# Measuring Belt Length For South Bend Heavy 10 Cast Pedestal Base Model.



## Thoro (Mar 22, 2015)

Fellas,

I have a Heavy 10 with a cast pedestal base and want to make sure I am measuring the flat belt from the headstock  pulley cone to the under-drive stepped pulley belt length right.  I see on the net varying accounts of belt lengths and want to see if anyone can confirm measurements of their belts so I can more confidently order what I think is the right belt length.

I know this isn't black magic or voodoo and just requires common sense mosty.

I have measured, with the belt tension adjustment almost all the way up (to account for stretch in a new belt and future tightening adjustment) 63" Is what I got.

Any thoughts?


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## RJSakowski (Mar 22, 2015)

Thoro said:


> Fellas,
> 
> I have a Heavy 10 with a cast pedestal base and want to make sure I am measuring the flat belt from the headstock  pulley cone to the under-drive stepped pulley belt length right.  I see on the net varying accounts of belt lengths and want to see if anyone can confirm measurements of their belts so I can more confidently order what I think is the right belt length.
> 
> ...


As a check, you could run a piece of light rope and measure the length.


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## fixit (Mar 22, 2015)

If you check with John Knox at  http://www.leatherdrivebelts.com/ he will answer any & all questions you may have about that belt. He will probably tell you what size you need. REALLY COOL GUY

fixit


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## Thoro (Mar 22, 2015)

fixit said:


> If you check with John Knox at  http://www.leatherdrivebelts.com/ he will answer any & all questions you may have about that belt. He will probably tell you what size you need. REALLY COOL GUY
> 
> fixit



Thanks!  I was actually looking for that guy's web site.  I had seen it a while back but never bookmarked it.  I will certainly contact him.


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## dlane (Mar 23, 2015)

When i measured mine I got 92 5/8" i measured with a seamstress tape. I went with a green rubber belt from al bino , don't know what happened but it could of Ben a inch shorter and worked better. I'm at the end of the adjustment , I will take out an inch and it will be fine.  Most seem to come in at 91 1/2 witch is what I should of ordered.
Derrick


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## Thoro (Mar 24, 2015)

There's no way mine can be in the 90's" range....Are you sure youre talking about a heavy 10?


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## compsurge (Mar 24, 2015)

Use a rope or string and get one of the serpentine belts from Autozone/NAPA and glue it to fit.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/how-accurate-new-10l-198098/#post1293954


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## Thoro (Mar 25, 2015)

compsurge said:


> Use a rope or string and get one of the serpentine belts from Autozone/NAPA and glue it to fit.
> 
> http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/south-bend-lathes/how-accurate-new-10l-198098/#post1293954


I have thought about that, but I am going to be selling it and I don't want the future owner to have to immediately go out and figure the belt out.  He can ditch the clipped belt for serpentine if he wishes.


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## furpo (Mar 26, 2015)

Here is a chart I downloaded once


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## Ski (Apr 6, 2015)

I just went through this. The place I got my belt from wanted  a centered adjuster measurement. What I did to center the adjuster was run it all the way one way.I marked it and counted turns. Mine was 10 full turns I think. 5 back the other way centers it. I dropped a flexible tape down the belt way and taped one end to the pulley and measured .


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## Thoro (Apr 11, 2015)

Ski said:


> I just went through this. The place I got my belt from wanted  a centered adjuster measurement. What I did to center the adjuster was run it all the way one way.I marked it and counted turns. Mine was 10 full turns I think. 5 back the other way centers it. I dropped a flexible tape down the belt way and taped one end to the pulley and measured .



Where did you order it from?  Thanks for the info.


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## Ski (Apr 11, 2015)

Al Bino


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## Dean Segovis (Apr 12, 2015)

From "How To Run A Lathe" Vol. 1 published by South Bend:

_"To find the appropriate belt length of a belt, multiply half of the sum of the pulley diameters by 3.14 and add twice the distance between the pulley centers"
_


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## cazclocker (May 10, 2015)

I found this thread as I was starting my own thread about the same problem.  I'm trying to get a simple B-width (5/8" spine) belt to drive my home-made countershaft from my motor. I ordered a 61" belt from SurplusCenter, and it was too small. So I cut the belt and mounted the belt around the pulleys, and then pulled the belt tight. I had my wife measure the air gap between the belt ends where I cut. We came up with 5", almost exactly. OK,  so 61" + 5" = 66"... I guess if I order a 66" belt it should fit, am I right? I think part of my original problem was that I measured from the bottoms of the pulley V's. When I mounted the belt on the pulley, lo & behold the belt doesn't fit to the bottom - so maybe the diameter needs to be measured at the *outside* diameter, not the bottom of the V.


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