convert a older craftsman BS

[john mclane]

A quick question and it may be just way off base. But with enough engineers and creative people on this site here goes:

I realized that maybe the old craftsman tabletop band saw I threw in the trash last week can be converted to a sander. Is it possible to get relatively small band of sandpaper that might fit the saw and stay on?

I'm going to go get it out of the trash until you guys tell me I'm crazy.

[Jim Becker]

John, I have heard of folks doing this, but haven't seen it "live". It might be worth pulling it out of the trash at least until you have all the answers! It will be much harder to find once it goes to the landfill...

[Dick Bringhurst]

I have an attachment for a 1946 Delta band saw that attaches to the saw and has a narrow "blade" (band of sand paper) to install just like a regular blade. the metal attachment provides the platen to back up the sand paper. It works quite well. Dick B.

[David Fried]

I tried it with my 14" Delta bandsaw and was disappointed.

I didn't use anything in back of the belt and that might have been the problem but I was trying to sand the inside of a bandsaw box and it didn't seem to be an option.

I got my belts from Lee Valley Tools. If you have a 14" saw and want to try them, I would send you the belts I have as I will never use them. They are 93-1/2".


Dave Fried

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Where there's a will, there's a way. But consider that you can get a complete, functional 1x30" belt sander from Harbor Freight for $25 on sale. I wouldn't put a whole lot of effort into this project unless you think it's worth it for the entertainment value.

[Joe Chritz]

I would think you would have to have a platen of some kind. Even for slack belt grinding the span would be to much.

If you do a search for knife building supplies you can find the fiber used for platens as an adhesive roll. Making a platen wouldn't be all that difficult.

I have used it on the platen of my 2" knife grinder and it works well.

One big advantage of your proposed set up over a small HF unit is belt length. If it gets any use longer belts are a huge advantage. Longer belts don't get nearly so hot. Not as big a deal with wood but when grinding 440C or D2 tool steel into knife blades it gets hard on the fingers fast.

Good luck and be sure to post pictures if you get it up and running.

Joe

[Steve Stube]

John, maybe you could splash a picture of that "older" bandsaw here so we can see what you are working with. My early 70's Craftsman 12" bandsaw came with an accessory platen and 1/2" X 80" sanding belt. IIRC I ordered some spare sanding belts for it too but never did try the sanding function on the saw. Shortly after I purchased this saw (72 - 73) I converted it for metal cutting too using a Boston gear box I could switch in and out of the motor drive line with a simple belt change. It worked alright but I wanted more latitude in speed range so I equipped it with a Shunt Wound DC motor and a home built controller - much better! It cut anything I had a need to cut, sheetmetal, 5" thick aluminum plate and yes even wood. Recently some metal shavings got into the controller shorting it out so it was converted back to AC motor driven to cut out some wooden cars for my grandsons. It will again be converted to variable speed (either DC or VF drive) when I get around to it so I can make use of the hundred or so Lenox blades I have for it. Excuse the journey back in time (ramblings).

Anyway, I don't throw old Craftsman bandsaws away (not yet anyway), I use them. I also have a couple of like new 50's vintage Craftsman 3 wheel bench top bandsaws that I'm hoping will be training saws for grandchildren, the same saw I used when I was a boy of 7 and 8 years of age.

[Perry Holbrook]

John, when I bought my Jet 18" several years ago, I did in fact convert my 12" Craftsman into a ribbon sander and use it in my shop about everyday. First of all you can special order the belts from Klingspor, (they don't charge extra for special orders). Seems like the belts are 81" on mine. Buy them about 6" wide and you can tear them into the widths that you need. I like their J-Flex backing.

When I did my conversion I over-engineered it, like I usually do. I rigged up a leather strap platen and another one out of sheet metal. Like someone else mentioned, I thought it would be helpful in sanding the inside of a bandsaw box. The problem with that was my platen was not ridgid enough and it sanded in a slight bow.

I decided to take the platen off and just run it without any back support for the belt. One other thing I did was to change the tensioning spring. I don't know if it was really necessary. I just put on the belt and tighten it as much as the spring will allow.

Because of belt length, they last a long time. I use a 150 grit belt. I use mine all the time to round off edges and corners, de-bur metal edges, "adjust" a piece, etc. It is not agressive so you can be creative with it.

Hope this helps, Perry

[Mac McAtee]

I bought a Craftsman 12" band saw in the 1970's. It came with a 1/2" sanding band and a device to take the place of the upper blade guides that gave you a flat surface to work against.

Get yourself a manual for the machine in question and see if the parts are listed. You may be able to go to a Sears parts place and get everything you need for the conversion, stock from the manufacturer.