Purchased a 5 pack at HD the other day, and broke 4 of them this
evening in about an hour. All breaks were at the seam, and the tape
is intact, but has delammed from one side. The belts are not marked
for direction, but I made sure I ran different belts in different
directions after the second break. I also made sure that there were
no foreign objects (nail heads, screws, etc...) protruding from the
surface. No luck.

Are these just ****ty belts (they *were* the cheapest) or is there
something I may be doing wrong? I've looked to see if there is a feed
problem with the sander itself (PC325VS) and there doesn't appear to
be one.

JP
*************************
Buy cheap, and you'll weep.

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

Good Luck,
George
"Jay Pique" wrote in message
...
Purchased a 5 pack at HD the other day, and broke 4 of them this
evening in about an hour. All breaks were at the seam, and the tape
is intact, but has delammed from one side. The belts are not marked
for direction, but I made sure I ran different belts in different
directions after the second break. I also made sure that there were
no foreign objects (nail heads, screws, etc...) protruding from the
surface. No luck.

Are these just ****ty belts (they *were* the cheapest) or is there
something I may be doing wrong? I've looked to see if there is a feed
problem with the sander itself (PC325VS) and there doesn't appear to
be one.

JP
*************************
Buy cheap, and you'll weep.

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 20:39:56 -0500, Jay Pique
wrote:

Purchased a 5 pack at HD the other day, and broke 4 of them this
evening in about an hour. All breaks were at the seam, and the tape
is intact, but has delammed from one side. The belts are not marked
for direction, but I made sure I ran different belts in different
directions after the second break. I also made sure that there were
no foreign objects (nail heads, screws, etc...) protruding from the
surface. No luck.

Are these just ****ty belts (they *were* the cheapest) or is there
something I may be doing wrong? I've looked to see if there is a feed
problem with the sander itself (PC325VS) and there doesn't appear to
be one.

JP
*************************
Buy cheap, and you'll weep.


Return them. I noticed that when the sander back plate gets hot the
belt is more likely to break. I like to give the belt sander a rest
after 10 minutes of sanding to cool down.

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

Yep - HD will replace/exchange/refund for them. Also, they
price-matched against Amazon.com for the sander. HD had it at $169
and they sold it to me for $154 less 10% or $149. Not bad I hope.

JP

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 02:23:21 GMT, Phisherman wrote:

Return them. I noticed that when the sander back plate gets hot the
belt is more likely to break. I like to give the belt sander a rest
after 10 minutes of sanding to cool down.

Egads - I personally don't mind a break now and then, but I certainly
wouldn't want to be paying someone to rest every 10 minutes!

Anyone producing seamless belts out there?

JP

"Jay Pique" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

Yep - HD will replace/exchange/refund for them. Also, they
price-matched against Amazon.com for the sander. HD had it at $169
and they sold it to me for $154 less 10% or $149. Not bad I hope.

JP

I beat that price!
Bought one last summer at a pawn shop, looked like new, $35! I about choked
when I saw the price as most pawn shops list items at full new retail, and
negotiate down from there!
Greg

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

norton belt suck wood dust. they don't hold up well and are overpriced.
I have compared them to a couple brands I can get my hands on. I am talking
the blue zirconia top of the line belts. I get 1/4 to 1/2 more use out of a
cheep imported belt that cost less then 1/2 the cost of a norton belt.

the belts have sat around too long is why the joint failed.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Return them. I noticed that when the sander back plate gets hot the
belt is more likely to break. I like to give the belt sander a rest
after 10 minutes of sanding to cool down.

graphite pad will help this a lot.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Egads - I personally don't mind a break now and then, but I certainly
wouldn't want to be paying someone to rest every 10 minutes!

Anyone producing seamless belts out there?

I guess. I don't have a problem with seams on my belts.
I get my sanding needs form
A & H abrasives 18008316066
the prices are great they ship the same day if you order in the morning and they
can make about anything. the sleeves for my inflatable drums are dirt cheep and
I get them in any grit or type of paper I want. same with pretty much all of my
belts.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

Although I said That Norton was a good a belt I have not bought any for
years and i mean years,
The most over rated sandpaper on the market is 3M
I buy a case of 3x 24 belts which is 50 belts and as long as they are less
than a buck a belt I will buy them, they generally have no name on them
other than the distributer that I buy them from.
I haven't had a seam break in so long I can't remmeber when it was and
believe me that belt sanding laminates it tortuous to a belt sander.
And yes if they are old stock the paper dry's out and the belts get brittle
and the let go at the seam.


"Steve Knight" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

norton belt suck wood dust. they don't hold up well and are overpriced.
I have compared them to a couple brands I can get my hands on. I am
talking
the blue zirconia top of the line belts. I get 1/4 to 1/2 more use out of
a
cheep imported belt that cost less then 1/2 the cost of a norton belt.

the belts have sat around too long is why the joint failed.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 04:54:18 GMT, Steve Knight
wrote:

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

norton belt suck wood dust. they don't hold up well and are overpriced.
I have compared them to a couple brands I can get my hands on. I am talking
the blue zirconia top of the line belts. I get 1/4 to 1/2 more use out of a
cheep imported belt that cost less then 1/2 the cost of a norton belt.

the belts have sat around too long is why the joint failed.

