The belt sander allows you to work very precisely. The sanding belt runs straight and does not rotate like the sanding plates on orbital, random orbit and delta sanders. For this reason, you can sand run after run quickly and accurately using the BOSCH Belt Sander. If you work along the fibre, i.e. in the direction of the grain, the sanding quality is high but the material removal rate is lower. If you sand across the fibre, the sanding quality is rougher but the material removal rate is accordingly high. Caution when working near edges: If you run the tool over the edge, it will be rounded off quickly.

Before you start sanding, you need the appropriate sanding belt. This is sanding paper that functions in an endless loop like the crawler on a bulldozer. Here, a drive roller guides the belt over a second roller at high speed. You can use the clamp lever to clamp the sanding belt easily into the tool and pull it out again to change the belt. As a rule, use a sanding belt with coarse grit to start with. Then select a finer grit for each sanding run. The following applies as a rule of thumb: next operation, grit that is twice as fine, example: grit sequence 40 80 180 360.

You decide how fast the belt runs. When using sanding tools with BOSCH Electronic, turn the setting wheel to the desired belt speed. If your tool does not have BOSCH Electronic, you can control the speed via the push-button switch in the handle. It functions like the accelerator pedal in a car: The harder you press it, the faster the belt runs and the more material is removed. Select a low speed for paint or varnish. Paint or varnish should only be heated very slightly because otherwise they get stuck in the sanding sheet, quickly making it unusable. The same applies for soft materials. The higher the speed, the more material is removed. In general, setting is a matter of feeling: If the tools runs too fast, feel free to switch down one or two steps.

Do not press the BOSCH Belt Sander onto the work piece. The weight of the machine provides enough pressure. Hold the tool firmly though because it has a considerable pull. The natural running direction of the machine is away from you. Guide the machine in a slow, continuous motion over the work piece and always sand in two tracks: first away from your body and then back again. Pulling back requires more effort than pushing forward.

You can use your BOSCH Belt Sander not only for woodworking but also for large-surface, coarse sanding work on paint, filler, plastic, metal and also on stone. Caution when working on metal surfaces: The removed material is pulled over the entire length of the sanding area when using the belt sander, which can cause grooves to form. The same effect applies to plastic surfaces. In addition to this, sanding dust can melt back on as a result of frictional heat. This would not provide a perfect surface. A similar effect takes place with painted surfaces.

You can also use your BOSCH Belt Sander as a bench-mounted tool, for sanding down a large number of boards, for example. As an accessory for this, BOSCH offers a sub-frame. You can clamp your belt sander into this sub-frame and secure it to a stable table or bench.

Belt sanders from BOSCH are all equipped with the BOSCH Micro-Filter System . This ensures that dust that you would otherwise breathe in or would otherwise fly into your eyes lands in the filter box. You can then very conveniently remove and empty the box. When using a belt sander, you should do this regularly because it removes a lot of material. If you like, you can however also connect your belt sander to a BOSCH All-Purpose Vacuum or a household vacuum cleaner.