If your shop changes wide belt sanding grits regularly, operators may lose track of which grit is installed. But we found a simple solution.

Using the right grits in the right order on your wide belt sander is important to achieve the best finish depending on what you are sanding. So, if your shop changes wide belt grits regularly, you likely have people constantly wondering what grits are already installed and in what positions on the machine.

Two bad consequences can result from this problem:

• The first is people don’t check the machine and don’t discover the wrong grits were installed until a poorly sanded or damaged part comes out the other side of the machine.
• The second possible consequence is that people waste time constantly opening the machine and examining the sanding belts to see what is loaded where.

To solve these problems, we use magnets labeled with the grits of the wide belts to let everyone in the shop know what's loaded in each head of the machine at a glance without having to open the door. Since the labels are already made up and simply magnets, it’s really easy and takes no time at all to stick them on the outside of the machine.

You can get dry erase magnetic labels at most office supply outlets such as Staples, Office Depot, Uline and Amazon.com. 

Matt Krig of Northland Woodworks, Blaine, Minnesota, is president of the Cabinet Makers Association. Krig is among the woodworking business managers who will present during at the Cabinets Track at the Cabinets & Closets  Conference, April 11 near Chicago. Krig will talk about his company's business process to grow to $2.3 million in sales next year. Learn more about Krig and other presenters at the 2017 Cabinets & Closets Conference and Expo running April 11-13 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center.