What 1 x 42 belts do I need and best place to get them

[nrscroller]

HI all, I just a heck of a buy off marketplace, I got a used 1x 42 inch grizzly belt sander with the 8 inch disk on the side for a great price. I will be using it to moslty sand edges of my thin scroll ornaments etc. What grit should I get like, 400? ,  And where is the best place to buy them online? this is replacing about a  20 year old smaller delta sander. This unit is from 2014 but in nice shape.

Thanks

Bill

[Millwab]

Bill, I would think that 400 grit would burnish the wood rather than sand it. Personally I wouldn’t go more than 120. What grit did you use on your Delta?

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Depending on what you want to do it is always good to have different grits. I would start at 100 grit and then 120, 150 and 220. Would not go higher than that on a power sander like that. As mentioned you will burnish the wood and just clog the sandpaper. Hand sanding is a different bird as well as sanding on a lathe. Where to buy. any sandpaper will get the job done. My go to sources are https://www.klingspor.com/ and https://www.onlineindustrialsupply.com/3in100focldr.html

One thing I caution you is do not buy too many of any type of sanding rolls that are actual belts because the glue line does dry out and breaks. Now sometimes you can reglue but sometimes they break while on the machine and get ruined. 

[kmmcrafts]

Usually if I'm using a belt sander it's because I'm wanting to remove material faster rather than slower.. I pretty much only use I think it's 100 or 120 on my sander.. For the most part when working with wood hand sanding and small power hand sanders go plenty fast enough. Belt sander for me is just to get a good rough in of the shape etc.. 

Also as JT stated, The belts tend to break at the joint.. and it's because the glue line.. I once bought a nice selection of belts at a garage sale for $0.50.. let me tell you it's not worth the money to buy old used belts.. that is unless you like sanding your fingers and knuckles etc when the belt comes apart.. lucky if you don't end up worst and need to go to ER for stitches or something.. think it's just a paper type cut but when that paper has a motor powering it and moving quite fast it can do a pretty nasty cut in a split second.  

Maybe I don't do that much sanding but I only change my belt about once or sometimes twice a year.. if that often.. so as JT said.. don't stock up on a bunch of belts.. they'll likely go bad before you use them. I was surprised at how the rougher grit belts really aren't as aggressive as you'd think too. I started out with my first sander getting some pretty fine grit belts because I thought the power and speed of the belt sander would be really aggressive but turned out not true.. But again I use it more for rough shaping and sanding and I'm not interested in standing there sanding for 20 with a 180 grit belt if I can get the job done in 5 minutes with a 80 grit and then hand sand for a minute or two. Just my two cents.. 

[BadBob]

I love my belt sanders; I have four, not including hand-held tools. Never buy more belts than you need, or you will waste a lot of them when the seam fails. I tend to use up the finer grits before they break. I broke two last week: one while I was sanding and another while aligning and tensioning it. I buy most of my belts from Harbor Freight simply because they have them in stock at my local store, and no one else does. If I am working on a custom order and need a belt, I need it now, not next week. So, local availability wins.

I have the same 1x42 sander, but mine is a Delta brand. In my experience, any grit higher than 220 will likely burn the wood. Even with 220, you must be careful and have a light touch. I have had my 1x423 sander since the early 80s and purchased belts from several sources. None of them were better than the others. If the belt I want is unavailable locally, I would buy it from Amazon.

Don't buy assortments! There will be belts in an assortment that you will never use.

[kmmcrafts]

If you have no clue as to what grit to buy then there is nothing wrong with sample packs to learn what will work for your needs. You don't have to throw the unused ones away just cut them up and use them for hand sanding etc.. you'll eventually "use" them without the danger of them breaking and hurting you if you cut them up in pieces.. if you don't cut them up you'll be tempted to install a very old one and that's when bad things can happen. 

I also buy my belts at Harbor Freight because they have them on hand.. I typically buy them once a year and the old ones get cut up into hand sanding pieces. I think the packs from there have 3 belts in them.. I usually end up cutting one of the belts up in pieces. 

[BadBob]

31 minutes ago, kmmcrafts said:

If you have no clue as to what grit to buy then there is nothing wrong with sample packs to learn what will work for your needs. You don't have to throw the unused ones away just cut them up and use them for hand sanding etc.. you'll eventually "use" them without the danger of them breaking and hurting you if you cut them up in pieces.. if you don't cut them up you'll be tempted to install a very old one and that's when bad things can happen. 

I also buy my belts at Harbor Freight because they have them on hand.. I typically buy them once a year and the old ones get cut up into hand sanding pieces. I think the packs from there have 3 belts in them.. I usually end up cutting one of the belts up in pieces. 

I always keep one of each grit on hand for hand sanding or making sanding tools. Sanding belts are long-lasting, so I never run out of pieces. Harbor freight 6x48 belts now come in singles or five packs, 80 or 120 grit.

If you want to try different grits, this assortment has one of each.