working on lathe

Re: working on lathe

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>That's a cool idea, Ernie. I've used those links on various motor driven devices, they work fine, love it that they're adjustable. But I hadn't thought of using a l-o-n-g one. Wonder if this would work on a bandsaw.

Pam

Re: working on lathe

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Forgot to mention, it matters in which direction you orient them, surprisingly makes a big difference.

Pam

Question about the lathe

mike recchione

>I picked up what looks like an identical Singer treadle sewing machine bottom at a garage sale a few years ago, intending to make a treadle lathe. I asked about it on The Pond and most of the answers I got were along the lines that the flywheel wasn't massive enough for a lathe. I eventually used it to make a copy of a Salish bulk spinner that I saw a picture of in one of my wife's SpinOff magazines. (This is a special type of spinning machine that can hold up to a pound or more of bulky yarn on one spool). It got used about once - it turns out it's very uncomfortable to spin on for various reasons that I won't go into here. So I would be willing to decomission it and revive it as something else if the right something else were to come along.

I eventually broke down and got a Delta Midi Lathe with the bed extension, but I occasionally wish I had the ability to turn something longer, like the back posts of a ladderback chair, for example.

So my question: Does this work well at all for turning wood? Do you find the flywheel is heavy enough?

Thanks,

Mike

Re: Question about the lathe

John Stegall

>I once had the mechanism from a leather sewing machine and the flywheel was much heavier. FYI.

Re: working on lathe

Ernie Miller *Topeka

>Spin it one way it stays on the other it comes off

Re: Question about the lathe

Ernie Miller *Topeka

>I'm having a bit of a hard time getting the belt tensioned right it is either to hard to peddel or the belt comes off.

Re: working on lathe

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Not anything nearly so obvious when I installed them incorrectly. Is that what happened with you?

Pam

Re: working on lathe

Ernie Miller *Topeka

>That's what is happenin. part of the problem the lower pulley has a round bottom for leather belts that dosen't fit the belt right. I think a 3/8 belt might work better but all I could find was a 1/2" I'm still playing with this thing. I might have to break down and just build the thing from the bottom up.

Re: working on lathe

Todd Hughes

>I was thinking that it should take a round belt.Why not then use a round belt instead of this link one? I have made a good many round belts for things like this and not that hard to do.I just cut the belt out of thick leather and then soak it and while wet pull it though a round hole. I actually have a tool made for this, is a device with different size holes that opens up, but imagine some holes drilled in a plate would work OK too.I just sewed the belt together with a copper wire staple I made....Lathe might work for very small work but don't think you will be able to do much more with out a heavier fly wheel.Maybe some lead wheel weights would help?....just guessing now....Todd , who bought most of a jewelers treadle lathe last week for $5

Re: working on lathe

Victor Parisian

>Ernie, Have you tried the bearing and power transmission houses in your area. I haven't ever asked for a round belt before, but the good ones like Purvis seem to have just about everything else I've ever wanted in the power transmission arena.

Re: working on lathe

George in Lowell, Mich.

>I bought round leather belting from Mc Master Carr for a sewing machine rebuild.

Make sure the belt touches the sides of the pulleys, not the bottom of the groove. Also, a spring loaded (or screw adjusted) tensioning device might help. As Pam mentioned it will work better on one side of the belt than the other. I would try it on the pulling side of the belt, pressing in.

George

Re: working on lathe

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Disagree. The tensioner/adjuster definately belongs on the slack side. If it is on the drive side when the load increases on the lathe the tensioner will give and the belt gets loose. If it is on the slack side the load keeps the drive side taught and the tensioner pulls in on the slack making the belt wrap more around the drive and load pulleys. JR

Re: link belt assembly *LINK*

Pam Niedermayer - Austin, TX

>Here are LV's instructions, Ernie, I found them helpful.

Pam


Link belt instructions

I agree

Bob Hackett

>Sounds like Ernie needs to find a belt that will seat deeper in the pulleys and a round belt may be the only answer there.Are the pulleys in line and coplanar Ernie?

The problem with a round belt is that unless the lathe can be tilted like a sewing machine then the belt has to be long enough to slip over both pulleys and then you need an idler(on the slack side) to tension it.

If you need to slack the belt off to turn it and it just starts to slip try alittle belt dressing on it.

Mainely,Bob

I wonder if

Todd O. Cronkhite Maine Native in FL. Exile :~(

>turning the belt upside down might help. Seems to me that the little knobby fingers are interfering with the way it fits in the pully groove. the other side is smooth, which might help and is worth a try I think. Sounds to me tho that the belt is just too wide for the pully. Good uck Ernie, we know you'll come up with something.

Todd O.

Re: I agree

Ernie Miller *Topeka

>The large pulley has a cut out in it to get the gelt on it so the machine dosen't have to be tilted. I will check with McMaster and Carr to see if they have a round belt long enough. I will also need to find a round pully that will fit the shaft or have a friend make one. Guss I might need to sell this link belt or take it back

Re: proper side for the tensioner

George in Lowell, Mich.

>You guys are exactly right. My problem was I was thinking with the wrong side of my brain...;^(

At least a part of my message may of been helpful.

Todd's suggestion of lead on the flywheel sounded like it would help also. Maybe pieces of lead solder all cut to the same length (2-3 foot maybe or more) then wrapped around the spokes.

Still thinkin'

George

If you do that

Dan Donaldson

>Make sure that you keep the weight as far out toward the rim as possible for the greatest effect.