- Joined
- Mar 20, 2009
- Messages
- 207
- Likes
- 2
Can any of you tell me the size of the hole in the pulley that Vicmarc sends with the lathe to fit the motor? Also how far down does the motor have to be below the lathe to properly tension the belt? Thanks.
-
Congratulations to Bernie Hyrtzak, People's Choice in the January 2026 Turning Challenge (click here for details) -
Congratulations to David Croxton for "Geri's Basket Illusion" being selected as Turning of the Week for February 2, 2026 (click here for details) -
AAW Symposium demonstrators announced - If the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium is not on your calendar, now is the time to register. And there are discounts available if you sign up early, by Feb. 28. Early Bird pricing gives you the best rate for our 40th Anniversary Symposium in Raleigh, North Carolina, June 4–7, 2026. (There are discounts for AAW chapter members too) For more information vist the discussion thread here or the AAW registration page
-
Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.
Vicmarc 300 short benchtop lathe
- Thread starter Bart Leetch
- Start date
Dunno about the hole diameter. but as a general rule you want only about 1/2" deflection on your belt using 1 finger.
Bart, I don't know the pulley shaft diameter or the exact length of the belt, but I did a lot of reading and researching about making your own lathe; I'd considered the Vicmarc shortbed before deciding I was too impatient to go through all the construction phases to do it right. (I bought a powermatic, though still may make a dedicated bowl lathe in the future) Anyway, all the self-builds that I saw had the motor platform on hinges. I had something similar when I fixed up my first lathe, an old rockwell-delta. I used 1" wide stainless steel "piano hinge", which allowed for a great amount of weight to be supported by the hinges themselves--a motor of 1.5-3HP weighs quite a bit!