Rubber for belt grinder drive wheel?

Contact cement , and spiral the new rubber up (or down ...) the drum to avoid a vertical seam . Use wax paper or the like between the rubber and the drum to keep it from sticking until you get it aligned , they call it contact cement for a reason ... if you goof , lacquer thinner will dissolve it , and naphtha will remove the residue . (Tricks of the cabinet shop , countertops 101)

"mlcorson" wrote: (clip)A 3" diameter inner tube might work, but what kind of adhesive should I use? I have some cork and rubber gasket material that I could cut and place, but it would have a seam. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have used hair spray for installing bicycle handlebar grips. It is slippery when wet, and then dries to an adhesive-like consistency.

If you install something like gasket material, cut it so the seam is a long diagonal, so it doesn't go "thump" with every revolution.

Have you tried running with the drive wheel "naked"? I suspect that the tire was on the wheel for friction, but you don't need much of it. My homebuilt belt grinder has a bare aluminum drive wheel, which is quite smooth, polished really, and has plenty of friction.

If you do need a tire and use something seamless, like a piece of inner tube, you should not need ANY adhesive if the tire is stretched at all. The tension should hold it just fine. If tension on the belt keeps it from slipping on the tire, tension on the tire will do the same.

If you have to wrap it & have a seam, don't worry about - the belt is flexible enough to handle a seam. The biggest problem that I've had with seams (on the tire on my contact wheel) is centrifugal* force lifting the edge. That was using contact cement, or maybe Barge, to hold it done. It happened at higher speeds, maybe 2500 - 3000 rpm on a

HTH, Bob

• - physics weenies: please don't get started with the "no such thing as centrifugal force". Everybody understands what I meant, let's leave it at that.

You really don't need the rubber. My 1x42 machine(Sears) uses a bare aluminum drive wheel and it works perfectly well. Your plastic wheel might eventually wear down, but a new metal wheel is easy to make.

Randy

======= From the "garage of bodge"

As one poster suggested try running with the bare drive wheel.

I tried this and when attempting a "heavy" grind the belt would slip.

As a quick fix (about 4 years ago) I wound on a layer of black rubber "insulation tape" (not the cloth or plastic kind). Make sure to wind in the same direction that the belt will turn so as to avoid having the belt try to unwrap the tape. Overlap the tape about 1/2 the width, and you may want to build up the center to provide additional crown if you are having problems with belt tracking or the tendency to work to one side or the other off the pulley.

This worked so well that I now consider this a permanent fix, and the tape is still slightly soft.

Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

I doubt it. All the innertubes I've ever seen are a different thickness as you go around the the tube. It'll cuse a BUMP every rev.

...lew...

On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:17:28 -0500, F. George McDuffee

SNIP

Called "self-amalgamating" tape. Available at any electrical wholesale.

I think I would give bicycle tube sheet repair stuff a try.

Check a vacuum cleaner repair place. There are some flat rubber belts that seem like they might be about 3.5" dia.

George: I have some of this tape. I think. There is little or no adhesive on the tape...correct? I use it for wrapping a split bolt wire splices. More rubber than tape. Same stuff?

It's called "self-sealing" or "self-vulcanizing" splicing tape. You should _always_ have a roll in the shop. It's great for all sorts of friction functions.

LLoyd

============ If it sticks to itself, yes.

When you get enough wrapped on the roller pull the tape apart and it will stretch and thin when it tears. This will make a flatter joint and eliminate a possible "thump" with a square cut end.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

On Thu, 19 Jul 2007 09:45:38 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, "Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" quickly quoth:

Are there any places which sell it for less than $19/roll? I saw a guy at the Home Improvement Faire a few months ago who was selling a couple rolls for $25. I was sure I could do better but then forgot about it. The stuff does look handy.

So, who wholesales it? Oh, and what's the shelf life? --- In Christianity, neither morality nor religion comes into contact with reality at any point. --FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

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Well, I stripped the old rubber tire off the wheel, and ran a belt with the drive wheel naked. This seems to work. I will run it like this until the wheel wears out or slips. When and if this no longer works, I will try the rubber tape or just make a new drive wheel. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

-Mike

I also have a Delta 42 inch belt sander. The rubber on both the drive and idle wheels came off. Keep your eyes open. I found a couple of plastic wheels of the same size in the dumpster of a auto hobby shop. I had to make a new shaft so I could use one for the idle wheel. I think they came off a auto engine and kept tension on a serpntine belt.

Dan

Good eyes.

Perhaps - skate board wheels would do on some things...

Mart> >

Dan: I just got this Rockwell 1970's sander. It has a 3/4hp, 3420 rpm motor on it. This seems very fast to me. What size is your machine side V pulley? What rpm is your motor? I went to the Delta/Rockwell website and found the specs. They call for a 3400+ rpm motor. My machine may have the wrong size V pulley. Any information is appreciated. Thanks. _mike

My motor looks to be the original motor, has a Rockwell id plate on it. It is 1/2 hp 3450 rpm. The motor has a pulley that is just slightly bigger than the pulley that drives the belt. OD of the motor pulley is about 3 inches.

Hope that helps.

Dan

Yes, helps a lot. It matches my machine. I was going to put on a larger pulley on the machine, but now I won't. Thanks!

-Mike

George and Dan: I've wrapped the drive wheel with rubber tape (thanks George). Worked great. I replaced my back idler wheel with a skate board wheel (Thanks Martin). Everything is working beautifully. However, I still would like to have some variability in the belt speed. The grinder is mounted on a vertical tube stand with the motor attached to the tube below the grinder. The following options seem practical. I have an variable speed spring loaded pulley that I removed from one of my folding machines. The spring loaded motor pulley (was on the motor) seemed to work by increasing/decreasing the tension on the belt. I'd have to engineer a tensioning device to make the pulley work in a 3rd position on the belt. Make sense? The other way is to use 2 cone pulleys, one on the motor and one on the machine. I'd "hang" the motor on a hinge and use the weight of the motor to put tension on the belt. That way the motor is simply lifted to release the belt tension, and change the pulley arrangement. Downside to any of these approaches? What about a static cone pulley in a 3rd position? How would I move the cone to align with the belt? My first observation is that there is very little room for a larger pulley on the machine side. Maybe room for a 4". Honestly, I don't know think I have the skills to construct an idler with a shaft and bearing. I'd have to find something and adapt it my use. What think?

-Mike