6" x 90" Sanding Belts, 2 PACK

Cabinet and millwork shops with a 6" oscillating edge sander are the main buyers of the 6" x 90" belt, and metal fabricators running a 6" belt machine are the second. We manufacture these in our Anaheim, California facility in three grains: Aluminum Oxide on X-weight cloth for wood and general work, Zirconia on Y-weight polyester for heavy stock removal on steel and aluminum, and Silicon Carbide for glass, stone, plastics, composites and the cleanest finishing scratch.

All three are cloth belts that can run wet or dry. Two belts per pack, 36 through 400 grit, with zirconia held in the coarse grits where it does its work and aluminum oxide and silicon carbide carrying the fine end.

• Made for 6" oscillating edge sanders and 6" fabrication belt machines
• Aluminum oxide on X-weight poly-cotton cloth, the grain we recommend for wood almost every time
• Zirconia on Y-weight polyester for heavy stock removal on steel and aluminum
• Silicon carbide for glass, stone, solid surface, plastics and non-ferrous finishing
• 36 through 400 grit, two belts per pack, every grain runs wet or dry
• Manufactured in Anaheim, California; free shipping on orders over $200

Which 6" x 90" belt should you choose?

The three grains are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one for the material costs belts and finish.

• Aluminum Oxide: the belt for wood, and the belt we recommend to woodworkers almost every time. It cuts hardwood, plywood, MDF and softwood cleanly at edge-sander pressure, and it works on aluminum, steel, stainless and composites when budget matters more than speed. Ours is a heavy-duty X-weight poly-cotton cloth that can be run in wet or dry applications. Offered across the full 36 through 400 range.
• Zirconia: for heavy stock removal and long life on aluminum, steel and stainless. If you need a coarse belt that does heavy lifting in a hurry, this is it. It needs moderate-to-heavy pressure to self-sharpen, which is also why it is too aggressive for most woodwork and can tear the grain or leave burn marks. Y-weight polyester backing, wet or dry, held in the coarse grits (36 through 120); we can convert other coarse zirconia grits to order.
• Silicon Carbide: the hardest and sharpest of the three, for glass, stone, concrete, solid surface, plastics, fiberglass, cast iron and non-ferrous metals, and for finishing passes where you want the cleanest scratch pattern. It wears faster than the others on steel, so keep it off ferrous work. Cloth backing, and the grain of choice for wet sanding.

For an edge sander in a woodshop, aluminum oxide 80, 120 and 180 covers nearly everything. For a fab shop, zirconia 36 to 80 plus aluminum oxide 120 to 220.

Grit guide for a 6" edge sander

What machines take a 6" x 90" belt?

We have not verified specific models against the 6" x 90" size, and it is easy to confuse with the 6" x 89" belt used on some popular edge sanders, so check the length printed in your manual before ordering.

• 6" oscillating edge sanders, the floor-standing woodworking machines with a long platen and end drum, where the manual specifies a 6" x 90" belt.
• 6" belt machines in metal fabrication, including edge grinders and deburring stations built around a 6" x 90" loop.
• Compact stroke sanders that run a 6" belt between two drums.

If your machine calls for 6" x 89" instead, we stock that size separately. Mounting: release tension, slide the belt over both drums grain side out, check the inside of the belt for a direction arrow before mounting and run it that way, re-tension, then turn the belt by hand and set tracking centered on the platen. Other 6" lengths are made to order in about 3 days.

How to get the most out of it

1. Keep the table square to the platen and check it after every belt change; a small error becomes a tapered door edge.
2. Feed against belt direction with steady, light-to-moderate pressure and keep the part moving; stopping to fix a spot dishes the edge.
3. Use the oscillation. It spreads wear across the 6" height and stops a groove forming at the table line.
4. Match grain to material. Aluminum oxide on wood at light pressure; zirconia on steel with a firm lean so the grain fractures; silicon carbide on glass, stone and plastics, wet where possible.
5. Run wet where the material wants it. All three cloth backings tolerate water; on glass, stone and aluminum a wet setup keeps the belt clean and the part cool. Woodworking edge sanders are dry machines, so check the motor and bearings before adding water.
6. Watch maple and cherry. They burn first when the belt is dull, the feed is slow or the pressure is heavy. Change or clean the belt and lighten up.
7. Clean loaded belts with a crepe rubber belt eraser and keep dust extraction connected; loading is the usual reason a belt seems to wear early.
8. Store belts hanging or loosely coiled away from humidity, and let a cold belt come to room temperature before running it.

Use it for / don't use it for

Use it for

• Truing and squaring cabinet door, face frame, drawer and panel edges (aluminum oxide)
• Fitting inset doors and drawers a little at a time on the platen
• Weld cleanup and heavy deburring on steel and aluminum (zirconia)
• Glass, stone, solid surface, acrylic and fiberglass edges (silicon carbide)
• Shaping curves on the end drum

Don't use it for

• Zirconia on wood; it tears the grain and leaves burn marks, use aluminum oxide
• Silicon carbide on steel; it is sharp but wears fast on ferrous metal
• Grits finer than 220 on wood before stain; the surface burnishes and stains unevenly
• Sanding wide panel faces; the platen is for edges
• Running against the direction arrow or with a lifted joint

Specifications

Frequently asked questions

Related products and guides

• All narrow sanding belts
• 6" x 89" Sanding Belts, 2 pack (JET OES-689, Grizzly G0563)
• 6" x 80" Sanding Belts, 2 pack for edge sanders
• Belt eraser for cleaning loaded belts
• Custom sanding belts made to order in about 3 days