Belt Sander Recommendation

Can anyone recommend a belt sander? My old Bosch just started making a nasty noise and has started badly smoking (not the tobacco kind!). I replaced the drive belt about 6 months ago so maybe it’s time to replace the whole thing. Not had any work for the last 10 months so I’m on a bit of a budget!

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

I know it’s not what you asked, but in the past I’ve always found Bosch tools to be very repairable, with parts readily available

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Thanks Dermot,

I do like your idea of fixing it so if you have some more time to spare I made a short movie and uploaded it here:

Straight afterwards it stopped spinning up all together!

So I took it apart and noticed some movement in the motor spindle which has a metal gear at the end. Where this engages with the drive belt (a plastic gear which has even more movement c. 2.5mm) I noticed that there’s some black powder, perhaps residue from excessive wear due to lateral movement so I packed it out with a Chinese coin but as it no longer works I’m not sure where to start with replacement part(s). Perhaps it’s going to be a bit like triggers broom! Anyway, photos attached of the inside for reference, I’m really interested to hear your thoughts on this one.

Many thanks,

Duncan

I don’t have any suggestions Duncan but this did make me think that a ‘Fix It’ section on Discourse might be a good idea. Fairly recently I have managed to fix a few things, including a sewing machine and a vacuum cleaner – but I also have a dodgy kettle which I am on the verge of throwing out. (The switch doesn’t turn off when it boils.) Could be useful to get troubleshooting advice on things.

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Hi Mike, Thanks for the post, I think this is a great idea. Maybe it could be a fix it or bin it section for things that are likely to be an uneconomical repair.

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Update:

Borrowed my neighbours sander, I’ve not binned the Bosch so if anyone knows where to start with replacement parts please let me know.

For reference this Merka Deros sander is fantastic, only one minor issue; it didn’t leave the wood completely flat. It has a tendency to take the softer wood out leaving the grain slightly pronounced, I guess that’s probably the difference between a rotary and belt sander!?