6" x 310" Sanding Belts, 2 PACK

A stroke sander runs a very long, narrow belt over two drums with the work table underneath, and the operator presses a felt-faced pad down onto the moving belt to sand tabletops, cabinet doors, drawer fronts and glued-up panels. This 6" x 310" belt, nearly twenty-six feet of cloth, is one of those stroke sander sizes. We convert it in Anaheim, California in aluminum oxide for wood, zirconia for steel and heavy removal, and silicon carbide for plastics and fine finishing.

The belt runs on a poly-cotton cloth backing that can be run wet or dry and tolerates the pad pressure of stroke sanding without stretching. Grits run from 36 to 400, two belts to a pack, so a shop can keep a working belt on the machine and a spare in the same grit on the wall.

• Stroke sander length: 6" x 310" cloth belt for panel, door and tabletop sanding
• Aluminum oxide, zirconia and silicon carbide cover wood, metal and plastic on one machine
• Poly-cotton cloth backing runs wet or dry and holds up under pad pressure
• 36–400 grit: from flattening glue-ups to final finish before stain
• 2-pack: one on the machine, one spare in the same grit
• Converted in Anaheim, California; other 6" lengths made to order in about 3 days

Which 6" x 310" belt should you choose?

• Aluminum oxide: the stroke sander belt for wood, and our recommendation for woodwork roughly 95 percent of the time. It cuts cleanly under the light, moving pressure of a stroke sander pad, does not dig in or burn the way zirconia can on wood, and it is available across the whole 36–400 range. Also a reasonable low-cost belt on aluminum, brass and mild steel.
• Zirconia: heavy stock removal and long life on steel, stainless and aluminum, and for flattening very rough hardwood glue-ups at 36–60 grit where speed matters more than finish. Zirconia self-sharpens under pressure, and a stroke sander pad can supply that pressure if you lean on it, but for most woodwork it is more belt than you need. Best in 36 through 120 grit; use aluminum oxide finer than that.
• Silicon carbide: the sharpest grain here, with a narrower scratch pattern that shows as a cleaner surface at 220 and 320 grit. Choose it for plastics, solid surface, fiberglass and non-ferrous metals, and for the final passes on wood or metal when finish quality is the priority. It wears faster than aluminum oxide, so it is a finishing belt, not a flattening belt.

Grit guide for stroke sanding

Step through the grits one at a time. A stroke sander leaves a long, straight scratch, and any grit you skip shows as lines under the finish that run the full length of the panel.

What machines take a 6" x 310" belt?

• Horizontal stroke sanders whose drum spacing calls for a 6" wide, 310" long belt, used in cabinet, furniture and millwork shops for panels, doors and tops.
• Long-bed edge and stroke-type machines set up for metal fabrication with the same belt path.

Fitment notes: belt length on a stroke sander is set by the drum spacing and the tensioner travel, so check the manual or measure an old belt around the outside before ordering. Most machines tolerate about 1/4" of length variation; a belt made for a 300" or 320" machine will not track correctly at 310". Look on the inside of the belt for a direction arrow before mounting; if there is none, the joint runs in either direction. Tension the belt, jog the drums and adjust tracking until the belt runs centred before you start the motor properly.

How to get the most out of it

1. Keep the pad moving. The belt runs continuously; you control the cut with the pad. Sweep it along the length of the panel in overlapping passes and never park it, or you will sand a hollow.
2. Use light pressure and let the grit work. Pressing hard heats the panel, burns cherry and maple, and stretches the belt. If the cut is too slow, go one grit coarser instead of pushing harder.
3. Work with the grain and move the table so the whole panel passes under the pad evenly. Stop the pad short of the far edge to avoid rounding it over.
4. Use the whole belt width. Shift the pad position across the belt over the course of a job so the belt does not wear a track down the middle.
5. Clean the belt with a crepe belt eraser while it runs at low pressure as soon as pitch or finish starts to load the grain. Loading, not wear, ends most aluminum oxide belts early.
6. Match the grain to the material and keep the dust separate. If the machine sees both wood and steel, use zirconia for the steel, aluminum oxide for the wood, and empty the collector between jobs so sparks never reach wood dust.
7. Store the spare belt hanging over a large-radius peg or loosely coiled, away from humidity and sunlight. A twenty-six-foot cloth belt left folded takes a set that thumps on the drums.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Tabletops, cabinet doors, drawer fronts and glued-up panels
• Flattening solid-wood glue-ups before finish sanding
• Plywood and MDF panels (120 grit or finer on veneer faces)
• Steel and aluminum plate and fabricated panels with zirconia
• Acrylic, solid surface, fiberglass and plastics with silicon carbide

Don't use it for

• Zirconia on fine woodwork; it digs in and burns where aluminum oxide sands cleanly
• Silicon carbide for heavy removal on steel or hardwood; it is a finishing grain
• Sanding finer than 220 on wood that will be stained
• Machines built for a different belt length

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• All narrow, edge and stroke sander belts
• 6" x 300" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• 6" x 320" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• Belt Eraser for cleaning loaded belts
• Custom sanding belts, any size, made in about 3 days