# Flat belt step pulleys



## Scruffy (Nov 13, 2017)

Has anyone ever made a large 4 step flat belt pulls out of having rings rolled of flat steel ?
Thanks scruffy ron


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## Glenn Brooks (Nov 13, 2017)

I have not, but am wondering what size diameter pulley you are thinking about?  I have an old 22" camelback drill,press that was originally line shaft driven and has some honking big pulleys on the input shaft.  Trying to figure out the best method to convert to electric motor drive v-belts.

Glenn


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## Scruffy (Nov 13, 2017)

Thanks for the reply Glenn. This machine was a line shaft machine,I think it was  made in the 19 teens.
 Who ever electrified it just thru a motor on it with one size pulley. I want to make a exact copy of the onit so I can change speeds with the same belt. The pulley sizes will be 10. 8.  6.  4.  Inch dia.  By 2 3/8. Wide.  I hope these pics help explain.
Thanks scruffy Ron9


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## Scruffy (Nov 13, 2017)

Glenn if your filling me if you make the same pulley and flip it end wise you have different speeds and yo use the same belt.
Thanks ron


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## Ulma Doctor (Nov 13, 2017)

Scruffy said:


> Has anyone ever made a large 4 step flat belt pulls out of having rings rolled of flat steel ?
> Thanks scruffy ron


i have not had a pulley made like that, but it sounds like a very good solution.
it may take some welding and some planning, but it's doable if you want to!


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## gonzo (Nov 13, 2017)

If it were mine I would just put an adjustable speed motor on it.
I don't think a pulley that large would be happy living on a short motor shaft. Therefore a jack shaft addition would be needed.
You can probably get a treadmill motor for free and if needed, buy a speed controller for 20 - 30 bucks.


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## Scruffy (Nov 13, 2017)

This is a 5 hp motor and it is going to have a out board support so I can get the speed range that is useful.
 This machin weighs in the neighbor hold of 1500 lbs.
Thanks ron


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## derf (Nov 14, 2017)

I just went through the same unique situation with a Seneca Falls lathe. The solution I came up with works very well. The easiest way to fab up some cone pulleys is to build them from hard wood. I used some exotic south American wood of which I cant remember the name for the biggest pulleys and some purpleheart for the smallest. It is very hard and stable. I first started by building a sleeve to mount them to, and then turned them one at a time before I stacked and glued them all together.


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## Ulma Doctor (Nov 14, 2017)

derf said:


> I just went through the same unique situation with a Seneca Falls lathe. The solution I came up with works very well. The easiest way to fab up some cone pulleys is to build them from hard wood. I used some exotic south American wood of which I cant remember the name for the biggest pulleys and some purpleheart for the smallest. It is very hard and stable. I first started by building a sleeve to mount them to, and then turned them one at a time before I stacked and glued them all together.


very cool man!!!!


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## markba633csi (Nov 14, 2017)

Beautiful job
Mark


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## NortonDommi (Nov 14, 2017)

Derf,
        Those pullys are to good looking to actually USE! . Nice job. Have you crowned them as well or are my tired eyes decieving me? Any thought on Epoxy impregnation?


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## Technical Ted (Nov 14, 2017)

I have not made a pulley out of rolled steel, but I think it should be very doable... All of the flat belt pulleys I'm familiar with have a slight crown on them to keep the belt centered.

Good luck,
Ted


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## mcostello (Nov 14, 2017)

I fabbed up a 3 step flat belt pulley to match a driven pulley on a 7" Rhoades shaper. Materials were all repurposed and turned to size.


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## f350ca (Nov 14, 2017)

The belt will wander if both pulleys are crowned, leave one flat.

Greg


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## 4GSR (Nov 14, 2017)

That is a little radical putting a motor in direct drive to the pulley on the spindle.  They generally on a retrofit to a motor drive, put a jack shaft in there to get the RPM's back down to the original spindle speeds, which probably topped out at around 400 RPM on the spindle.  
Is that a No. 1-1/2 or 2 Brown & Sharpe mill?


