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Paid $1,600 for a used edge sander off a guy in Fresno, and I want my money back every single day
Bought it 8 months ago thinking a big edge sander would change my shop, but the belt tracks off no matter how I set the tension and the platen has a low spot I can't fix. I've burned through 3 belts and a bunch of cherry panels trying to make it work, and my old $200 spindle sander did cleaner work on curved rails. Did I just get a lemon, or is a used edge sander a trap most of us fall into?
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finleyl5528d ago
Man, been there with a used edge sander and it stung. What finally worked for me was pulling the whole platen and checking it against a straightedge on the bench, and sure enough mine was crowned from years of guys hogging one spot. I shimmed it flat with a strip of brass tape and reset the tracking with the belt off and the machine unplugged, turning the drum by hand until it stayed put. Also try backing way off the tension, because over tightened belts will walk no matter what you do. If the drum itself is worn uneven, no amount of tinkering saves it and you're better off selling it as a parts machine. A used edge sander can be a trap, but plenty of them just need the setup redone right.
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young.spencer28d ago
Had the same headache with a used one I picked up a couple years back. What got mine running right was pretty much your playbook, checking the platen flat and running the tracking with everything unplugged, but the tension thing was the real fix for me. I had that belt cranked down way too tight thinking it would hold better, and loosening it up stopped the walking almost right away. Also figured out the table was out of square with the drum, so I shimmed that too and it made a huge difference in how the belt tracked. If the drum is chewed up uneven though, you're right that it's done, no setup will save a worn drum.
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