Link Belts?

1/28/17, 3:03 PM #1

bowlman
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Registered: 6/30/06

Link Belts?

bowlman

Has anybody had any exerience replacing standard belts with those link belts on a lathe with a reeves drive?

The reason I ask is that I am getting a lot of slippage on my 30+ year old General 260. I suspect that the belts, replaced only once or twice since 1986, are just worn down smooth. Replacing the lower belt is no problem, but replacing the upper belt is a royal pain! Hidden half moon keys that require the same skills needed to open a Chinese puzzle box ... and it is at least a one day job, since you have to disassemble the entire headstock.

So, I was thinking that at least for the upper belt, perhaps the lower as well, I just might replace them with those link belts ... BUT ... I remember hearing somewhere that using those belts with a Reeves drive was a no-go. So, anybody cae to chime in?

Your help and input is greatly appreciated as always.

Re: Link Belts?

1/28/17, 4:13 PM #2

Doc Green
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May not be the belt!

Doc Green

I have no experience with link belts but I do have experience with a Reeves drive on a Sears lathe.

The problem I constantly faced with that particular drive was that the pulley halves would get to where they would not slide back and forth on the shaft, which is necessary in order for the pulleys to maintain a grip on the belt. Both the top and bottom pulleys were subject to this.

The temporary "fix" was to clean the shaft and free up the pulleys, which I had to do every couple of months. That got old in a hurry. I tried every lubricant there is, and finally found the best way to go was to use no lubricant at all.

Then I got my PM 3520B. No further problems with the Reeves drive.

~Doc

Re: Link Belts?

1/30/17, 5:09 PM #3

William Duffield
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Re: May not be the belt!

William Duffield

I didn't make nearly as big a leap as you did, but I also solved the (smaller) Reeves drive problems with my Jet 1236 by replacing it with a Jet 1642. I didn't need to clean the 1236 nearly that often, but maybe that's because I didn't turn as much as you do, or it could have been because the drive was better protected from dust and other contaminations than your Sears. Just speculating. The biggest annoyance I had with the Reeves drive was remembering to slow it down before shutting it off when I was finished with a project. Remembering after I've mounted a new, out of balance hunk of wood can get really exciting in a hurry.

Link Belts?

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