Ridgid gloat and question (or two)

[ErnieM]

I finally got tired of using a sanding drum on my drill press so I broke down and bought the Ridgid Oscillating Spindle/Belt sander.

I'm very impressed with the setup of the machine right out of the box. The table and miter slot were dead on 90 degrees to the sanding belt. The tracking of the sanding belt was dead right and needed no adjustment. And.... I'll never forget where I bought it because the color is exactly the same as the color of the logo of the Borg I bought it from.

I am having two minor problems that I hope someone here can shed some light on.

1. There is a wing-nut type screw that holds the belt sander (or the sanding drums) onto the shaft (you can see this wing-nut at the top of the sanding drum in the photo). The directions caution against over-tightening this screw. However, even when leaving this wing-nut almost loose, using the machine tightens it to the point where I need a pair of vice grips to loosen it. This only happens when using the belt sander, but it doesn't seem right to me.

2. The sandpaper sleeves that came with the unit seem to fit way too loosely on the drum - so loose that they ride up on the drum in use. The manual gives directions as to which size washer to use on the top of each sized drum, but using the correct washer allows the drum to gradually slide up on the drum as the washer has a smaller diameter than the drum. Using a bigger washer eliminates this problem but, according to the manual, is the wrong washer to use. To those of you who have this, or a similar, sander, how tightly do your sanding sleeves fit on their drum? Mine are so loose that if I hold the assembly by the sanding sleeve the drum will slip right out. It seems to me that the sanding sleeves are too big for their drums, yes?

Ernie
​

 

[GregSmith]

Ernie,
I don't have the problem with your #1, but for #2, try tightening the wing nut with the small washer so that it squeezes the rubber platen. This will cause the platen to expand and pinch the sanding sleeve so it won't slide.:icon_thum
Hope that helps.
Greg

 

[ErnieM]

Ernie,
I don't have the problem with your #1, but for #2, try tightening the wing nut with the small washer so that it squeezes the rubber platen. This will cause the platen to expand and pinch the sanding sleeve so it won't slide.:icon_thum
Hope that helps.
Greg

Thanks Greg - it did help quite a bit and stopped the sanding sleeve from rising. They should have called you before they wrote the manual:gar-Bi.

Ernie

 

[Joe Scharle]

Try a lock washer under that left-handed nut with your belt dander. It'll still get tight, but the nut will not bite into unthreaded metal.

 

[MarkE]

I had the same problem with the wing nut getting tight. I just put a drop of oil on the threads from time to time and crank it down. Like others have said, you have to crank the nut down to get the rubber to squeeze the sanding drums to prevent movement.

Joe's idea is right on as well. Adding another small washer or lock washer (or both) gives you clearance so you won't run out of thread.

 

[ErnieM]

Thanks Joe and Mark - everything is under control. Interesting that the nut only tightened itself when using the belt sander - not with the sanding drums. Must have something to do with the left to right movement of the sanding belt much like the way the nut on a tablesaw arbor will tighten itself when you turn the saw on. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.:gar-Bi

Ernie