Vent: my brand new belt sander died after 20 minutes of use

Picked up a new belt sander from Home Depot last Saturday to refinish a pine table in my garage. Got through sanding one leg and the motor started smoking and just quit. Took it back Sunday and the guy at the counter said I wasn't the first person that week with that same model. Anyone else had a tool fail right out of the box like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

sanchez.ivan7d ago

Yeah Home Depot is really selling some garbage these days. I bought a DeWalt planer there last month and the blades started chattering after ten minutes. You'd think they'd test this stuff before shipping it across the country. At least they took yours back without a fight.

the_drew7d ago

Check if the blade's seated right on the locking pins, sometimes they shift during shipping and throw the whole thing off balance. Also blow out the dust port before you fire it up, those things collect debris like crazy.

the_daniel7d ago

Hold the blade up to a straight edge too. I had a brand new saw stop blade that came from the factory looking like a potato chip, slight wobble you'd never catch unless you checked it against something flat. Returned it and the next one was fine. Also check the arbor flange for any paint or burrs, I've seen new saws with a little glob of paint on the flange that messes with blade alignment. Its those tiny things that cause big vibration problems nobody thinks to check.