# Logan 815 Flat Belt



## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 15, 2015)

Hi, I recently purchased a Logan 815 lathe.

The flat belt is so loose that the spindle stalls out if you breathe on the work piece. I am aware that the belt guard tightens the flat belt, and it is fully lowered.

The belt is a standard 1" wide leather belt, with the metal lacing and catgut pin. The tool to re-lace the belt after shortening costs is more than I paid for the whole lathe! For a one-time use, it doesn't make sense. Nobody I know has this tool or the lacing.

I had a wide serpentine belt from my old truck in the garage, so I attempted to do a serpentine belt conversion. I can't make it work. First off I don't know what kind of grinder they used to scarf the belt, but mine won't even make a mark on the belt. Second off I could not make any glue hold. The belt just pulls apart when I lower the belt guard.

So, any advice anyone could give me on this would be much appreciated. I want to make chips, but day after day I find nothing but failure and frustration.


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## JimDawson (Jul 15, 2015)

There are a few members that have done the serpentine belt conversion and can help you with that.

I have shortened leather belts by carefully opening up the lacing with a screwdriver and pliers, leaving the pin in place to maintain the spacing.  Wrap some tape around the joint to help hold things.  Then cut the belt, and then carefully use pliers or a vice to re-crimp the lace.


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## wa5cab (Jul 16, 2015)

The only flat belt I have ever worked on (outside of automotive applications) was running off of the PTO on a Farmall Cub driving a sugar cane press.  And I haven't paid close attention to threads dealing with replacing leather flat belts with rubber ones.  But in the latter context, I don't actually recall anyone ever mentioning cutting the belt.  I strongly doubt that any adhesive is capable of successfully doing a butt splice that will survive long enough to get the belt tight.  In other words, I think you have to buy the right length belt and pull the spindle to install it.  I could be wrong, of course.


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## Tony Wells (Jul 16, 2015)

http://www.leatherdrivebelts.com/


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 16, 2015)

Not a butt joint on the serpentine belt conversion. The belt is overlapped a few inches. Bottom surface on one part is ground to a bevel. Top surface on the other part is ground to a bevel. Then they are glued together along the overlap. It's called a "scarf joint" and was commonly used on flat belts. People report having success with various glues but none of them work for me, probably because I can't seem to prepare the surface of the belt. I've tried my belt sander, bench grinder, and angle grinders. They barely make a mark.

The problem with these online belt places is they want a length. I have no idea on the length. You can't measure unless the belt guard is down so the pulleys are tensioned, but you can't measure with the belt guard down because it completely blocks access to the area.


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## brino (Jul 16, 2015)

First off......Welcome to the site!

I really do not understand this comment:



BarnyardEngineering said:


> I can't seem to prepare the surface of the belt. I've tried my belt sander, bench grinder, and angle grinders. They barely make a mark.



How could a grinder or sander not quickly abrade the surface of a rubber belt?

Check out this thread for some ideas:
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/leather-belt-question-sb10.35226/#post-298711

-brino


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 16, 2015)

Beats me. All I know is they start to cut and then abruptly stop. No matter how much pressure I apply, no more material will abrade away. The sanding belt/ grinder wheel doesn't seem to be clogged with rubber nuggets or anything like that and feel rough, but they just won't cut into the belt.


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## RJSakowski (Jul 16, 2015)

I one of the previous posts 


BarnyardEngineering said:


> The belt is a standard 1" wide leather belt, with the metal lacing and catgut pin. The tool to re-lace the belt after shortening costs is more than I paid for the whole lathe! For a one-time use, it doesn't make sense. Nobody I know has this tool or the lacing.


Silverbullet apparently has a belt lacing tool.  You can find him through the members page or  at http://www.hobby-machinist.com/members/silverbullet.37946/


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## brino (Jul 16, 2015)

Two things I forgot:

1) great user name! 

2) if the existing belt is in good shape, just stretched a little long, you could consider taking up slack with an additional idler, it does not need to be high-tech or expensive.....

-brino


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## Kernbigo (Jul 16, 2015)

use a automotive serpentine than your problems are over, and pull the spindle. Or another possible way to do it on the leather belt, shorten it and use a hog ring pliers to re lace it.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 16, 2015)

The question then begs: How do I get the right belt?

