6" x 320" Sanding Belts, 2 PACK

Cabinet shops that run a horizontal stroke sander for doors, drawer fronts, face frames and end panels go through belts in a predictable rhythm: an 80 for the first pass off the wide belt, a 120 to clean it up, a 150 or 180 before finish. A 320" loop is one of the common lengths on those machines, and it has to be ordered to the inch because the tension drum on a stroke sander only travels so far. We convert 6" x 320" belts in Anaheim, California on poly-cotton cloth, closed coat, in three grains that can all be run wet or dry.

Aluminum Oxide is the working grain for wood. Silicon Carbide handles plastic laminate edges, solid surface and the finest finishing scratch. Zirconia is the heavy-removal belt for rough hardwood and for metal. Two belts per pack, 36 through 400 grit.

• Exact 6" x 320" length for stroke sanders that specify it; not a near-fit
• Closed-coat poly-cotton cloth backing runs flat under a pad, wet or dry
• Aluminum Oxide, Silicon Carbide and Zirconia in 36 to 400 grit
• The 80 / 120 / 180 cabinet-door sequence is all in one listing
• Two per pack: one mounted, one hanging as the spare
• Converted in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200

Which 6" x 320" belt material should you choose?

Buy the grain for the material you run most, then add a second grain only for a real job it does better.

• Aluminum Oxide: the default for cabinet work. Heat-treated grain, closed coat, on poly-cotton cloth. It cuts maple, oak, cherry, alder, poplar, MDF and veneered plywood cleanly under light pad pressure and has the longest life of the three on wood. Stock this in 80, 120 and 150 or 180 for doors and face frames. It also does light finishing on aluminum and steel.
• Silicon Carbide: the sharpest grain and the one that leaves the finest, most uniform scratch. Pick it for solid-surface countertops, acrylic, phenolic, plastic laminate and fiberglass, for non-ferrous metals, and for a final 220 to 400 pass on wood under a clear finish. It is not the grain for steel; it wears fast there.
• Zirconia: an alloyed grain that fractures under load to stay sharp. Use it at 36 to 60 for flattening rough glued-up hardwood, thicknessing reclaimed lumber, and steel or aluminum plate work. It wants firm pad pressure, which on veneer or at fine grits means torn fibres and burns, so keep it to the coarse end. Offered in 36 through 120 grit.

If you only buy one grain for a cabinet shop, buy Aluminum Oxide. If you also do solid surface or laminate work on the same machine, add Silicon Carbide at 120 and finer and keep those belts separate from the wood belts.

Grit guide for cabinet doors, face frames and panels

On frame-and-panel doors, sand the rails last and lift the pad as you cross a stile so the cross-grain scratch does not carry over. Never jump more than one grit.

What machines take a 6" x 320" belt?

• Horizontal stroke sanders in cabinet and millwork shops, where a 6" wide belt runs between two drums over a long, height-adjustable table and the operator presses a pad down onto the moving belt. A 320" loop sits on the drums about 13 feet apart.
• Long-bed edge sanders and combination stroke/edge machines that specify this loop length.

A 6" x 320" belt is not interchangeable with a 6" x 325". Five inches sounds small on 27 feet of belt, but the tension drum on most stroke sanders travels only a few inches, so a belt that is too long will not tension and one that is too short will not go on. Check the size plate or manual, or measure the circumference of a belt that fits.

Mounting: release tension, slide the belt over both drums with any inside arrow pointing in the running direction, tension, rotate by hand and adjust tracking until the belt is centred on both drums, then start the motor and fine-tune. If your machine oscillates, let it settle before touching the pad down.

How to get the most out of it

1. Pad weight plus a little. Aluminum oxide on wood cuts best with light, even pressure. Bearing down heats the belt, glazes the grain and burns maple and cherry. Firm pressure is for zirconia at 36 to 60 only.
2. Never stop the pad. The belt is moving whether or not the pad is, so a stationary pad digs a hollow in seconds. Sweep along the length, step across, overlap.
3. With the grain from 120 up. Coarse passes can run slightly diagonal to flatten, but finish grits run with the grain or the scratches will show under stain, especially on oak and ash.
4. Blow off between grits. Coarse grit left on the panel rides under the finer belt and scratches. Blow or brush the panel and the table each time you change belts.
5. Use the eraser before the belt looks dead. Pitch and finish dust pack an aluminum oxide belt long before the grain is worn. A crepe-rubber belt eraser touched to the running belt restores the cut.
6. Keep extraction strong. Both hoods connected, collector emptied. Dust packed in the belt is the most common cause of burn marks on a stroke sander.
7. Hang the spare. Store the second belt over a large peg or roller, not folded and not on the floor, and let it reach shop temperature before you mount it.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Cabinet doors, drawer fronts, face frames and end panels (Aluminum Oxide 80–180)
• Paint-grade MDF and poplar at 100–120 (Aluminum Oxide)
• Solid-surface countertops, plastic laminate and acrylic (Silicon Carbide)
• Flattening rough glued-up hardwood and reclaimed lumber (Zirconia 36–60)
• Steel and aluminum plate on stroke sanders set up for metal (Zirconia, finish with AO)
• Fine finishing passes under clear coat (Silicon Carbide 220–400)

Don't use it for

• Zirconia on veneered panels or at finishing grits
• Going finer than 220 before stain; it burnishes and blotches
• Wet running on a machine without coolant provision
• Wood and steel dust in the same collector
• A belt with a lifted joint or a crease from bad storage

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• Woodworking abrasives
• 6" x 325" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• 6" x 310" Sanding Belts, 2 pack
• Belt Eraser for cleaning loaded belts
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days