
Got a Hot Rod truss-rod, Grover mini 6-in-line tuners, frets and some other bits and pieces on the way now.

Back to my original question though...

it's been about five days since I emailed four separate abrasives suppliers in Oz, including The Sandpaper man, with a simple query about price on a 6120 x 150mm belt of varying grits. (also interested in a 3500 x 150 belt/s for the Luna sander)

Zero replies so far.

Maybe I need to be more patient?