Lathe belt for lathe

[abunaitoo]

I'm going to have to change the belts on my lathe soon.
Craftsman 101.07403 12"x36".
The motor belt is easy. The headstock belt is more work.
Using a link belt for the headstock would make life easier.
I've heard that link belts stretch. Wear out faster. cost more.
Anyone use link belts on their lathe????
Opinion????

[bangerjim]

Those link belts are lumpy and will induce unwanted vibration into your headstock!

They are OK for table saws,, but do not work well with metal lathes, wood lathes (to a lesser extent, woood jointers and shapers due to the vibrations induced.

I tired a couple and threw them away. Stick to standard smooth V-belts or flat belts like my SouthBend tool room lathe uses.

But it all depends on the quality and accuracy of work you are after!

Bangerjim

[Nueces]

I have used the Fenner PowerTwist link belts on both primary and spindle drives on my little Myford Super 7 for many years. I recall taking a link out of each belt soon after installation, after the links seated. Speeds up to 2800 are smooth. I use a pair on my Walker Turner drill press and intend to put one on the old Rockwell Delta 1x42 belt grinder. All these machines ran smoother after replacing the standard v belts.

With such different experience reported, you can only try for yourself.

[leebuilder]

Link belts are good in a pinch, stay with good quality v-belts you will be better off.
Just my experience
Be safe.

[Chill Wills]

http://shdesigns.org/Craftsman-12x36/head-1.jpg (http://shdesigns.org/Craftsman-12x36/deal.shtml)

Looks like a good setup.

[JWT]

I use the link belts on my drill press. They are much quieter and smoother. I haven't felt the need to put them on anything else yet.

[bangerjim]

Link belts on standard "roughing" tools (drill presses, table saws, etc) - - - you will NOT notice the micro-vibrations nor will it bother the rough work you do with them.

When you are trying to get a micro smooth mirror final finish on a 6" or so piece of brass or steel in a precision lathe like I do, you definitely see the vibration patterns induced into the finish from the rough linkbelt vibrations. It is a moiré-like repeating pattern in the finish. Using one from the motor to the reducing drive set-up is probably OK, but from the drive to the headstock pulley will create those micro-vibrations. Varying the speed varies the pattern! I use VFD's on my tools.

But again.......depends on your quality of work and what you want. I am a perfectionist in all I do and make. The patterns are not acceptable to my hign standards.

I avoid those belts like the plague on all my precision tools!

My professional/engineering observations over decades....but do what you feel you need.

[Nueces]

I have found that even plain v belts induce vibration if not stretched pretty tight or used with an idler pulley. Same with these link belts, which is why you generally have to remove a link after initial stretch-in. Also, my Myford headstock has a large tapered plain front bearing, which also tends to resist vibration. It's no big deal for anyone to try link belts for themselves; they're available on Amazon. If you don't like them, offer them here!

[bangerjim]

HF even sells them! The are on the shelf around me.

[Jeff Michel]

I've used link belts on my Myford Super Seven for years. I never noticed any difference between the them and a conventional solid Vee belt.

[country gent]

For the best finish from a "cold machine let it run idling for awhile to warm up to operating temps. On a predission lathe even standard vee belts cold are not as flexible and show vibration. On a surface grinder its just much easier to hold sizes when the machine is warmed up first. Letting the spindle run first thing for 10-15 mins can make a big diffrence if you finishing roughed out parts.

[Chill Wills]

country gent - that is good advice.

I think that happens by default sometimes. If I make a bunch of passes and take 5 or 50 minutes doing it. By the time I make the last small cut everything is warmed up and running as smooth as it can.


Banger - I did not know about the fine pattern but I will watch for it.

[W.R.Buchanan]

For the best finish from a "cold machine let it run idling for awhile to warm up to operating temps. On a predission lathe even standard vee belts cold are not as flexible and show vibration. On a surface grinder its just much easier to hold sizes when the machine is warmed up first. Letting the spindle run first thing for 10-15 mins can make a big diffrence if you finishing roughed out parts.

This is known as "Establishing the Spindle" and is common practice on the world of grinding. The Cincinnati Centerless Grinders I ran had to be ran for a minimum of 2 hours prior to doing any work just so they would hold size and be able to move predictably. Our Crystal Lake OD grinders had to be ran for 2-4 hours to completely settle down. Otherwise you just chase your nominal dimensions which is much worse than watching a machine warm up.

What this does is heat the machine up to an operating temp and get rid of expansion in both the castings and the rotating parts..

You do the same thing everyday with your car or truck.

With a cold Bridgeport they rattle like hell until they are warmed up, and after that if you are drilling a lot of holes where the location matters you leave the spindle on during lunch so you don't "Loose the Spindle." I do this a lot when trying to mill parts to close tolerances or drill holes in precise places. When I did the links for my Hand Presses with holes that needed to be 4.000 +/-.001 I ran the spindle in my mill for 8 hours strait. Not shutting it down to have lunch, dinner or run errands. The next day after the machine sat over night I always lost a few parts to hole lokes out of position..

As far as Vee belts are concerned there is one link belt that does work good and that is the one shown at the bottom. This is an emergency Belt I have had in my Jeep for many years and in this particular I used it to figure the length of belt I needed for my A/C Pump on my new Jeep.

In the case of a closed spindle lathe and especially one with cone bearings it is a royal PITB to change out a solid vee belt, and getting the bearings set back to where they were is not easy for me and I have done it a hundred times. The Layperson or Hobby Machinist has virtually no chance of getting them back to where they were originally with out skilled help and as such a link belt makes perfect sense.

The whole point being that anyone but a highly skilled machinist would never be able to tell the difference, and anybody else probably wouldn't care.

Before Vee belts all Lathes ran flat belts most of which had very noticeable connections. People got by.

Randy

[country gent]

First shop I worked in had mostly flat belt machines with electric motors on them. I can still hear the lacing links on those nelts slapping at each pulley LOL. The one warner and swasey turret lathe had an 8" wide belt on it. Was a pain as our lacing tool was 6". do a section and move it over to do the last 2". Ounce both ends had the steel lacing in them then assembled and a piece of catgut went thru to tie them together. We had some endless flat belts at campbells where ends of belt were "skived" to a gradual taper and glued together worked but took way longer to due and didnt last as long as the lacings did.

[bangerjim]

There is nothing quiter or soother than a tool running on an overhead line shaft driving pulleys on the machines with wide flat leather belts. If laced correctly, you do not hear the joint go around the pulleys.

One of my shop lathes, a 9" SB Precision Tool Room lathe with drive in the pedital beneath the headstock, uses a wide laced leather belt that is orignal from 1961! Still humming along great. No noise, no chatter, no vibration. It, as most of my tools, is on a 220V VFD with a 3 phase 1HP motor.

[BigEyeBob]

I have used the Fenner PowerTwist link belts on both primary and spindle drives on my little Myford Super 7 for many years. I recall taking a link out of each belt soon after installation, after the links seated. Speeds up to 2800 are smooth. I use a pair on my Walker Turner drill press and intend to put one on the old Rockwell Delta 1x42 belt grinder. All these machines ran smoother after replacing the standard v belts.



With such different experience reported, you can only try for yourself.

The Fenner Power Twist is what I use also on my Super7 ,saves a lot of mucking about . Especially when you have to remove the main spindle to replace a belt.

[Polar_Hunter]

http://shdesigns.org/Craftsman-12x36/head-1.jpg (http://shdesigns.org/Craftsman-12x36/deal.shtml)

Looks like a good setup.

Power Twist Plus,,,, the best thing since the invention of the belt drive system!!! I've used them for years. They do have a bit of a break-in time before you get best performance.