AEM wide belt sander belt won't track need help

[rapter71]

Hello all,
Need help with a Narrobelt Sander Model 60 made by a company A.E.M. As luck would have it they are no longer in business. Its in a middle school shop class and we're having problems getting the belt to track. I personally don't know what the teacher has tried but if anyone can give me some direction as to where to begin that would be great. :)

[thekl0wn]

I'm not familiar with that sander, and would probably have to see the thing to figure anything out.

But, what brought this on? Was it random? Was it from a new belt? Have you tried switching belts?

[Terry Mac]

A.E.M. (Abrasive, Engineering, & Manufacturing, Inc.)

That's an industrial machine, not necessarily found in home use for sure. Is the machine computerized? If not, the shop teacher should still have the manual. Check the manual first for adjustments. If no manual, the adjustment controls is probably behind a guard somewhere. Also, try what K said, change the belt to see if the belt on there is flawed somehow.

Let us know what happens, and welcome to the forum.

[Don]

Hey, Raptor. This can be a tricky one at best, I've seen grown men cry trying to solve wide belt sander problems. A narrow belt sander's issues are probably similar.

First off, what the other guys said is the best place to start. A belt that has been on the machine a long time can become distorted and add to the issues. We kept our belts (36" wide) in a heated enclosed cabinet (light bulbs) to chase off humidity (Florida) that kept the belts dry and ready for use.

Some models of sander oscillate their belts to keep the edges of the board from burning tracks in the belts. You may find that there is an optical "eye" that is located somewhere near the edge of the belt, this will be accompanied by a reflector opposite usually. Make sure these are clear and can "see." These eyes usually have an indicator light to show that they are working and when the beam is "interrupted."

Most of these machines also auto-track and they do this by tilting the upper roller which is crowned. The tilt mechanism is usually pneumatic driven. Make sure all of this is working correctly. The auto-track will only compensate within a certain range, the initial tracking adjustments are done by the operator. Many sanders will shut down if the belt hits a limit switch, make sure this is working and "un-tripped."

If the model is "dumb" meaning that the operator sets the track and hopes that it stays. Then you should be able to narrow it down by trial and error. Fresh belt. Make sure the platen is freshly recovered and put in place properly. Make sure the infeed and outfeed rollers are not damaged, many times these are from someone forcing a too thick board.

Study a powered hand held sander and you will understand the principle of tracking, the same applies to larger units - the basics anyway.

I can't find any info on the net on this model, any pictures of the inner workings would be helpful.

And of course, find the manual. A great deal of info is always dedicated to tracking.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

All the best, Don

P.S. If you do get it working, people should feed any boards in at a few degrees off angle, this will keep the edges from tracking up the belt.