2 x 72 first run

[alanganes]

.....You will find that something impressive starts happening at 5500 to 6K

Not to totally derail the thread, but someone please enlighten me. What will I see at those surface speeds that I won't see at something lower? I'm not being a wise guy or saying that I don't believe this.

I have an old Wilton "Square wheel" 2x27 that came equipped with a single speed 1HP motor and runs at a nominal 4600SFPM. As it is it removes material impressively fast, at least to my admittedly untrained eye. What could I expect to see improve at 1000+ SFPM faster? Just curious, really.

[Tim Clarke]

So, I made a crude 1x42” belt sander back in the middle 90’s. I used what I had. 6” drive wheel, 1725 rpm motor. The wheel is direct mounted to the motor, with a gas strut applying tension to the idler wheel. Pretty crude by comparison with Sid’s masterpiece. It’s really great, and is the most used machine in my shop since the day I finished it. Point is, don’t sweat the details. If you don’t have anything now, cobble something together. Mine’s good enough that I’ve avoided making another for 25 years or so.