# What's the highest useful grit on a stationary belt sander?



## Picklehead (Feb 12, 2013)

I just picked up a combo belt/disk sander off CL. (9 inch disk + 6×48 belt, 1 hp motor, weight 93 pounds, it's a beast). It came with 80 and 100 grit belts and disks. I'm going to order some higher grits, but I'm not sure how high to go. I'll mainly be using it for stock removal and shaping, so the 80 and 100 will get the most use. (I'm surprised how smooth the finish is with 100 grit, maybe the dynamics or the paper are different from regular sanding/sandpaper). I might use higher grits for smoothing out bandsaw boxes and things like that, but it seems that the higher grits might clog faster, wear faster, or just be generally useless. Thanks for your thoughts.


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## Tony_S (Dec 16, 2009)

I've got two edge sanders in the shop, both 106×6. One oscillates the other doesn't.
First and foremost importance is the guy standing in front of the sander…..I've seen guys burn out a 40 grit belt in 5 minutes, others, a 150 grit belt will last weeks.
It all depends on what your sanding and how your sanding it, but for 'general purpose' use, I don't order anything better than 120 grit. 150 for light use sanding.
Cleaning the belt on a regular basis (before it's plugged) makes a big difference as well.

For what it's worth, in a shop full of people who have a tendency to abuse the hell out of edge sander belts, Klingspor belts seem to hold up the best, but I'm splitting hairs there.


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## distrbd (Sep 14, 2011)

80 grit or 100 ,for my belt/disk sander,I don't change the grit on my stationary sanders ,it may appear to be an easy task but it's not ,I also have 80 grit on my drum sander/12" disk sander, . all the higher grit sanding is done with my ROS or 1/3 sheet sander.
If I do want to change the grit on the belt/disk sander I wouldn't go higher than 180 .


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

I tried using 100 and 120 on my 6 X 48 but I found it got clogged to quickly. I keep the eraser sticks right there, but it is frustrating to have to clean every minute or so.
So now I keep mainly 80 grit on, and it seems to do OK. Sometimes a little too coarse, but after a week or so of use, it kind of softens up and the 80 grit last usually a few weeks for me. BTW, I use mine almost every day.

On my Rigid stationary, which is a 4 X 24, I use a higher grit, usually 120 or even 150. The better dust collection seems to help keep it cleaner.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I use my sander a lot so I now have two of them .6" x 48". I have 80 grit on one and 120 grit on the other. I do not use the disc sander on this equipment.


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## bigblockyeti (Sep 9, 2013)

I have and 80 grit belt and 120 grit 12" disc. The speed of the disc can remove a lot of material despite the higher grit, but care must be taken to ensure it doesn't clog and burn. The belt having the same surface speed across the entire width offers more predictability but less maximum speed. The belt is much easier to change than the adhesive backed disc. Keeping a cleaning eraser close by will greatly extend the life of both.


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## ralbuck (Mar 12, 2012)

I have used a belt sander for years and get very good life and even some surprisingly smooth surfaces from the 80 grit. I buy my 6 by 48-a pack at a time from H-F and am very pleased with them. 
I put the crevice tool on the small vac and use it just stuck into the bottom of the machine near the front to help catch a little more dust! WEAR the goggles and hearing muffs!

I do clean often and if the sander is running so is the vacuum, sometimes a small one besides the chuted in one!

I find the right old shoe sole material and it cleans as well as the spendy cleaning pads form R's. I have many times used old automotive hoses for cleaners also! When I have managed to get the belt full of rosin, I have even carefully scrapped it off when the sander was off!

I use the blazes out of the belt sander! Makes crap wood nice wood often!

I have also modified the end shield on the belt to fold back out of the way to sand inside curves! Yet mostly it is clamped to normal position.

I put my belt sanders vertical and just leave it that way! I also made a positive stop for the table to hold a very close to 90-degree fast! But, still be changeable if needed that way!

Hope this helps your decisions. 
If my belt sander goes down it gets repaired or a new belt RIGHT AWAY! I do use the 9 " plate but nowhere near the amount that the belt gets used.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

I've got some 36 grit for mine. It's great for shaping. You learn pretty quick to keep your fingers clear.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

The highest grit I use is 220.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

60, 80, 100 are the grits I use. The 100 very rarely.


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

I always get the lowest number/I.E, roughest grit discs I can .So around 6o opr less is the ones I have at the moment, but if I could get even lower I would. Fine grits on a spinning disc are next to useless finishing in any case should never be done on a disc sander IMHO I always finish with a six inch orbital sander this time with various grits but again never more than 120.if I can help it.I read once in a book where an expert said buying High and very high number grits for disc sanders was a waste of time.He explained that when the disc starts turning,along with keeping pressure down a bit.This comes naturaly by feel and experience etc. Also if you keep moving the sanding piece a low grit will always work out best in the long run. I have done that ever since and it both works and makes sense to me .JUST what I have discovered and it suits me great. Alistair


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Much higher than 100 grit and they really don't sand very well. Remeber those machines are made for construction sanding (shaping) not really for getting ready to finish your work like a Random orbital sander does. I don't put any grit higher than 60 grit on my belt types sanders.


