Stanley 3'' belt sander

Charles in Aus.

Well-known Member
My sister in law ruined my Makita belt sander and I have missed it for a few years now .
I bought this Stanley heavy duty 3'' machine at a flea market today . I must say that USA made machines of this era were built like battleships .
Stanley power tool are a rarity here , I have worked out how to push the front roller in until it clicks and is held back in order to change the belt .
[u:3aa24d74cb]But[/u:3aa24d74cb] I can't figure out how to release it again :oops:
One other thing , the photo shows the friction plate worn through , is this supposed to have a cover sheet of graphite paper or is it just bare steel as it is now ?
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Just tap the roller back to the other side. It is just spring loaded. You might be able to make a new plate out of a piece of thin tin.
 

Fifty years ago my father had one that worked that way. Like retired farmer said you would just nudge it back with the heel of your hand.
 
Thanks :) It seems that you need to put a screwdriver on top of the front roller and gently lever it down wards for this one to release .

So the friction plate is just a polished piece of thin plate with no material on it ? If so I can easily cut one from some thin polished stainless steel I have .

Why am I persisting with a 50 year old machine ?
Because it is so well made , heavy so it doesn't need to be pushed down onto the work and incredibly powerful .
This machine makes a mockery of tools that cost three or four hundred here . A replacement for the Makita my SIL ruined was going to cost at least that much , even though it was a four inch belt machine it didn't have half the power of this one .

Politics aside , it was a dark day and a huge loss to the world when USA manufactured tools began disappearing from the market place .
 
I don't know anything about it but if it has a gearbox like an electric drill or a skillsaw find it
and take out the dried up grease and put in some fresh. I put a screw hole, about #10 in one
skillsaw I have and am able to remove it and once in a while inject a little fresh grease.
 
To expand the roller - stick a big screwdriver in the frame just to the right of the words "Belt Sander", and lever the roller forward to tighten the belt. It'll snap and pop out to a tight belt.

No graphite paper on the friction plate.
 
Most of those the front roller is spring loaded. You push the nose down on a hard surface and to the side and it will catch in a slot in the roller holder. After you put the new belt on just push the side of the front roller sideways back towards the body of the sander and the spring will tighten the belt for you.

Steven
 
Also Charles - if I remember correctly, the bearings for the front roller can be oiled by removing the big screw that's visible in your pictures. It might even say "Oil Here" with an arrow pointing to the screw.
 
It's been probably 40 years since I've used one. I believe all you do is push the front roller in until it catches. Then to release it push the wheel sideways with either a stick of wood or screwdriver. One thing for sure you will need a replacement base plate and cork pad. That one looks like it's worn through.
 

An update on the sander , it took all of a half hour in the shed to make a new stainless steel slide plate and cushion to replace the worn ones .
I dismantled the front roller and oiled the bearings , they were oily which was surprising , no dust on them though as the inside of the roller is well sealed .
Try as I did I just couldn't get the roller to release and tighten by pushing it any manner of sideways angles . What does work is the screwdriver under the frame on top of the roller , a quick flick and all is well .
Thanks to everyone who chipped in :D

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I don't remember what make mine is, it's been a long time since I've used it, but when you push it in and it locks the front roller tilts to one side. To release it you push it in and tilt it in the other direction.

Dusty
 

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