6" x 120" Sanding Belts, 2 PACK

A ten-foot loop of 6" cloth is what long-bed oscillating edge sanders and stroke sanders run to true cabinet-door edges, face-frame stock and table-top rims without the belt heating up. We convert these 6" x 120" belts in Anaheim, California, on poly-cotton cloth with heat-treated grain, and sell them two to a pack so you can keep a shaping grit and a finishing grit on the shelf for the same machine.

Choose Aluminum Oxide for wood and general shop work, Zirconia for steel, aluminum and heavy stock removal, or Silicon Carbide for plastics, non-ferrous metal, glass and the cleanest finishing scratch. Grits run from 36 to 400 depending on material, and the cloth backing can be run wet or dry.

• Poly-cotton cloth backing: X-weight on aluminum oxide, heavier Y-weight polyester on zirconia
• Three grains for one machine: aluminum oxide, zirconia and silicon carbide
• 36 through 400 grit covers shaping, surfacing and pre-finish on a single edge sander
• Runs wet or dry, so it suits metal fabrication as well as woodworking
• 2-pack format keeps a coarse and a fine belt ready for one long-bed machine
• Converted in Anaheim, California; custom 6" lengths made in about 3 days

Which 6" x 120" belt should you choose?

Pick the grain for the material you sand most, not for the toughest job you might see once a year. Not every grit is stocked in every grain; pick the material first and the grit menu shows what is available.

• Aluminum Oxide: the right choice for wood roughly 95% of the time. Heat-treated grain on X-weight poly-cotton cloth, closed coat, wet or dry. It also works on aluminum, steel, stainless and composites if you simply want the lowest-cost belt. Offered across the widest grit spread, 36 to 400.
• Zirconia: heavy stock removal and long life on steel, stainless and aluminum. The grain self-sharpens under pressure, so it belongs on a machine with a stiff platen and an operator who leans in. Made on Y-weight polyester backing, wet or dry. Use it in the coarse-to-medium band, 36 through 120; above that it dulls like expensive aluminum oxide. On wood, zirconia is often too aggressive and can tear grain or burn, so reserve it for hardwood dimensioning at 36–60.
• Silicon Carbide: the hardest, sharpest grain of the three. Choose it for acrylic and other plastics, fiberglass, brass, bronze and aluminum, cast iron, glass and stone, and for finishing passes where you want the finest scratch pattern at a given grit. It wears faster on steel than zirconia.

If you are a metal shop that cannot decide, buy zirconia in 36–80 for removal and aluminum oxide in 120–220 for blending. A woodshop should buy aluminum oxide at 80 and 150 and add 220 for pre-finish.

Grit guide for an edge sander

What machines take a 6" x 120" belt?

• Long-bed oscillating edge sanders with a 6" wide, 120" circumference belt path. These are the cabinet-shop machines with a long platen and an oscillating head that spreads wear across the belt.
• Horizontal stroke sanders where the belt runs over two drums and the operator presses a pad onto the belt to sand panels and table tops from above.
• Metal fabrication edge and stroke sanders set up for deburring plate, flat bar and tube; run zirconia and keep steel dust out of a wood collector.

Check the belt length in your machine manual, not just the width; most edge sanders tolerate about a quarter inch of length variation through the tensioner, and 6" x 108" and 6" x 132" are separate products. Check the inside of the belt for a direction arrow before mounting, and set tracking with the belt centred on the platen before you touch wood to it. If your machine takes a length we do not list, we make custom 6" belts to order in about 3 days.

How to get the most out of it

1. Track it centred, then re-check after a minute. Cloth belts stretch slightly as they warm; a belt that drifts toward the platen edge will fray its own edge and score the work.
2. Let the oscillation do the spreading. On an edge sander, keep the workpiece flat on the table and move it steadily along the platen. Parking a board in one spot burns cherry and maple first and glazes the belt.
3. Use the platen for straight edges and the slack section or drum for curves. Round-overs and inside curves go against the end drum; flat edges need the backed section.
4. Give zirconia pressure and aluminum oxide a light touch. Zirconia only fractures and refreshes under load. Aluminum oxide cuts best with the weight of the work and no more.
5. Step grits in order. 60 to 80 to 120 to 150 to 220. Skipping two grades leaves 60-grit scratches under a 220 surface that only show up under finish.
6. Clean the belt while it runs. A crepe-rubber belt eraser held lightly against a running aluminum oxide belt clears pitch and resin and brings a loaded belt back to cutting instead of rubbing. On aluminum, rub a grease stick on the running belt to stop loading.
7. Store belts hanging or loosely rolled. A 120" cloth belt left folded on a shelf takes a set that shows up as a thump on the platen. Let cold belts warm to room temperature before running.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Truing and finishing edges on cabinet doors, drawer fronts, face frames and shelving
• Stroke-sanding table tops, panels and glued-up slabs
• Hardwood, softwood, plywood edges and MDF (aluminum oxide)
• Deburring and blending steel plate, flat bar and welded frames (zirconia)
• Aluminum extrusions, brass and bronze (zirconia or silicon carbide with a grease stick)
• Acrylic, solid surface, fiberglass and glass edges (silicon carbide)

Don't use it for

• Fine finishing on wood with zirconia; it tears grain and burns
• Sanding steel and wood into the same dust collector; steel sparks in wood dust are a fire risk
• Running a belt against the direction arrow if one is printed inside
• Wide-belt thickness sanders; these are edge and stroke sander belts, not calibrating belts

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• All narrow sanding belts
• 6" x 108" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• 6" x 132" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• Belt eraser for cleaning loaded belts
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days