2016 POTD Thread Archive

[Charles Spencer]

I had been thinking for a while that the leather flat belt on my South Bend 9C lathe had seen better days. Now I had been fortunate enough to find at a yard sale a clipper belt tool similar to this:



So I ordered the clips and pin material. (Tip: the pin material can easily be replaced by stiff coated wire of the proper diameter.) I had used them to repair another belt and they worked well. However, when I went to look for new belting material I found it rather pricey.

So I sez to meself, "Self, leather belts? Where else can leather belts be found?"

I went on Amazon and ordered a plain brown XXXXL leather belt, as in worn on trousers. $8.99 and free shipping. It was long enough that I could cut off the buckle and the holes on the other end. So I did. I used a really stiff wire brush that I had to scuff up the inside to ensure proper friction. I then installed the clips. Put it on the lathe and ran it for 15 minutes.



So far, so good.

 

[FOMOGO]

Nice work Charles. That's using the old head for something other than a hat rack, as my Dad used to say, or using your belt for something other than holding you pants up, might be more applicable in this instance. Cheers, Mike

 

[Bill W.]

Charles... Now you're gonna get a bunch of spam emails trying to sell you 4xl pants...
Great idea with the belt though.
Bill

 

[DoogieB]

On leather belts, I was always told you should have the hair side against the pulley.

 

[Mark_f]

On leather belts, I was always told you should have the hair side against the pulley.

I have always wondered about that. I have heard it both ways. It would be nice to know the correct answer.

 

[DoogieB]

My version 26 of Machinery's Handbook is too new for leather belts. Luckily, Google has the 1915 version online:

https://books.google.com/books?id=VkEYAAAAYAAJ

At the bottom of page 704, "Belts should also be placed on the pulleys with the hair or "grain" side next to the pulley rims." Good enough for me. The hair side is the smooth side, by the way.

 

[wawoodman]

I had been thinking for a while that the leather flat belt on my South Bend 9C lathe had seen better days. Now I had been fortunate enough to find at a yard sale a clipper belt tool similar to this:

View attachment 132297

So I ordered the clips and pin material. (Tip: the pin material can easily be replaced by stiff coated wire of the proper diameter.) I had used them to repair another belt and they worked well. However, when I went to look for new belting material I found it rather pricey.

So I sez to meself, "Self, leather belts? Where else can leather belts be found?"

I went on Amazon and ordered a plain brown XXXXL leather belt, as in worn on trousers. $8.99 and free shipping. It was long enough that I could cut off the buckle and the holes on the other end. So I did. I used a really stiff wire brush that I had to scuff up the inside to ensure proper friction. I then installed the clips. Put it on the lathe and ran it for 15 minutes.

View attachment 132299

So far, so good.

And quite stylish, as well!

 

[4GSR]

Here's what I built in my shop yesterday. I have a 3-jaw chuck I like to use on the mill table for holding things that are round or hex without doing it in the super spacer or mill vise. I've always clamped this 3-jaw chuck on the mill table with step blocks, hold down straps. What a pain to set up and tear down. Well I got a hold of a piece of aluminum tooling plate for a song on eBay about the size I needed. Threw it up in my 20" L & S and faced a counter turn on it for the chuck to register on and bored a hole in it for a exit hole for chips and coolant to pass thru.

 

[RJSakowski]

I had been thinking for a while that the leather flat belt on my South Bend 9C lathe had seen better days. Now I had been fortunate enough to find at a yard sale a clipper belt tool similar to this:

View attachment 132297

So I ordered the clips and pin material. (Tip: the pin material can easily be replaced by stiff coated wire of the proper diameter.) I had used them to repair another belt and they worked well. However, when I went to look for new belting material I found it rather pricey.

So I sez to meself, "Self, leather belts? Where else can leather belts be found?"

I went on Amazon and ordered a plain brown XXXXL leather belt, as in worn on trousers. $8.99 and free shipping. It was long enough that I could cut off the buckle and the holes on the other end. So I did. I used a really stiff wire brush that I had to scuff up the inside to ensure proper friction. I then installed the clips. Put it on the lathe and ran it for 15 minutes.

View attachment 132299

So far, so good.

Great thinking out of the box Charles!

One suggestion that I would make would be to avoid the stitched dress belts in the future. They are made of two thin pieces of leather rather than a single thicker piece and, in my experience, fail rather quickly. Also, I have found that the ones with the raised center are often stuffed with a filler material like paper.

 

[John Hasler]

So I sez to meself, "Self, leather belts? Where else can leather belts be found?"

Tack stores. Look at stirrup leathers. Much stronger and better quality than trouser belts. The best stirrup leathers are buffalo hide and do not stretch. You can often get used stirrup leathers cheap at tack swaps.