Any Suggestions for South Bend Lathe Belts?

Ulma Doctor

Ulma Doctor

Infinitely Curious
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i got a synthetic belt on EBAY and i'm not ecstatic about it.
i went in knowing it was a cheap belt, i had no other belt to get a length off. so, i used the string method to determine length.
i didn't want to shell out a bunch for a belt of the wrong size.
luckily i was close enough, the adjusters can take up the error.
i'm considering another belt type and i'm trying to gather all the input i can get on what others have used.
Are there any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
 
Doc,

I don't have a Southbend, but when I refurb'd my Logan I went with a ribbed automotive serpentine belt. I had to take the spindle out since there is no splice in the belt, but that was part of the refurb anyway. I have been very happy with the belt I used - actually ordered it from McMaster Carr. One of the SB guys should be able to tell you the correct length belt for your lathe.

Hope that helps.

Steve
 
I just replaced the leather belt on my 11" SB with a "poly nitrile lace belt" from Al Bino Machining & Custom Flat Belts I couldn't be happier with it. It was cheaper than the leather option (he has those as well) and it feels like it will grip much better and last a life time (mine at least). I've always had a laced belt (metal "loops") because of the ease of installation so that was a "no-brainer" for me.

I can take a picture of it tomorrow if anyone is interested.

-Ron
 
thank you Ron for the input,
i would like to see pictures if you would post them that would be great!!

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stevecmo said:
Doc,

I don't have a Southbend, but when I refurb'd my Logan I went with a ribbed automotive serpentine belt. I had to take the spindle out since there is no splice in the belt, but that was part of the refurb anyway. I have been very happy with the belt I used - actually ordered it from McMaster Carr. One of the SB guys should be able to tell you the correct length belt for your lathe.

Hope that helps.

Steve
Click to expand...

thank you very much Steve, for the input!!!

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I have a 63" belt of my South Bend Pre WWII 11"
 
I just used a automotive serpentine belt, grippyer rubber. I went to gates belts web site and chose a width belt and length and then went to the auto parts store with the part number. They can be had for between $20 to$30. I purchased a belt that was a little longer than what I needed. I just cut it and drilled some wholes and stitched it with some braided wire for picture hanging, dacron fishing line or kevlar thread would work to. If I ever need to remove the belt all I have to do is cut the stitching and restitch it to put it back on. I have heard others talk about how grippy these belts are and they even run a lower tension for that reason. In my restore thread I have some pics of the belt and my failed glue methods.
 
Mike,

I also used an automotive serpentine belt on my Heavy Ten. In my case, it was a used belt from my truck. At the time, I had a 01, F150 with a 5.4 L. I figured I'd use an old belt so I would not be wasting money on a new belt if it did not work. I did the glue method. I allowed myself enough length so that I would have a 2.5 to 3 inch overlap. One thing you need to do is use a hand grinder and taper each end so they are blended with each other. To find the size I wrapped the belt around the pulleys as if it were being installed. I bought the superglue from HD. I spent a little time reading their labels and then just chose one. I didn't know they made so many different types. After gluing I did use some pieces of wood and clamped the joint over night to ensure the glue was dry.

Oh, I did buy a new belt so that I would be able to change it once this old one failed. This work was done back in 2011 and is still working now. I still haven't installed the new belt. Sorry, but I never took any pictures of the set up. I guess because I never expected it to work. The belt has excellent grab and bite you don't get slippage from the serpentine. The nice thing about the rubber belt is you don't need to disengage it when not in use like leather, it won't stretch.

I won't say that this is the best set up I think that one piece would be the best way to go. My setup has a little thump when the belt comes to the top of the pulley and the tracking could be a tad better, but as is it is definitely better then the original leather one.

Hope this helps.

Paul
 
The previous owner of my 1946 South Bend Model C (9") had installed a serpentine belt, rib side in, stitched with picture hanging wire. When I acquired it, last fall, I noted that the wire fell apart from fatigue. Still, when I first installed it, that's what I used, 'cause it was there. It failed in about 50 hours of use.

For the fresh start, I turned the belt rib side out, cut the ribs off in the area of the stitching, and stitched with 50# test Spider Wire, braided Kevlar fishing line. I quadruple stitched it. This installation dates since Christmas--about three months--but has now run at least 200 hours, with no sign of weakening.

The grip is sufficient that the motor slows if I take a "heavy" cut. Of course, the lathe only has a 1/3 hp motor, so that's not saying much.
 
I put a serpintine belt on my 1947 heavy 10 about 5 years ago.
I used ss wire with the ribs in so the wire doesn't hit while running..
Has a lot of use and have had no problems at all.
 
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