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## racerglen (Oct 15, 2010)

I've barely used the disk part on mine, still got bags of PSA disks, just dosen't do what I want, the belt is where it works.
I've actualy gone as high as 320 on the belt for metal, one belt of that grit is now charged with green oxide, mirror finishes !
but mega vacume and clean going either to metal from wood or vic versa


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## TechRedneck (Jul 30, 2010)

For me, I always have 80 grit on both the spindle and belt sanders. After shaping, I move to a scraper or ROS and work through the grits 80-220.

One BIG item you may want to consider is dust collection. Sanders throw a lot of dust and most of it is the bad airborne kind that can screw with your lungs.










Here is my setup, the belt sander has been in the vertical position for 5 years now and I never use the disk. Everything gets sucked into a CV mini cyclone with a Shop Vac and HEPA filter.


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## NoThanks (Mar 19, 2014)

6×108 belts here. I never use anything above 100g. After a little wear they just start to polish the wood.


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## Picklehead (Feb 12, 2013)

THANKS! That helps my decision making a lot. I tossed this topic up this morning, then ran off to do Sunday stuff and came back to a lot of info. I think I'm mostly going to stick to the 60-80 range for my first multi-pack and see how it goes.


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## Sanderguy777 (Feb 9, 2015)

I have a harbor freight 1×30" table top sander that I use to sharpen tools and knives. I bought 5 or 6 Klingspor belts that range between 600 and 6000 grit equivalents. I tried to clean the 600 grit (I haven't used the higher ones yet) but the rubber cleaning stick just gums it up. 
The cleaner feels sticky. I live in a hot and humid climate ( the shop thermometer says 87 and there is about 100% humidity), would that affect the cleaner? Am I using it wrong, or do I need something else, or what. 
I love the Klingspor belts, they are much longer ( maybe 1/4" longer) than the ones from harbor freight and they are much more pliable. I know I should have bought a better sander than this but, I only spent about $30-35 bucks so I was happy to find that it works as well as it does.


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

My preference is 80. 60 is a bit too aggressive and 100 too slow. I find that if I use a very light touch when making the final pass on 80, I can get a pretty smooth surface that requires minimal hand-sanding to prep for finishing.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Depends on what you are doing. I'd like to find finer than 120 for my old Delta 4" X 36". I do a lot of final sanding and the 120 is way too rough. This is hobby and precision work, not a pile of production.


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## Picklehead (Feb 12, 2013)

Here you go, DL: Industrial Abrasives 4x36

They have everything from 36 to 400 in that size. Good company to deal with.


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## timbertailor (Jul 2, 2014)

> My preference is 80. 60 is a bit too aggressive and 100 too slow. I find that if I use a very light touch when making the final pass on 80, I can get a pretty smooth surface that requires minimal hand-sanding to prep for finishing.
> 
> - JAAune


I agree.

Belt sanders are pretty "blunt instruments" compared to palm\ROS sanders. I rarely use anything finer than 90 grit on my stationary belt sander.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> Here you go, DL: Industrial Abrasives 4x36
> 
> They have everything from 36 to 400 in that size. Good company to deal with.
> 
> - Picklehead


Sweet, thanks. Not everybody uses a belt sander to remove rhino hide.


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## annia (Dec 8, 2017)

I find wen it has plenty of power, cuts steel fast with a 50 grit predator belt. It came with a generic 80 grit belt. It appears to be well made and there is no frame flex when bearing down. Its not a 3 phase behemoth with a belt several feet long but its more than adequate. For those complaining about power or belt slip, a courser belt is a better option than pressing harder, Heats less and it's easier on belts and equipment. A proper set of belts makes this an incredibly useful tool.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Yeah, for shaping 80-100 grit is fine and you won't want to do anything over that for wood. On my belt sander converted to a belt sharpening system, I primarily use nothing more than 180 grit. And that is for sharpening plane blades, lathe cutting tools, etc. I purchased the 200, 400, and 600 grits but never use them. IMO, a wasted purchase, now that I know how the various grits perform.


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## johnstoneb (Jun 14, 2012)

I have used 120 at times. I usually use 80. I use the finer grits for hand sanding or random orbital.


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## kathy50 (Mar 3, 2018)

> I find wen it has plenty of power, cuts steel fast with a 50 grit predator belt. It came with a generic 80 grit belt. It appears to be well made and there is no frame flex when bearing down. Its not a 3 phase behemoth with a belt several feet long but its more than adequate. For those complaining about power or belt slip, a courser belt is a better option than pressing harder, Heats less and it s easier on belts and equipment. A proper set of belts makes this an incredibly useful tool.
> 
> Great tools. I love the wen brand.


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

With that tool you are probably gonna pretty much max it out around 150 grit or so, you could get some work at 220, but because of the speed, and density it sands at, your belt clog will be greater by far, and it's usually best to switch to a ROS or a vari drift hand sander to eliminate the tracks from the belt, and start to go swirl pattern, rather than track pattern.

I like these guys for paper, if available cloth backed usually wears longer/better.

As far as "highest grit" well a lot of really fine finishers just blow past 3000, really just depends on what you are doing, and what you are using to get there. General handyman home projects you usually see folks wanna drop off around 220. People don't like to sand. I usually stop around 320 or so, but never on a wide belt sander.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have two of these sanders. I bought the second one to have 120 grit in and 100 in the other. I use the 100 grit a lot and almost never use the 120 grit. I do not use the disc sander on either.


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