Trouble replacing lathe belt

[dannyvee]

Hi folks,

Have a small old lathe, decided to replace the tired drive belt before it gave up on me at some inconvenient time. Problem is, I can't for the life of me work out how to get it off. Managed to remove guards, chuck and top pulleys, but now left with headstock unit/pulleys. I cannot see where to now, and gentle taps with hammer indicate big taps would not help. Hopefully pics will explain..

I thought the two main bolts at front would release shaft - but doesn't seem to. The collar on the left looks like it should come off, but gentle persuasion didn't work,and I'm worried about damage if I try to force it.

Any ideas most welcome... Hopefully I'm missing something bleedingly obvious..:)

Not sure of model/brand, its old and I think English. Some extra pics which might help id can be found at http://www.primecolours.com.au/lathe/

Thanks,
Danny

[bollie7]

Danny
in you 2nd pic it looks like there is a nut on the end of the spindle with drive pin holes in the face. If that is the case then I'd think that removing the nut would allow you to pull the spindle through. It could well be a left hand thread to reduce the possibilty of it unscrewing when the lathe is used. Would be best if you can obtain a face pin spanner to fit it or even make one. there are lots out there
eg Adjustable Pin-Type Face Spanner Wrenches (http://www.newmantools.com/wrenches/wrap.htm)

Facom Adjustable Pin Spanner for Nuts with Face Holes | eBay (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Facom-Adjustable-Pin-Spanner-Nuts-Face-Holes-/190365123791)

The other alternative is to cut the old belt off and replace it with a link belt.
High Performance Composite Belting - PowerTwist Plus, NuTLink and SuperTLink - Fenner Drives (http://www.fennerdrives.com/high_performance_composite_vbelts/hpc_vbelts.asp?gclid=CIfgu7H04KgCFRGCpAodAyyRqg)
Not sure of the cost but it will be a lot higher than a std, fixed length v belt.

Redthane round belting will not be suitable in this application. I tried it on my lathe a couple of years ago and there was too much stretch in it. I have not tried the link belts so can't comment on them. I can only assume that they are ok because there are lots of them out there.

regards
bollie7

[pipeclay]

It looks very similar to the Headstock of the Southbend,Sheraton and Hercus lathes.

The nut or retainer on the Left side of the Headstock needs to be removed,taking not of any shims,spacers or gaskets that may be in place.

The bolts through the Bearing housing will need to be loose,I dont think you will have to remove them,if you do remove them be carefull not to lose or misplace any Shims which maybe under them.If they are removed take note of where they came from and replace in the same position.

The Cone pully should be free turning on the Headstock Spindle.

The Bull gear at the Right hand side of the Headstock should be fixed to the Spindle by a key.This can sometimes be a little difficult to move (it could require a bit of persuasion or a purpose made puller to remove),the Spindle comes out through the Cone pully and Bull Gear.Make sure you dont misplace the Key if it comes out of the Spindle shaft.

Take note of the position of any felts that maybe in or around your bearing bores,these maybe able to be reused or they may have to be replaced.

If the bearing bores have felts that act as wicks in the bottom of the bores they will need to be kept bellow the surface of the bore when replacing the spindle,the felts are normally inside a light spring,they can normally be retained from entering the bore by removing your oiling ports and placing pins of some type to hold them down while the spindle is replaced,then the pins are removed after insertion and the felts will return to there correct position.

Replacement after not forgetting to put the belt onto the pully is the reversal of the removel procedure,(good idea to put a texta mark on the Spindle and one on the Bull Gear to indicate the position of the Keyway.

[dannyvee]

Bloody brilliant.


The other alternative is to cut the old belt off and replace it with a link belt.


bollie7, those belts look nice, however, I don't think I'll need one due to yourself and pipeclay's great advice.:U

That nut/retainer on the left was the key. It is threaded on. I didn't even consider it might be threaded on. It only has one hole on the face - the one in the photo - I didn't think about a face spanner as I've only seen them with two holes. It also has a hole on the outside diameter -perhaps it's meant for a type of C spanner. Anyway, its off. After that the spindle tapped out nicely, and off came the belt.

Thanks guys,
Danny