ok dont laugh im new to turning as some of you will know ..
i own a ...wait for it...........clarke woodlathe its not wonderful but
it got me into this hobby .. it has variable spead 500 to 2000 rpm using a v
belt and 2 wheels so easy to change speed just move the handle... problem is
iv already worn out 1 belt in about a month ,,,,,
does anyone know how to slow the wearing prosses on the belt ???


--
Graeme
" Daddy to 2 lost corn snakes "Heshe & Indy"

Graeme said:

ok dont laugh im new to turning as some of you will know ..
i own a ...wait for it...........clarke woodlathe its not wonderful but
it got me into this hobby .. it has variable spead 500 to 2000 rpm using a v
belt and 2 wheels so easy to change speed just move the handle... problem is
iv already worn out 1 belt in about a month ,,,,,
does anyone know how to slow the wearing prosses on the belt ???

If it's a Reeves drive, you might try finding a full wrap belt. The
sorry things they sell nowadays are usually cut V belts.

If you can't find anywhere else to get them, match something up from
the Grainger or MCS catalogs. You'll pay near list, but how much
could a belt cost...

FWIW,

Greg G.

If the wheels are out of line, or you are getting a lot of slipping
(not enough belt tension), the belts will wear out a lot quicker. Also
rough spots on the drive wheels. When I had a v belt drive lathe, I
used one of the link belts and found it to work much better than the
standard v belt.
robo hippy

On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 13:09:11 -0000, "Graeme :\)"
wrote:

ok dont laugh im new to turning as some of you will know ..
i own a ...wait for it...........clarke woodlathe its not wonderful but
it got me into this hobby .. it has variable spead 500 to 2000 rpm using a v
belt and 2 wheels so easy to change speed just move the handle... problem is
iv already worn out 1 belt in about a month ,,,,,
does anyone know how to slow the wearing prosses on the belt ???

No idea if the Clarke is like the Jet, but I've had the type of adjustable speed
in both my Jet and shopsmith... never used up a belt in the Jet, 1 in the
shopsmith in over 20 years..

One thing that will raise hell with belts is trying to change speeds when the
lathe isn't running....

Other than that, maybe there is a belt adjustment, but doubtful with a reeves
type drive.. (2 pulleys that change sizes to change speeds)



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"Graeme " wrote: (clip) iv already worn out 1 belt in about a month ,,,,,
does anyone know how to slow the wearing prosses on the belt ???
^^^^^^^^^^^^
My experience with that type of drive was on a Jet 1236, which is probably
similar. That type of drive is prone to slipping, since the belt tension is
provided by a spring, trying to close one of the variable pulleys. When you
get a catch, the lathe stops, which is good for safety, expecially for a
beginner, but very hard on the belt. The spinning pulley against the
stationary belt can cause it to heat up very quickly, and weaken it. The
belt is likely to breat at that spot sometime later (like a week or two.)

I suggest that you replace the belt with a link belt. This will cost a
little more, but it has several advantages.
1.) If the belt breaks due to local damage, you can replace a few links,
instead of the whole belt, saving money.
2.) The belts seem to last longer than regular belts.
3.) On some lathes, replacing the belt involves disassembly. A link belt
can be replaced without disassembly.
4.) On a variable drive such as yours, the exact length of the belt affects
the speed range. With a link belt, you can fine-tune this in increments of
1/2". And, you don't have to buy a different belt for each try.

I suggest you buy an extra foot or so of link belt, and keep it on hand for
the next repair. Hope this helps.

I have had the same problem.
Check http://www.newwoodworker.com/bltrplcjwl1236.html to learn drive belt
replacement
Then find out where the original belt were made.
True the alignment of the pulleys has something to do with premature belt
worn out on that type of variable speed system.
However, the quality of the belt could be the culprit. In my case the belt
that came with the lathe was of low quality made in China. What the dealer
re-seller carry in inventory is the same belt and its not always of premium
quality.
I got the equilvalent size of belt made by Gates US from an Auto Parts
store.
Since then I never had to replace the belt.
You should Google Gates or any reputable belt manufacturers to identify your
belt requirement. Or the Auto parts dealer in your area may be able to held
you.

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 6 Nov 2005 13:09:11 -0000, "Graeme :\)"

wrote:

ok dont laugh im new to turning as some of you will know ..
i own a ...wait for it...........clarke woodlathe its not wonderful
but
it got me into this hobby .. it has variable spead 500 to 2000 rpm using
a v
belt and 2 wheels so easy to change speed just move the handle... problem
is
iv already worn out 1 belt in about a month ,,,,,
does anyone know how to slow the wearing prosses on the belt ???

No idea if the Clarke is like the Jet, but I've had the type of adjustable
speed
in both my Jet and shopsmith... never used up a belt in the Jet, 1 in the
shopsmith in over 20 years..

One thing that will raise hell with belts is trying to change speeds when
the
lathe isn't running....

Other than that, maybe there is a belt adjustment, but doubtful with a
reeves
type drive.. (2 pulleys that change sizes to change speeds)



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I forgot to mention that link belts do not take a "set," so they run
smoother.

yep my belt and system seem very simlar to the jet system ill look into
difrent belts that may fit

--
Graeme
" Daddy to 2 lost corn snakes "Heshe & Indy"
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
...

"Graeme " wrote: (clip) iv already worn out 1 belt in about a month
,,,,,
does anyone know how to slow the wearing prosses on the belt ???
^^^^^^^^^^^^
My experience with that type of drive was on a Jet 1236, which is probably
similar. That type of drive is prone to slipping, since the belt tension
is
provided by a spring, trying to close one of the variable pulleys. When
you
get a catch, the lathe stops, which is good for safety, expecially for a
beginner, but very hard on the belt. The spinning pulley against the
stationary belt can cause it to heat up very quickly, and weaken it. The
belt is likely to breat at that spot sometime later (like a week or two.)

