1-1/2" x 60" Sanding Belts, 8 PACK

A 1-1/2" x 60" belt is the narrow, long loop that small vertical belt grinders and bench belt sanders run for edge sanding, bevel grinding and flat grinding of parts that are too small or too fiddly for a 4" or 6" machine. We convert these in Anaheim, California, on poly-cotton cloth, and stock them in aluminum oxide, zirconia and ceramic so the same machine can go from softwood edges to hardened steel by swapping the belt.

The people who buy this size are hobby knife makers and sharpeners, model and pattern makers, small fabrication shops deburring brackets and machined parts, and woodworkers cleaning up edges and curves. Eight belts per pack, 36 through 400 grit, and every grain can be run wet or dry.

• Three grains in one size: aluminum oxide for wood, zirconia for steel, ceramic for stainless and hardened steel
• 36 through 400 grit covers shaping, deburring, pre-finish and knife edge work
• Poly-cotton cloth backing that runs wet or dry without swelling or tearing
• Zirconia and ceramic on a stiff Y-weight backing that takes real grinder pressure
• Eight belts per pack keeps a full grit sequence next to the machine
• Converted in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200

Which 1-1/2" x 60" belt should you choose: aluminum oxide, zirconia or ceramic?

Match the grain to the material and to how hard your machine can push. A small bench grinder cannot load a ceramic belt properly, and a zirconia belt at light pressure just dulls.

• Aluminum Oxide: the default for wood, plywood, MDF, plastics, brass and aluminum, and for every grit finer than 120 on any material. It cuts at the light-to-moderate pressure a bench machine applies and is the lowest-cost belt in the pack. Ours is on poly-cotton cloth, so it can be run wet for aluminum or dry for wood.
• Zirconia: the belt for mild and carbon steel, weld cleanup and heavy hardwood shaping. The grain fractures under load and stays sharp as long as you keep pressure on it. Zirconia is a coarse-to-medium grain; we stock it in the 36 through 120 range on a Y-weight poly-cotton backing that also runs wet or dry. Finer than 120, switch to aluminum oxide.
• Ceramic: the orange-red belt for stainless steel, hardened and tool steel, and knife bevels. Ceramic holds a near-constant cut rate through its life but only if the machine has the power and you have the pressure to keep it fracturing. On a low-power hobby sander it glazes and heats the part instead. Y-weight polyester backing, wet or dry.

If you run one machine on mixed materials, the practical stocking plan is coarse zirconia or ceramic for steel, and aluminum oxide from 120 up for everything else.

Grit guide for bench grinding, deburring and edge work

What machines take a 1-1/2" x 60" belt?

This is a bench and small-grinder size rather than a portable sander size, and we have not verified specific models against it, so check the belt size printed in your manual or on the machine label before ordering.

• Vertical bench belt grinders and small belt/disc combination sanders that specify a 1-1/2" x 60" belt, the class of machine used for deburring and edge work in small shops.
• Small knife grinders and sharpening stations built around a 1-1/2" belt, where the narrow width follows a bevel or a recurve.
• Shop-built and kit belt grinders whose wheel spacing adds up to a 60" loop.

Mounting: release the tension, slide the belt on with the grain side out, check the inside of the belt for a direction arrow before mounting and point it the way the belt travels, then turn the belt by hand and adjust tracking until it runs centered on the platen and contact wheel. If your machine takes a slightly different length, we make 1-1/2" belts to order in about 3 days.

How to get the most out of it

1. Match pressure to the grain. Lean into zirconia and ceramic on steel so the grain keeps fracturing; ease off with aluminum oxide on wood so it cuts rather than burns.
2. Use the platen for flat work and the slack section for curves. Bevels and flat edges want the solid backing; inside curves and handle contours want the unsupported belt between the wheels.
3. Keep the part moving across the full 1-1/2" width. Parking a blade edge on one line wears a groove that shows up on every part after it.
4. Dip steel in water often. A narrow belt concentrates heat. On a knife edge, stop before the steel changes color; a fresh belt at slower speed is the fix, not more pressure.
5. Run wet on aluminum or use a grease stick. Aluminum loads a dry belt quickly; the poly-cotton backing tolerates water, and a lubricant bar rubbed on the running belt does the same job on a dry setup.
6. Clean loaded belts with a crepe rubber belt eraser before you throw them out; resin and paint loading is the usual reason an aluminum oxide belt seems to die early.
7. Store the pack hanging or loosely coiled, away from humidity, and let a cold belt reach room temperature before running it.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Edge sanding, bevel grinding and flat grinding on small parts
• Profiling and beveling knife blanks, then refining the edge at 220–400
• Deburring laser-cut, sheared and machined steel and stainless parts
• Shaping and smoothing hardwood, plywood, MDF and plastic edges and curves
• Fitting handle scales, guards and small hardware

Don't use it for

• Ceramic on a low-power hobby sander or with a light touch; it glazes and blues the steel
• Zirconia above 120 grit expecting a finish; use aluminum oxide instead
• Grits finer than 220 on wood before stain; the surface burnishes and stains blotchy
• Running against a direction arrow or with a lifted joint
• Mixing steel and wood dust in one collector without a spark trap

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• All narrow sanding belts
• Knife making belts and kits
• 1" x 42" Sanding Belts, 12 pack for bench knife sharpeners
• Grease stick for sanding aluminum and non-ferrous metals
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days