I’m new to turning, and have bought an old Yates American J-170 with a few needs. I have a Leeson single phase 1750rpm motor to put on it. There are two grooved V-belts here about 1x30- not sure of age, but fairly pliable. I’m reluctant to take down the Reeves mechanism, as I’m not yet sure how it would work as is. Can anyone share experience about how tight the belts should be? I have to decide how to mount the motor, which will determine the height of the drive sheave, and that will determine the resting belt tension with the Reeves at its lowest point by the variable speed adjust. I have the manual and diagrams, but I cannot find any photos or other info to indicate motor position or belt tension, and I’ve not seen one of these exposed while running. If I do need to take down the variable pulley, any advise on where to get help so as not to destroy it? Thanks for your comments.
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help with lathe setup
- Thread starter Carey McKain
- Start date
The place to ask is at the Old Woodworking Machines forum: http://owwm.org/viewforum.php?f=1
(Not to take anything away from the AAW forums, but those guys live and breathe machinery.)
(Not to take anything away from the AAW forums, but those guys live and breathe machinery.)
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
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- Dalworthington Gardens, TX
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- pbase.com
If the lathe uses a Reeves drive, then it automatically determines its belt tension based on the amount of spring compression on the motor Reeves pulley. The belt on a Reeves drive runs much looser than the belt on a fixed pulley. If you apply excess tension on the belt, you will only succeed in limiting the speed range of the drive to something less than optimal. Unlike a standard pulley drive where the speed transmission is determined by the pulley diameters, the speed transmission on a Reeves drive is a function of belt length and applied tension for any given motor to spindle spacing. For this reason, it is better to try to find out what the original system used rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
The optimal belt tension for a standard fixed pulley drive is much less than most people think it should be. Typically, you should be able to deflect a properly tensioned lathe belt about 1/2 to 3/4 inch with only gentle finger pressure at the midpoint between pulleys. Over tensioning a belt will greatly shorten its service life and will also accelerate bearing wear. You should try to avoid operating electric motors with an overhung load (or at least minimize it to the greatest extent possible).
The optimal belt tension for a standard fixed pulley drive is much less than most people think it should be. Typically, you should be able to deflect a properly tensioned lathe belt about 1/2 to 3/4 inch with only gentle finger pressure at the midpoint between pulleys. Over tensioning a belt will greatly shorten its service life and will also accelerate bearing wear. You should try to avoid operating electric motors with an overhung load (or at least minimize it to the greatest extent possible).