HF belt sander tracking issue

K

krow

Joined
Jan 29, 2014
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19
On my 1x30 belt sander, the tracking knob needs to be at its loosest for the belts to stay centered, which of course won't work out. Any ideas?
 
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(1) 1x30-80 CS310X Aluminum Oxide $1.80 $1.80
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(1) 1x30-1200 X16 U254 Norax Aluminum Oxide $3.10 $3.10
 
Grab that sucker with both hands and crank the arm in the favored direction. Don't worry it will only move a bit.
I did it two or three times in small increments checking after each adjustment until I could live with it.
 
The problem isn't it being too hard to turn if I understand you correctly.
 
I had this problem,,, Make sure the tracking wheel isn't stuck, mine was, and would only move about 1/2 of what it should have, but I didn't even know it until one day it popped free.

The quality between the sanders can vary a lot, so if this doesn't work, and you have the option, you might also consider exchanging it.
 
What do you mean stuck? It seems to move freely as it should. My problem is I have to twist it until isn't centered for it to be tight, which is what's causing the belt to shift to the side. When I center it, the belt is too loose.
 
krow said:
What do you mean stuck? It seems to move freely as it should. My problem is I have to twist it until isn't centered for it to be tight, which is what's causing the belt to shift to the side. When I center it, the belt is too loose.
Click to expand...

That was the same issue I had... the tracking wheel also provides the tension. Mine performed similar to yours. Then, one day I was using it, and the center wheel "popped", and when I looked I figured out that it had been sticking and not going all the way back. Once this happened I had the proper tension and could set the tracking. So maybe loosen everything and lightly tap the bracket for the center wheel with a hammer or something, and see if it will move more? Can't say for sure it's the same problem,,, but has the same symptoms as mine.
 
Mine is doing the same thing. In fact the belt is staring to cut into the bed. I'll check on the wheel, or return it because I bought the warranty.
 
The whole tension adjustment module can be moved back and forth by loosening the bolt and lock nut at the bottom of it. I needed to tweak this on both of mine to get things tracking smoothly and close to center.

sander.jpg

edit: A little more detail. Not all 1x30 belts are created equal. Some are a bit longer than others, so when you have the machine set up to run brand X, those from brand Y may be too loose and won't track properly, or vice-versa. This is what this adjustment is for, to take up slack or give a bit more to suit diff. diameter belts. The tension/tracking knob itself is for fine adjustment once the whole module is set correctly. :thumbup:
 
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Mine was also giving me issues, but I ran into the belts (even brand new ones) were impossible to get tight, so they rattled and bounced while the sander was running. I would up getting rid of them because I had 4 belt sanders do the exact same thing. Apparently the tolerances for 1x30 belt sanders from Harbor Freight at the time changed to not accept standard belts. It was like the track was about .25" too short so the belt would always be loose, but the belts that came on them were like .25" too small, so they were damn near impossible to get on and off.
 
G. Scott H. said:
The whole tension adjustment module can be moved back and forth by loosening the bolt and lock nut at the bottom of it. I needed to tweak this on both of mine to get things tracking smoothly and close to center.

View attachment 421889

edit: A little more detail. Not all 1x30 belts are created equal. Some are a bit longer than others, so when you have the machine set up to run brand X, those from brand Y may be too loose and won't track properly, or vice-versa. This is what this adjustment is for, to take up slack or give a bit more to suit diff. diameter belts. The tension/tracking knob itself is for fine adjustment once the whole module is set correctly. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
This is good info! Thanks for this. Russ
 
mycough said:
This is good info! Thanks for this. Russ
Click to expand...

Glad to help. :thumbup: My first one didn't have a manual, and I used it for a long time just tweaking the fine adjustment wheel with less than satisfactory results. One day I started really looking the machine over and discovered that I could adjust the whole module by loosening the lock nut and rotating it forward or backward. Once you see it, it seems really obvious, but I overlooked it for a long time. :o:D
 
G. Scott H. said:
Glad to help. :thumbup: My first one didn't have a manual, and I used it for a long time just tweaking the fine adjustment wheel with less than satisfactory results. One day I started really looking the machine over and discovered that I could adjust the whole module by loosening the lock nut and rotating it forward or backward. Once you see it, it seems really obvious, but I overlooked it for a long time. :o:D
Click to expand...

Haha... good stuff... this is probably what mine did by "accident". :)

BTW, while once a fan of the HF sander for sharpening, I think there's better alternatives (Viel, Kalamazoo, WorkSharp etc.). If one is into sharpening more than just a basic chore... it's worth looking around. Something that runs a bit slower, and just as important... smoother, is well worth it.
 
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