Need help with Drumsander belt installation

jgt1942

John
User
I cannot get the belts on my SuperMax (Laguna Supermax 19-38 Drum Sander) 19-38 drum sander tight enough to prevent damage to the belt.
1685922291422.png

The above new belt was destroyed within 10 minutes! When I install a belt I attempt to take up all the slack in the belt but I always see a small amount. As the drum spins and I have a wide piece of wood going through, the right side (the take-up side) gets a beating and breaks. Not only is this super annoying but very expensive! I'm at a loss as to what the heck I'm doing wrong and am open to suggestions.
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
Are you winding the belt on the drum in the correct direction?

Also, the wraps of the belt do not need to be touching each other - a small space is OK. That may help you seat the belt properly.

-Mark
 

jamie

jamie
Senior User
Make SURE that you're actually getting it to grab on the right side. My guess is that it's not actually catching on the right, then just flapping around.
 

Linc H

Linc
Corporate Member
Looks like a super max. Awesome drum sanders. The right side is always the hardest to grab.
I hope this helps.
 

Phil S

Phil Soper
Staff member
Corporate Member
My guess is you are not getting the tab inserted correctly in the retaining clip. It is not intuitive on which way it should go. I have the same style machine and this also happened to me until I somehow figured it out
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
John, I think most of us who own drum sanders can identify with your frustration. It does take a little experience to become comfortable with the process. I can't add much to the advice you already received from the previous posters. That said, once you have the new roll installed take VERY light passes at very slow belt speeds, after each pass look to see if you see any slippage, if so tighten and go again. After you are comfortable that the belt is securely installed, you don't need to inspect after each pass, but I would still take light passes at slow speeds (heat is the enemy of sandpaper, you can minimize this with light and slow).
 

FredP

Fred
Corporate Member
After installation and a bit of run time, readjust the paper. It will stretch a bit initially and will require tightening.
 

Willemjm

Willem
Corporate Member
For what it is worth, when running wood through, I always stay at least 1 1/2" away from the right side of the drum. If you have a board passing under where the right side grabs, it is prone to damaging the abrasive or ripping it out of the catch.
 

Wiley's Woodworks

Wiley
Corporate Member
From your photo it looks like the inboard end is pulling free from the tension clip. Are you using pre-cut sandpaper? If you're cutting your own off of long rolls, shorten the length by 1/2" and check your angles when you cut off a new wrap. Before you install a new wrap bend ~2" of the tag end down at a 90 degree angle. This makes it easier to insert the tip into the tension clip, which is a bear to get right until you've done it enough times to get the feel for it.
 

mkepke

Mark
Senior User
PS..on my Woodmaster sander it’s recommend to put a wrap of fiberglass tape on both ends on the paper.

-Mark
 

jgt1942

John
User
Great feeedback!
I did watch the video and noticed that when he attached the inboard side (right side) and released the clip it pulled the paper snug. Most often I see a small amount of space between the paper and the drum no matter what I do. Also, I think my spring clip requires a LOT more lifting force than I can apply with just my fingers, thus I always use the supplied tool.
When the belt tears it actually separates into two pieces. Following is what the drum end looks like.

DS01 Torn Sandpaper.png
DS02 Torn Sandpaper in the clip.png

I removed the sandpaper tail and laid both pieces together
DS03 Two parts of Torn Sandpaper.png


This is the tool supplied by Laguna as part of the purchase.
DS04 Tool for spring clip.png


Here is the tool being used

DS05 Spring clip tool attached 01.png
DS06 Spring clip tool attached 02.png


Answers to questions

Are you winding the belt on the drum in the correct direction?
Yes, the same as the suggested video​

Also, the wraps of the belt do not need to be touching each other - a small space is OK. That may help you seat the belt properly.
Yes, if you have too much space it will not be possible to install the tail into the slot on the right side. For me, I found it necessary to have the belt edges touching all along the way. Also, care must be taken when you insert the starting tail on the left side. If not inserted correctly (deep enough) you will encounter issues when you attempt to insert the tail on the right side.​
My guess is you are not getting the tab inserted correctly in the retaining clip. It is not intuitive on which way it should go. I have the same style machine and this also happened to me until I somehow figured it out
Tonight when I installed a new belt, it looks the best I have done, e.g. the belt is snug on both ends.​