Thanks for the info. I'll be trying some different brands for sure.
HF has 'em cheap, maybe I'll give them a whirl.

JP

On Wed, 05 Nov 2003 04:54:58 GMT, Steve Knight
wrote:


Return them. I noticed that when the sander back plate gets hot the
belt is more likely to break. I like to give the belt sander a rest
after 10 minutes of sanding to cool down.

graphite pad will help this a lot.

Noted. Gracias.

JP

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 22:40:29 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Although I said That Norton was a good a belt I have not bought any for
years and i mean years,
The most over rated sandpaper on the market is 3M

yep norton and 3m really suck anymore.
sometimes it pays to get high quality and sometimes it does not. when working
metal I find cheep is good enough. when working wood getting blue zirconia is
the only way to go for speed and durability.

--
Knight-Toolworks & Custom Planes
Custom made wooden planes at reasonable prices
See http://www.knight-toolworks.com For prices and ordering instructions.

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 21:55:05 -0500, Jay Pique
wrote:

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

Yep - HD will replace/exchange/refund for them. Also, they
price-matched against Amazon.com for the sander. HD had it at $169
and they sold it to me for $154 less 10% or $149. Not bad I hope.

Heh - just a quick update. Went back to HD with the broken belts and
confidently strolled up to the returns desk. After explaining what
happened, the *young man* behind the counter told me that the only way
they could have broken was because the "tension on the wheels was too
high". "What?" , I asked.... "You know - the tension between the two
roller thingies is too high - that's what's breaking them".
"Hmmm....that's pretty odd in light of the fact that other belts seem
to work fine. Plus, I was in here the other day and the woman said to
just bring them up here and you'll exchange them. "

LSS, the kid said that since I had "used" all of them, he wasn't
authorized to take them back and I'd have to go talk to someone in
tools to "see if there's anything we can do". I gave the kid my best
"you're a dumbass and you don't even know it" look and went back to
Tools. They were sorta reluctant at first, until they called some
mystery person on the phone and then they just let me swap them out
(for the same brand/grit). The new ones have worked fine.

I'm not a professional contractor or anything, but if I was and some
punk kid started to lecture me on tool usage I might have taken
serious offense.

JP
*********************
Sure to be doing my lungs serious damage.....

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 09:31:39 -0500, Jay Pique
wrote:

On Tue, 04 Nov 2003 21:55:05 -0500, Jay Pique
wrote:

On Tue, 4 Nov 2003 18:57:43 -0700, "George M. Kazaka"
wrote:

Norton IMHO makes a good belt and in some types better than others,
Most belts are Gauranteed not to break at the seam, so i would take them
back to HD and say "whats up"
If they do not back it up find Nortons web site and pich a bitch.

Yep - HD will replace/exchange/refund for them. Also, they
price-matched against Amazon.com for the sander. HD had it at $169
and they sold it to me for $154 less 10% or $149. Not bad I hope.

Heh - just a quick update. Went back to HD with the broken belts and
confidently strolled up to the returns desk. After explaining what
happened, the *young man* behind the counter told me that the only way
they could have broken was because the "tension on the wheels was too
high". "What?" , I asked.... "You know - the tension between the two
roller thingies is too high - that's what's breaking them".
"Hmmm....that's pretty odd in light of the fact that other belts seem
to work fine. Plus, I was in here the other day and the woman said to
just bring them up here and you'll exchange them. "

LSS, the kid said that since I had "used" all of them, he wasn't
authorized to take them back and I'd have to go talk to someone in
tools to "see if there's anything we can do". I gave the kid my best
"you're a dumbass and you don't even know it" look and went back to
Tools. They were sorta reluctant at first, until they called some
mystery person on the phone and then they just let me swap them out
(for the same brand/grit). The new ones have worked fine.

I'm not a professional contractor or anything, but if I was and some
punk kid started to lecture me on tool usage I might have taken
serious offense.

JP
*********************
Sure to be doing my lungs serious damage.....


Just assert yourself, be polite, never use foul language, and 99% of
the time you'll get what you want. One trick that works is to
complain using a loud voice Saturday morning when lots of customers
are in the store. It's a win-win situation. I've used Norton
belts--they work, but they are not top quality.

On Sat, 08 Nov 2003 15:47:36 GMT, Phisherman
brought forth from the murky depths:

Just assert yourself, be polite, never use foul language, and 99% of
the time you'll get what you want.

Knowing precisely what you want out of the discussion beforehand
helps immensely, too. I write down all pertinent info available
to me, what I expected, what I got, and why I'm displeased. I take
that into the store with me if needed. Lists show the people we
are dealing with that we are organized and have been thinking
about this problem for quite some time. That's intimidating to
many of them, a point in our favor.


One trick that works is to
complain using a loud voice Saturday morning when lots of customers
are in the store. It's a win-win situation. I've used Norton
belts--they work, but they are not top quality.

If you do that, make sure you say the right things. I've heard
total idiots complaining at the top of their lungs because they
bought the wrong product and modified it before realizing it.
Those of us in line all stood there smiling and shaking our heads
at the guy and cheering the clerk who was having to absorb the
discharge.


-- Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Turkey and Drive --