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## benmychree (Nov 14, 2017)

derf said:


> I just went through the same unique situation with a Seneca Falls lathe. The solution I came up with works very well. The easiest way to fab up some cone pulleys is to build them from hard wood. I used some exotic south American wood of which I cant remember the name for the biggest pulleys and some purpleheart for the smallest. It is very hard and stable. I first started by building a sleeve to mount them to, and then turned them one at a time before I stacked and glued them all together.
> View attachment 246843
> View attachment 246844
> View attachment 246845


I have also made a pulley this way, but used softer wood.  It may not work to make the steps the same sizes as the pulley on the machine; there is a method of designing step pulleys by graphic means (making a drawing) taking into account the center distance, drawing a radius off to the side halfway between the centers and projecting a line from the existing pulley steps to the center of the new pulley location; this method insures that the belt will have equal tension on all the steps and also allows the second pulley to be a larger or smaller size than the existing pulley.  I found the method in an older Machinery's Handbook, 1960s, I think.  An example of different size pulleys is the lineshaft drive Hendey lathes, the upper pulley had steps a good deal larger than the headstock pulley to raise the speed range.


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## derf (Nov 14, 2017)

I made these pulleys the same size as the ones on the headstock, and with a crown. They track just fine. The belt we were working with was an amateur version of a leather belt put on by the previous owner that was stitched in place. It was made from saddle leather and stretched quite a bit. We opted for a J12 poly vee belt, which was doable,  but we had to remove the spindle and the back gear to get it on. No big deal, as we tore it apart to clean it up and paint it anyway. The poly vee belt has about 10 times the traction as leather and won't stretch, meaning it will probably last a lifetime.
 When I get a little more time, I am going to start a thread about the whole resto-mod on this lathe.


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## benmychree (Nov 14, 2017)

f350ca said:


> The belt will wander if both pulleys are crowned, leave one flat.
> 
> Greg


I have never seen a pulley that is not crowned as you suggest, and I have seen and used a lot of them; they are all crowned to keep the belt centered on the pulley.  If the belt wanders, it is likely the fault of the belt itself, it likely would have a stretched spot in it.


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## f350ca (Nov 14, 2017)

benmychree said:


> I have never seen a pulley that is not crowned as you suggest, and I have seen and used a lot of them; they are all crowned to keep the belt centered on the pulley.  If the belt wanders, it is likely the fault of the belt itself, it likely would have a stretched spot in it.


May be wrong, thought it was in the Machinery's Handbook that I read it many years ago, but can't find it in the house copy. I've only done a couple of flat belt drives and a stroke sander that was about 7 feet between the pulleys. One flat pulley worked on them.

Greg


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## Sackett (Nov 14, 2017)

Rolling the pulleys will work fine, I've had some made fors awmills. CAST iron will transmit more power thans teel, woodw ill alsoA good shop should be able to roll thec rown in steel ones,,,cast or wood willha ve to be turned. jackshaft to the motor,a s they likely will be too long for shaft mount


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## Charles Spencer (Nov 14, 2017)

I have a mill of very similar type and vintage (1916).  I mounted an old Atlas lathe countershaft on it.


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## Scruffy (Nov 14, 2017)

To 4gsr it is a number 0 Mill, I believe it was made between 1910 and 1920. As far as pulley size. I have 2 pls Logan 820 lathes with 4 step pulleys all same size just flipped end for end. That way the belt length stays the same.
The 10 and 8 inch pieces are being rolled tomorrow for 35.00 apiece. I think that’s reasonable. They are 3/8 ths thick and 3 wide. That leaves plenty to clean up on the late.
   Their roller won,t go small enough to roll the 6 3/4 or the 5 inch so hunting some thick wall pipe.

What are these their were 20 of them in a bucket of horizontal mill cutters . A file won,t scratch them  thanks ron


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## The Liberal Arts Garage (Nov 14, 2017)

Just use "Balkan Birch" multi- veneer scraps from a cabinet shop. Rough cut
with bandsaw , glue and screw stacks,bore to size , turn to truth, (your crown
looks about right). Glue and through - bolt. Give it a couple coats of penetrating
Sealer.  BLJHB.


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## Terrywerm (Nov 14, 2017)

I would not be afraid to use wood for the small pulleys as the torque transmitted is relatively light. Have a look at this huge wooden pulley that was used to run a stamp mill at a gold mine in Colorado. Pay no attention to the good looking fellow in the photo, he is there only for a size comparison. The pulley is all wood except for the center hub.


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## francist (Nov 15, 2017)

He huffed and he puffed and he blowed that mill down....



-frank


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## Terrywerm (Nov 15, 2017)

Actually, that's all that's left of my shop after I put the lathe into hyper-drive.


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