Make SURE that you're actually getting it to grab on the right side. My guess is that it's not actually catching on the right, then just flapping around.
I have had that happen. Also, I've noticed that when you start on the left side, if you don't insert the tail enough it will result in having a tail too long on the right side and it is very difficult to properly seat it on the right side.​
John, I think most of us who own drum sanders can identify with your frustration. It does take a little experience to become comfortable with the process. I can't add much to the advice you already received from the previous posters. That said, once you have the new roll installed take VERY light passes at very slow belt speeds, after each pass look to see if you see any slippage, if so tighten and go again. After you are comfortable that the belt is securely installed, you don't need to inspect after each pass, but I would still take light passes at slow speeds (heat is the enemy of sandpaper, you can minimize this with light and slow).
Excellent suggestion! Now that I have a new belt installed I will give this a try in the next few days.​
After installation and a bit of run time, readjust the paper. It will stretch a bit initially and will require tightening.
Another great suggestion I will try in a few days.​
For what it is worth, when running wood through, I always stay at least 1 1/2" away from the right side of the drum. If you have a board passing under where the right side grabs, it is prone to damaging the abrasive or ripping it out of the catch.
I agree and previously had marked on the outside of the protective cover on the left/right sides the boundaries of where I would prefer to stay. Until I learn how to install the darn belt this will be a must. The board I was recently sanding was almost 19" wide and I did not want to make a left/right pass. This is something I don't feel comfortable with doing.​
From your photo it looks like the inboard end is pulling free from the tension clip. Are you using pre-cut sandpaper? If you're cutting your own off of long rolls, shorten the length by 1/2" and check your angles when you cut off a new wrap. Before you install a new wrap bend ~2" of the tag end down at a 90 degree angle. This makes it easier to insert the tip into the tension clip, which is a bear to get right until you've done it enough times to get the feel for it.
Bad photo, it had not pulled loose. Currently, I'm using pre-cut sandpaper but plan to cut my own from long rolls I have purchased. The pre-cut are too darn expensive and with my learning mistakes I've gone through 10 rolls and counting. I like the idea of bending the tail, if you don't is is super difficult to get the darn paper in the correct slot.​

PS..on my Woodmaster sander it’s recommend to put a wrap of fiberglass tape on both ends on the paper.
Another great suggestion I can try in a few days.​
I'm in the process of building a set of custom shelving for my son and daughter-in-law. I'm using 2x4s that have been planned to the same thickness. I then glue several together to ensure I can get a 12" deep shelf. After the glue sits, I first sand the boards to ensure the joints are flush and then cut to a width of 12". This is what I wanted to do with the drum sander. Because of the issues I encountered, I did two boards using my ROS. I have 8 more boards to create, thus getting the drum sander working is high on the list.
 

jgt1942

John
User
Most likely it will be at least two days before I get back to the drum sander. I have two more glue-ups for three shelves, after the glue sit for 24 hours I will sand with my ROS, then cut the three shelves to the 12" width. At this point I will then used the drum sander with 120 grit. Since the board width is now only 12" I will not be sanding near either end of the sander drum and should not have any breakage. Actually using the drum sander is not necessary because of my sanding with the ROS but I just want to do a final pass with the drum sander.
 

woodworkingshop.com

Coleman
User
I will second an earlier comment: In our 20 years of drum sanders and selling the abrasives, one thing has worked better than most things: Leave a space when rolling on the abrasive. Reason: when the abrasive heats up, it will overlap and will cause problems. Most often, it catches and tears.

I do want to add another thought: the drum sander is not a planer. If you are trying to make too big of passes, the cloth abrasive is not meant to handle this type of pressure. I don't know how big of passes you are making but I suggest that you back it off a tad and make more smaller passes. This will help in the heat build up, stretching of abrasive, and in turn save your abrasive for the next run. Slow light passes is always best on drum sanders - especially with the very coarse grit it appears you are using.

We have a drum sander expert on site. If you need more assistance or have more questions, give us a call.

Call 800-228-0000 and ask for Ray Woods, he might can be of some help.

Good Luck,

Coleman
 

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