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I have a belt sander on the way and need to order some belt.
Any suggestions on what grits I need to have?

Like so many issues here on WG, it depends. What will you be doing with the WBS? Rough work, finishing? Occasional use or production?
Belts are cheap enough to keep a range on hand- I have 60, 120, 220, 400 (I don't go any further than that in my shop) and order 5 of each at a time from HIS.

Ah, so you use silicon carbide?
I was thinking I had to get diamond.
I think a full range of silicon carbide to start is a good idea, then if I feel I need diamond, I can always upgrade the grits I find I go through most.

Cheers

I use silicon carbide for sanding and have a cork belt to polish

Like others have said, it depends what you're doing and how you work.

I have a large 104" Somaca WBS and use 180 & 220 for almost everything. I can fire polish anything out from 220 grit. Occasionally I'll use a 120.

That said, when I was using a much smaller Covington, it seems like I needed heavier belts...i.e. 80 grit - 220 grit and they'd not last as long....so, again, depends on what you have and how you work.

I definitely would not get diamond belts (have you seen the prices on diamond?) until you're absolutely certain what you use the most of. I use CRL silicone carbide belts and pay around $30 for 5 of them and they last a long time...

Good luck! Larry

I typically use diamond only for rough-in--it cuts fast and leaves a lot of scratches. I generally get about 100-120 grit depending on what's available. That lets me remove a lot of material quickly, then I switch over to softer abrasives like SiC as I get closer to the final size.

HIS Glass has the nicest 3M belts. I agree, 120-220 will fire polish on the slump cycle.

Belts, I thought you all told me to use a hammer and chisel. That must be where I'm going wrong. peace, haydo