First, I can't get a measurement of the belt. The cover has to be lowered to get an accurate measurement, but the cover blocks access to take that measurement! I've been all over the lathe like a spider monkey and I can't find a way to get my meat hooks into the pulley compartment to manipulate a tape measure, let alone read it.

Second, the first thing they ask when I go into any auto parts store is: "What car is this for?" They are not capable of selling belts by width and length. They are not willing to spend hours going through belts with me. They will not let me go back and paw through their stockroom...

A Logan 815 is a Logan 815 is a Logan 815, right? Why are there no specs for belt length anywhere? Something like that isn't a variable.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 16, 2015)

BTW, I already trimmed 1/2" off the belt and attempted to re-use the lacing clips. It was a mess.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 16, 2015)

Well maybe I've answered my own question. I found a parts book online that specs the belt as 1" wide by 39" long. Searching the part number brought up the Logan Actuator website, and they sell replacement belts. I ordered a new belt from them.


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## Kernbigo (Jul 16, 2015)

It is kind of a no brainier, take the belt and measure it, say it is 45" example. Take it with you to auto zone and get a 450 k6 or what ever. That just happens to be the one i use.


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## wa5cab (Jul 16, 2015)

Sounds like you solved the problem.  But another way to have done it had you not discovered Logan Actuator is still in business (that has been mentioned so many times on here I never thought to mention it again) would have been to get some 1" wide belt material of say 1/8" or 1/4" thickness.  Cut a piece long enough to go around more than half of one of the flat pulleys.  Wrap it around the pulley and assemble the overlength belt over it.  Close the cover and determine if the belt is now tight enough.  If not add a second piece of belt material to the stack.  When you are happy with the tension, do some calculations to determine how much the spacer(s) increased the path circumference.  And subtract the increase from the known length of the belt that you had.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 16, 2015)

Thanks guys. Now I have some resources and paths to follow.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 21, 2015)

Well, I'm about done with this lathe. Tired of throwing money at it and having nothing to show for it in the end.

Bought a new factory OEM belt from Logan Actuator. It was ROTTEN out of the package. Tore the lacing right out of it before it even got snug. I have no recourse with Logan. $60 down the toilet.


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## wa5cab (Jul 21, 2015)

Why don't you have any recourse?  Did the leather fail or the lacing?  If you are certain that you were installing it properly, I would call Scott and tell him what happened.  If nothing else, it may warn him that some of his stock has passed its usable shelf life.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 21, 2015)

There was no invoice with the belt. I have no way to prove that I even bought a belt.


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## John Hasler (Jul 21, 2015)

BarnyardEngineering said:


> There was no invoice with the belt. I have no way to prove that I even bought a belt.


You have your credit card statement or canceled check.  But why are you sure you will need to prove it?  Why not at least call Scot and give him a chance to make good?


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 21, 2015)

I'd love to call but apparently they don't want to be contacted. No invoice. No contact info on the website.


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## JimDawson (Jul 21, 2015)

*Logan Actuator Co.
Dept. W
550 Chippewa Rd.
Harvard, IL 60033-2337
USA
Tel (815) 943-9500      Fax (815) 943-6755


http://www.loganact.com/feedback.htm
.
.*


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## John Hasler (Jul 21, 2015)

BarnyardEngineering said:


> I'd love to call but apparently they don't want to be contacted. No invoice. No contact info on the website.


From http://www.loganact.com/


*Logan Actuator Co.*
*Dept. W
550 Chippewa Rd.*
*Harvard, IL 60033-2337
USA*
*Tel (815) 943-9500      Fax (815) 943-6755*


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## wa5cab (Jul 21, 2015)

I agree with John.  One of the worst problems with our present day society has become that any time anything goes wrong with a transaction, we are being taught to assume that the other party was deliberately trying to screw us.  This usually isn't the case.


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## BarnyardEngineering (Jul 22, 2015)

Thank you for the phone numbers. For some reason I could not find them on the lathe.com website. They may not be out to intentionally screw me but they certainly don't make it easy to get in touch with them when there's a problem.

I just spoke with Scott. To his credit he is sending me another belt, but they are out of stock.

According to him, I put too much tension on the belt, period. I don't know how, as I had just started to lower the cover to see how much I would need to adjust it, and the lacings tore out like the belt was made of paper!


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## Silverbullet (Jul 22, 2015)

Yes I actually have two , and some of the finger lacing in different sizes, if your close or want to drive let me know be glad to lace it for you.


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