Description of Issue
When a customer calls in and states that their sandpaper belts are torn diagnose the issue. If you do not diagnose the issue, the machine will keep tearing the parts up and they will constantly be replacing them.
Possible Causes
The three main causes of sandpaper belts tearing are: the head pressure is too high, the board is binding in the machine, and there are imperfections in the board.
Troubleshooting Steps
- Imperfections such as knots, fasteners, warp-age, or changes in board thickness can case the belts to tear. The belts could get caught on the imperfections or be overstressed due to warp-age or thickness changes.
- Check that there are no pieces of material under the belts.
- Check the head pressure. The head pressure should be between 75 and 85 lbs of pressure. To bring the head pressure down to the proper range, you will need to make sure that the clutch is properly greased. You should use white lithium grease.
- Check that the workpiece is not binding in the machine. A board that is not straight can get caught in the machine, causing the belts to tear. The customer’s board should be perfectly straight.
- If none of the above steps solves the issue consult with CarveWright Service.