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[Steve-White]

I am guessing this to be a bi-directional belt and not one that the directional arrows got missed during manufacture and quality checks.

[Steve-White]

Years ago, I had a co-worker loose a portion of his thumb when the glove he was wearing was sucked into a disc grinder.  These tools are not idiot proof-or even forgiving if you get complacent for a split second.

Yes.  I'll ditch the gloves on this machine in the future as well.  Sometimes just talking about safety helps.  I've worked in industry where we had a safety meeting at the start of every shift.

That what why I started the thread - potential nasty event in the shop - maybe save somebody else some grief.

[Steven Cohen]

I have been working on a large project where a hard hat is required. I have hit my head a dozen times on low beams due to not seeing them due to the hard hat's white bill. The hard hat did its job as I had no injuries or pain, just a clunk.

I am Mr. Safety but this one perplexes me. If I had a need to wear a hard hat more frequently I would get one with a transparent bill. Perhaps its just me with wearing glasses and age?

[Steve-White]

^^^ You're right, the decrease in peripheral vision is a problem.  Everything is a trade-off.  Work gloves were also issued and required.  I've worked in industry where hard hats were required all the time.  Concrete Pipe manufacturing plant.  We built from 18" ID stand cast taper spigot 48" long, to steel cage reinforced centrifugal spun 96" ID sections that were 8' long.

I'm still struggling to understand what happened on the belt sander.  Thought it was figured out, but looked at it some more and it just doesn't add up that a corner caught on the work piece.  I didn't feel the brunt of the energy release on the work piece, had it caught it probably would have yanked it from my hands, or at least jerked it violently - didn't notice that.  And what I thought to be the smoking gun may not be after all.

[Chris Hindle]

I'm still struggling to understand what happened on the belt sander.  Thought it was figured out, but looked at it some more and it just doesn't add up that a corner caught on the work piece.  I didn't feel the brunt of the energy release on the work piece, had it caught it probably would have yanked it from my hands, or at least jerked it violently - didn't notice that.  And what I thought to be the smoking gun may not be after all.

So I take it the work was NOT flat on the table, and you were going free-willy against the belt?
Ya, if a corner caught, you would have know it....
In that case, I'm leaning towards buying better belts... 
Chris

[Dave Garoutte]

Catching the corner may not try to yank the plate, as the belt has 'no' mass and your plate looked to weigh a few pounds.
Once the rip started, it may have caught on the sander rather than your workpiece.

[Steve-White]

Catching the corner may not try to yank the plate, as the belt has 'no' mass and your plate looked to weigh a few pounds.
Once the rip started, it may have caught on the sander rather than your workpiece.

Yes, and please keep looking.  I will post up a few more pictures.  It looks like the belt caught just past the drive pulley which would explain the "wadding".  i just don't think the work piece initiated the event.  Or, I'm not convinced yet and would like to be certain to understand what caused the "event" so it doesn't happen again.

The indention in the belt, that I thought could have been the corner edge of the work piece, doesn't look to be that at all.  It looks like a piece of FOD from the dust port area at the end of the belt where the drive roller is got caught between the belt, drive roller and frame of the machine.

Have a look at the closeup of the belt, with the work piece up against it.  The work piece is pretty light, way under a pound and would have gotten slapped around by the belt, as the tension on the drive pulley is taught and doesn't slip.  The belts themselves are pretty tough.

[Steve-White]

The way the belt wadded up, and the width of the indention looks like it may have been a piece of FOD that got caught between the drive pulley and the frame of the machine.  In the attached picture, the belt is traveling downwards so right at the point of the wheel and frame is very close tolerance and strong enough to shred the belt.'

Have a look.

[Chris Hindle]

The way the belt wadded up, and the width of the indention looks like it may have been a piece of FOD that got caught between the drive pulley and the frame of the machine.  In the attached picture, the belt is traveling downwards so right at the point of the wheel and frame is very close tolerance and strong enough to shred the belt.'

Have a look.

What's with the crack in the frame, which looks like it runs back to the shaft holding the lower pulley?
If the pulley is not held absolutely straight, you're going to have all kinds of tracking issues. Worse as you tighten the belt. I WOULD THINK.....
Maybe I'm reading the picture wrong.
Where is the lower pulley actually held in the machine?
Does that crack even matter? (I bet it does....)
Chris.   

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