Using a Sander

Tracking

The most common question for sanders is about tracking the belt onto the drums. This is easily accomplished by adjusting the knob on the top left-hand side of the sander. Turning the knob towards yourself brings the drum up and tightens the belt, driving the belt to the left. Turning the knob away from you tilts the drum down and drives the belt to the right, loosening the belt.

You may need to adjust the tension on the belt if it's new or if the belt has become saturated with water. Dry belts tend to be tighter and the tension bolt
underneath the upper drum may need to be loosened.

As the belt becomes wet you will probably have to tighten the tension to keep it tracking true. Adjust the tension by turning the bolt to the right, lifting the drum up and tightening the belt.

When you want to change the belt altogether, turn on the switch and spin the knob towards yourself. When the belt is hanging off the right hand side, turn the switch off and finish working the belt off the drums by hand.

Work the new belt onto the drums by hand. Tighten the knob by turning it
towards yourself and then turn the switch back on. Using the knob only, adjust it until it tracks straight using the guidelines above.

NEVER adjust the nylon lock-nut that is below the knob and above the tensioning bolt. This lock-nut is factory set and if over-tightened, it will snap
the upper bearing casting. This is a user mistake and any damage to the casting is NOT covered by the warranty. Always leave this nut alone.

For visual instructions, watch this video.

Water Hookup

There are a few options available for water hook-up to your new Covington Sander. The 2 most common are the Pressure Tank, which provides water to the belt with only a few pumps of pressure, or the Water Pump, which provides constant water to the belt. Both methods are efficient and inexpensive.

The Pressure Tank will hook right into your sander valve and must be tightened down sufficiently for the aluminum tubing to remain in the valve. Simply give the pressure tank a few pumps and the water will begin to spray onto the belt. You
will occasionally have to pump the handle to keep pressure in the tank and keep the water flowing.

The water pump is a submersible unit that must be placed into a bucket of water. The pump has a quick connect attachment for the ¼” plastic tubing. Simply press the tubing into the quick connect and it will stay in place.

The other end of the tubing must be placed securely into the sander valve using a copper fitting with the tubing. This fitting prevents leaking. Once the tubing is connected, simply plug the pump into an outlet, make sure the valve is open and it will begin putting water onto your belt.

We usually recommend purchasing a Drain Kit with your sander to eliminate dirty water as it accumulates in the pan. Simply remove the drain plug, attach the drain kit, and put the remaining tubing into a bucket. By removing the water from the pan, you prevent over-flow, cross-contamination, and scratching of your pieces.