6" x 195" Sanding Belts, 2 PACK

Furniture and millwork shops that do not have floor space for a 27-foot stroke sander run the compact versions, and a 195" loop, a little over 16 feet, is one of the lengths those machines use. The work is the same in miniature: table leaves, chair seats, drawer fronts, mantels, stair treads and short runs of panel that need to be flat and consistently sanded before finish. We convert 6" x 195" belts in Anaheim, California on poly-cotton cloth with a closed coat, in three grains, all of which can be run wet or dry.

Aluminum Oxide is the furniture grain. Silicon Carbide is for acrylic, laminate, solid surface and the finest finishing pass. Zirconia handles rough hardwood flattening and metal. Two belts to a pack, 36 through 400 grit.

• 6" x 195" length for compact stroke sanders and long-bed edge sanders
• Closed-coat poly-cotton cloth backing tracks true over a short drum span
• Aluminum Oxide, Silicon Carbide and Zirconia, 36 through 400 grit
• Covers rough flattening through 400 grit pre-polish in one listing
• Two per pack so a spare is always hanging by the machine
• Converted in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200

Which 6" x 195" belt material should you choose?

Choose the grain for the material and the stage of work, and keep the metal and plastic belts separate from the wood belts.

• Aluminum Oxide: heat-treated grain, closed coat, on poly-cotton cloth. The belt for oak, maple, cherry, walnut, alder, poplar, MDF and veneered panels in a furniture shop. It cuts steadily under light pad pressure, resists tearing out figured grain, and lasts longest on wood. Stock 80, 120 and 180 for most furniture work. Offered 36 through 400.
• Silicon Carbide: the sharpest grain in the range. Choose it for acrylic sign blanks and display cases, plastic laminate, solid surface, fiberglass, phenolic and non-ferrous metals like aluminum and brass, and for the last pass under a clear finish on wood where you want the cleanest scratch. It wears quickly on steel.
• Zirconia: a tough grain that fractures under firm pressure to stay sharp. Use it at 36 to 60 to flatten rough glued-up hardwood, slab tops and reclaimed lumber, and on mild steel or aluminum plate. Too aggressive for veneer and pointless at fine grits. Offered 36 through 120.

A one-grain furniture shop should buy Aluminum Oxide. A plastics or sign shop should buy Silicon Carbide from 120 up and run it wet where the machine allows. Keep a single Zirconia 36 or 40 for the rough slab that comes in twice a year.

Grit guide for furniture parts, panels and plastics

For stained furniture, 80 to 120 to 180 is the working sequence. For clear-coated close-grained woods, add 220. Never skip more than one grit; the finer belt only removes the previous scratch.

What machines take a 6" x 195" belt?

• Compact horizontal stroke sanders with drums roughly 7-1/2 feet apart, sized for furniture, millwork and small cabinet shops. The operator presses a felt or graphite pad onto the back of the running belt over the work.
• Long-bed oscillating edge sanders and combination stroke/edge machines that call for a 195" loop, where the work is pushed along a table against the platen.
• Plastics and sign-shop belt sanders set up for acrylic and laminate edge work, often with water or mist cooling.

Match the length to the size plate or manual. If neither is available, measure the circumference of a belt that fits; the tension drum on a compact stroke sander travels only a few inches, so a belt more than an inch or two off will not tension properly. We also stock 6" x 186" and 6" x 214", and any other 6" length can be converted to order.

Look for a direction arrow on the inside of the belt and run it that way. Mount with tension released, tension, rotate by hand, centre the tracking, then power up and fine-tune before you bring the pad down.

How to get the most out of it

1. Let the pad float. On a compact stroke sander it is easy to lean on the pad because the belt is short and the machine feels light. Use pad weight plus a little; heavy pressure hollows the part, burns maple and cherry and glazes aluminum oxide.
2. Sweep, do not park. The belt is always moving, so a stationary pad digs a dip within a second. Move the pad along the part and step across in overlapping passes.
3. Sand with the grain from 120 up. Coarse flattening can run at a slight angle, but finish grits must run with the grain or the scratches will show under stain, especially on oak and ash.
4. Use silicon carbide wet on acrylic and solid surface if the machine allows. Water keeps the plastic from softening and smearing and stops the belt loading. On a dry machine, use a light touch and strong extraction.
5. Clean before you change. A crepe-rubber belt eraser touched to a running aluminum oxide belt pulls out packed pitch and dust; most belts that seem dull are only loaded.
6. Blow off between grits. Coarse grit left on the part or table rides under the finer belt and scratches.
7. Hang the spare. Store the second belt over a large peg or roller, not folded and not on the floor, and let a cold belt warm to shop temperature before mounting.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Table leaves, chair seats, drawer fronts, mantels and stair treads (Aluminum Oxide 80–220)
• Small cabinet doors, face frames and short panel runs (Aluminum Oxide)
• Acrylic sign blanks, display cases and laminate edges (Silicon Carbide 120–400)
• Solid surface and phenolic parts (Silicon Carbide, wet where possible)
• Flattening slabs and rough glue-ups (Zirconia 36–60)
• Mild steel and aluminum plate on machines set up for metal (Zirconia, finish with AO)

Don't use it for

• Zirconia on veneered or figured stock, or at finishing grits
• Sanding finer than 220 before stain; the surface burnishes and blotches
• Silicon carbide for heavy steel removal
• Wet running on a woodworking machine without coolant provision
• A belt with a lifted joint or storage crease

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• Woodworking abrasives
• 6" x 186" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• 6" x 214" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• Belt Eraser for cleaning loaded belts
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days