I suggest that you replace the belt with a link belt. This will cost a
little more, but it has several advantages.
1.) If the belt breaks due to local damage, you can replace a few links,
instead of the whole belt, saving money.
2.) The belts seem to last longer than regular belts.
3.) On some lathes, replacing the belt involves disassembly. A link belt
can be replaced without disassembly.
4.) On a variable drive such as yours, the exact length of the belt
affects
the speed range. With a link belt, you can fine-tune this in increments
of
1/2". And, you don't have to buy a different belt for each try.

I suggest you buy an extra foot or so of link belt, and keep it on hand
for
the next repair. Hope this helps.

On 6 Nov 2005 08:56:18 -0800, "robo hippy" wrote:

If the wheels are out of line, or you are getting a lot of slipping
(not enough belt tension), the belts will wear out a lot quicker. Also
rough spots on the drive wheels. When I had a v belt drive lathe, I
used one of the link belts and found it to work much better than the
standard v belt.
robo hippy

Reed... Can you use link belts on a reeves drive?

If so, it's something I might do on my Jet 1442... the motor is so quiet that
I'd love to quiet the drive down, too


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I use link-belt on my general 160. I only have ~200 hours on this
setup, but fine so far :-)

Mike

mac davis wrote:
On 6 Nov 2005 08:56:18 -0800, "robo hippy" wrote:


If the wheels are out of line, or you are getting a lot of slipping
(not enough belt tension), the belts will wear out a lot quicker. Also
rough spots on the drive wheels. When I had a v belt drive lathe, I
used one of the link belts and found it to work much better than the
standard v belt.
robo hippy


Reed... Can you use link belts on a reeves drive?

If so, it's something I might do on my Jet 1442... the motor is so quiet that
I'd love to quiet the drive down, too


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing


--
The greatest performance improvement occurs on the transition of from
the non-working state to the working state.

Mac,
I don't know if the link belts will work on the reeves drive or not. I
would imagine that if a standard v belt works, then a link belt will
work.
robo hippy

"robo hippy" wrote: (clip) I would imagine that if a standard v belt works,
then a link belt will work.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No need to imagine. It works fine. On reversible lathes, some people worry
about the direction of the links. That doesn't seem to matter either. We
have even had postings that they were used successfully on Nova lathes,
where flat ribbed belts are called for, but that one makes me wonder a
little.

Leo, I was one who tried it on the Nova, it worked but was far too noisy so
I gave up on that idea. The bottom of the links hammer on the pulley ridges
and produce a sort of whine that is not very pleasant.


"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
news

"robo hippy" wrote: (clip) I would imagine that if a standard v belt
works,
then a link belt will work.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
No need to imagine. It works fine. On reversible lathes, some people
worry
about the direction of the links. That doesn't seem to matter either. We
have even had postings that they were used successfully on Nova lathes,
where flat ribbed belts are called for, but that one makes me wonder a
little.

On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 11:40:19 -0500, Michael Schneider
wrote:

I use link-belt on my general 160. I only have ~200 hours on this
setup, but fine so far :-)

Mike



Mike.. Is it a reeves-type drive?

I know very little about link belts.. I'm guessing that they come in different
sizes, widths, etc.??

mac davis wrote:
On 6 Nov 2005 08:56:18 -0800, "robo hippy" wrote:


If the wheels are out of line, or you are getting a lot of slipping
(not enough belt tension), the belts will wear out a lot quicker. Also
rough spots on the drive wheels. When I had a v belt drive lathe, I
used one of the link belts and found it to work much better than the
standard v belt.
robo hippy


Reed... Can you use link belts on a reeves drive?

If so, it's something I might do on my Jet 1442... the motor is so quiet that
I'd love to quiet the drive down, too


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing



mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

mac davis wrote:
On Mon, 07 Nov 2005 11:40:19 -0500, Michael Schneider
wrote:


I use link-belt on my general 160. I only have ~200 hours on this
setup, but fine so far :-)

Mike




Mike.. Is it a reeves-type drive?


Mac,

It is a Reeves Drive.

One nice side benifit of using a link belt was that I did not have
to take the lathe apart to change the belt.

Hope this is helpful,
Mike




I know very little about link belts.. I'm guessing that they come in different
sizes, widths, etc.??


mac davis wrote:

On 6 Nov 2005 08:56:18 -0800, "robo hippy" wrote:



If the wheels are out of line, or you are getting a lot of slipping
(not enough belt tension), the belts will wear out a lot quicker. Also
rough spots on the drive wheels. When I had a v belt drive lathe, I
used one of the link belts and found it to work much better than the
standard v belt.
robo hippy


Reed... Can you use link belts on a reeves drive?

If so, it's something I might do on my Jet 1442... the motor is so quiet that
I'd love to quiet the drive down, too


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing




mac

Please remove splinters before emailing


--
The greatest performance improvement occurs on the transition of from
the non-working state to the working state.

On Tue, 08 Nov 2005 14:32:13 -0500, Michael Schneider
wrote:

Mac,

It is a Reeves Drive.

One nice side benifit of using a link belt was that I did not have
to take the lathe apart to change the belt.

Hope this is helpful,
Mike

it's VERY helpful, Mike...
I was planing to get a spare belt, since the lathe is almost 6 months old and
gets daily use...
I'll find out what type/size of link fits and get that instead, to avoid taking
the drive apart to change belts and maybe quiet the drive down a bit..


THANKS!


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

The clarke CW20RV has automatic tensiong of the belt. If it is still
slipping after a belt replacement, then the auto-tension spring on the end
of the motor shaft needs replacing. The part number is SD2028RV and is
available either from Clarke international or Machine Mart.

Tom