A belt and disc sander puts a sanding belt and a sanding disc on one motor: the belt for flat faces and long edges, the disc for end grain, angles and convex curves. It is one of the most common machines in our catalogue, and most of them take one of three belt sizes.
The three common belts.
- 1 × 30 in (25 × 762 mm). Small bench machines, often paired with a 5 in disc. Good for small parts, sharpening and model making.
- 4 × 36 in (100 × 915 mm or 100 × 914 mm). The usual size for mid-size machines.
- 6 × 48 in (150 × 1220 mm). Larger machines, often with a 9 to 12 in disc.
A few machines take other sizes, such as 1 × 42 in, 2 × 42 in or 2 × 48 in. Some model names hint at the sizes, such as Clarke’s CS4-6D, documented here with a 100 × 914 mm belt. Don’t rely on the name alone, though: check the size documented for your model.
The disc.
Our catalogue documents the belt, not the disc. Before buying discs, check two things in the manual or on the machine:
- The diameter, in inches or millimetres. A disc that is too large overhangs the plate and catches on the table.
- How it fixes. Most discs on these machines stick on with self-adhesive backing (PSA); some plates take hook-and-loop discs. The two aren’t interchangeable without changing the plate or adding a pad.
Use the disc only on the side where it runs down towards the table. On the other side it lifts the work and can throw it.
Fitting the belt.
Release the tension, slide the old belt off, and fit the new one with any arrow on its back pointing in the belt’s direction of travel. Tension it, then jog the machine and adjust the tracking until the belt runs centred. If the belt unit tilts between horizontal and vertical, check the tracking again after moving it. The general steps are in changing a sanding belt.
Sizes documented for belt and disc sanders.
These are the belt sizes in our catalogue for belt and disc sanders, with the number of machines documented for each. Open a size to see every machine that takes it.
| Size | Machines of this kind | For example |
|---|---|---|
| 6 × 48 in152.4 × 1219.2 mm | 29 machines | Baileigh DBG-106-V2, Bucktool BD61000, Central Machinery 59220 |
| 4 × 36 in101.6 × 914.4 mm | 22 machines | Baileigh DBG-9436, Bauer 58339, Bucktool BD4603 |
| 100 × 915 mm3-15/16 × 36.02 in | 17 machines | Axminster AS408, Axminster AWEBDS46 MkII, Axminster Workshop AW200BDS |
| 150 × 1220 mm5.91 × 48.03 in | 17 machines | Axminster AWEBDS610, Axminster BDS-612, Carbatec BDS-1523H |
| 1 × 30 in25.4 × 762 mm | 15 machines | Bucktool MM493C, Central Machinery 69033, Clarke CBS1-5B |
| 100 × 914 mm3-15/16 × 35.98 in | 12 machines | Axminster Craft AC200BDS, Axminster Workshop AW150BDS, Clarke CS4-6D |
| 1 × 42 in25.4 × 1066.8 mm | 7 machines | Grizzly G1013, Grizzly H8192, JET J-4002 |
| 25 × 762 mm0.98 × 30 in | 5 machines | Axminster Workshop AW15BDS, Charnwood BD15, Draper BDS300SF |
| 2 × 48 in50.8 × 1219.2 mm | 4 machines | Baileigh DBG-9248, JET IBDG-248, JET IBDG-248VS |
| 2 × 42 in50.8 × 1066.8 mm | 4 machines | JET J-41002, King Canada KC-770FX, Magnum Industrial MI-16210 |
Counts are the machines of this kind documented for each exact size today. A size page also lists other kinds of machine that take the same size.
Find your sander’s belt size ↗︎