# Making your own Sanding Belts?



## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

Anyone on here make their own sanding belts? I know they are cheap.. why bother??...Cause I'm cheap..LOL so I'll bother, if I can find out how to succesfully make the joints. I'm thinking Carpet tape and about a 15 degree angle on the splice. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
David


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## YorkshireStewart (Sep 20, 2007)

Try it David and let us know. I'm thinking the friction produced heat would soften the tape's adhesive. What about epoxy glue maybe?


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

My belts are 6"x48" where would i get the tough paper that size? Some of mine is cloth backed. Do you have a supply source? And my joints are kind of hard. I'll bet it's an epoxy pressed thin.


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## YorkshireStewart (Sep 20, 2007)

Here's a link that might help David.


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

Hmmm I'm not sure how it's done?? When looking at my belts 2" x 36" it looks like some kind of adhesive tape. I know that carpet tape once pressed together has a vice is VERY tenacious grip & it's thin. I was thinking if I did use it I would just leave the backing on the exposed side. I'll try it then.
As far as a supplier Daniel, you can buy sandpaper in ROLLS pretty well any width and length, from any sandpaper sources. Just look some up on the internet. We have a flea market here and one of the booths sells mega sandpaper in rolls, sheets, pretty wellanything you can think of. That's where I get mine.


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

Hmmm thanks Stwerart. I visited that site and this is what is posted.
Quote:
I have glued belts together for years for a homemade stoke sander I built. I just cut the joint about 30 degrees on each end then use a belt sander to taper the edges and remove a half inch or so of grit on both ends to avoid a hump at the joint. I glue them together with cynoacrylate, cover the joint on both sides with a sandwich bag, and clamp them with a couple of small blocks and two heavy duty pinch clamps. The glue won't stick very good to a Ziploc bag or baggie. 
I have glued belts together for years for a homemade stoke sander I built. I just cut the joint about 30 degrees on each end then use a belt sander to taper the edges and remove a half inch or so of grit on both ends to avoid a hump at the joint. I glue them together with cynoacrylate, cover the joint on both sides with a sandwich bag, and clamp them with a couple of small blocks and two heavy duty pinch clamps. The glue won't stick very good to a Ziploc bag or baggie."

When I looked up "cynoacrylate" it's super glue. Hmm.. Anyhow I've now sent an email to an Ontario based adhesive company asking them what they would recommend.?? If I hear back from them and they have a solution I'll post it.


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

Sorry Stewart for the typo.. on your name…


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm not sure this is a good time vs. money payoff. You still have to pay for the sandpaper… and now the glue… plus the time that it takes to make a sanding belt yourself… for a sanding belt that probably won't hold up as well anyway… how is this a good idea? What is the actual difference in cost? Sanding belts are cheap. I'd rather slap one on from off the shelf and spend my time woodworking.


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## DavidBethune (Feb 9, 2009)

Hmmm Well I'm real cheap.. I already have rolls and rolls of sandpaper. We have a fleamarket here and a guy has a huge booth of nothing but different types of sandpaper DIRT cheap. So I have the paper, I got way toooo much time on my hands and if all it takes is time and a little glue, tape whatever well…..... I'll try most anything once.. and 2 more times if I don't get it right before I convince myself it can't be done. That's when I break down.. scrape the moss out of my wallet and head for the store.


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Fair enough. Good luck!


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## ThorsHammerForge (Apr 29, 2017)

Well Blake I would agree with you if I could. You see I live in Uganda and almost everything I need to work has to be ordered from overseas. This takes the cost up sometimes as much as 500%. But now after five years our only half decent hardware store started getting roles of sandpaper so like Bigfoot I'm making my own now. Wish I could just go to the store to get them as it sure would be nice!!!


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

8 year old thread here


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