lathe belt replacement (again?)

I know it has been discussed but I haven't found an exact answer in older messages.

I bought a used 13" Taiwan lathe. It was very dirty and I have been cleaning and lubing the last days. Mechanically it looks good, but I just realized the belts both are in bad shape.

It uses two B-size belts, motor to intermediate, and intermediate to spindle. To replace them I would need to remove the spindle and two other shafts. I have a semi-manual with parts drawings but no text at all on the process. Looks long and ugly to me. I never worked on any lathe spindle before.

So I was all set to buy some PowerTwist link belt when I remembered that the motor is reversable. Am I correct that link belts only work in one direction? Are there any other split belts that run both directions that are worth considering?

Right now I am leaning toward disconnecting the reverse switch and getting the link belts.

Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Reply to
xray
Loading thread data ...

Pull the spindle and whatever else is necessary and do it right. You will be glad you did.

Especially after you have the pleasure of having all the features and also the familarity with the machine that you gained by doing the belt job all the way. Bob AZ

Reply to
Bob AZ

Yes.

Not that I'm aware of.

If you don't anticipate doing any reverse turning, then you may be better off with the link belts for now. But I wouldn't disconnect the reverse switch. There will be times where you'll want to run the lathe in reverse under power to reset the carriage position without making a cut (e.g., cutting metric threads where you can't disengage the half nuts). For these situations, running the belts backwards should not hurt them (as far as I know), since there will be very little power transmitted through them and they'll only be run for very short periods of time.

If you occasionally need to make a cut in reverse, it might not be difficult to unlink the belts and reverse them.

If you plan on doing a lot of cutting in forward and reverse, then you should probably change out the belts.

- Michael

Reply to
DeepDiver

From the two replies, I'm getting more into the idea of pulling the spindle. I could use a little advice about if I know what I need to do, but I'll start a new message thread about the spindle.

Thanks to you and Bob.

Reply to
xray

FWIW......my new old Emerson horizontal bandsaw blew the belt shortly after I got it. All I had to hand was link belt. I made one up (one size bigger belt than its supposed to be, but it fits ok in the pulley and have been running it pretty hard for the last couple months. Monday while I was cutting 5" channel...I realized the belt was on backwards. Didnt seem to bother it much. Ill leave it on this way.

Swiss screw machines use a LOT of link belt. I service some Bechlers and some Tornos screw machines and about 25% of them have the belts running backwards from the help putting them on wrong. So far Ive never seen a problem with this. Though..it can suck you into the machine by a loose sleeve pretty easily.

Gunner

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire. Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us) off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the shit out of you for torturing the cat." Gunner

Reply to
Gunner

Once worked in - that is stretched and formed to the specific load, they run both directions. After installation - you normally take out a unit for so many inches. As it fits better and better, it becomes a tight fitting belt.

Martin

Reply to
lionslair at consolidated dot

There is a belt in "B" & "C" sections that's manufactured in continuous lengths but has a small hole from inside to outside at intervals of about

20 mm. You cut it to length, then insert a metal joining link to connect the ends.I believe it will handle a greater load than the TwistLink and will run happily in either direction. I used one on a Japanese Goza making machine one time that I couldn't get a correct belt for. (Had to replace it every 6 months or so but it ran 18 hrs / day so it didn't do badly I thought.) Unfortunately, I can't remember the brand name, but you might call up a local belt supplier and ask about it.

Tom

Reply to
Tom Miller

I have been using power twist belts around here for years. Never even knew there was a right and wrong direction. Never had any trouble with one. I hate beating on a lathe spindle. The one on my Atlas 10" lathe has been there for at least 10 years. I only run it backwards about twice a year, but who knows, it may be on backwards already!

Pete Stanaitis

xray wrote:

Reply to
spaco

Link belt - PowerTwist - is mainly used on powered conveyor belts. Normally many belts on massive motors. They were developed for power drives. The fibers layers grip and stay with the pulley - e.g doesn't slip.

Long time user of wood and metal lathes. First on my wood lathe. Naturally 2 sizes.

Mart> >

Reply to
lionslair at consolidated dot

Try this again - been a problem linking to the news group.

They PowerTwist are normally used in numbers wide on powered convener belts. The fiber built links really grip.

Mart> >

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.