lathe belt trouble?

Ok, I know it may not have been the smartest thing, but I have a central machines (harbor freights) 3/4 hp lathe. I've enjoyed learning on it, but now I have a little trouble, or at least I hope it's little. My lathe won't run on the higher speeds. The lathe uses a lever to change speeds, and when I try fast speeds, lever won't go and the belt stops turning. Can I solve this trouble by getting a new belt? If so, I might have a new problem. My wife bought me the lathe, and I have no documentation with it. I might be able to figure out the size, but I'm not sure how to take it off or replace it. If anyone could give me advice, I'd appreciate it. Thanks,

Tom snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net

Reply to
Tom Huntress
Loading thread data ...

Sounds like one of the reeves drive pulleys is stuck. Remove the cover and blow the dust and grime out then try a light coat of oil. Don't oil the belt.

Tom Huntress wrote:

Reply to
LBledsoe

Tom, I have a similar lathe and when it was new I went through many belts until a guy in Ireland suggested that I work the edges of the movable pulleys with a file and fine emery cloth. I had just bought five belts from a motor parts supplier as they were a lot cheaper than from the lathe manufacturer. After doing as he suggested I fitted one and it is still going five years later! In fact I have misplaced the other spare belts so I hope this one goes on forever. The other suggestions re lubrication are also essential.

Regards

Michael Jacks> Ok, I know it may not have been the smartest thing, but I have a central

Reply to
mike

It could well be the Reeves drive. I had one of the lathes you currently have, learned a lot and am very glad I had it as an entry level lathe.

When you are checking the Reeves drive, don't forget that both the motor and the headstock shaft both have movable pulleys. On my Jet 1442, the one on the headstock was bone dry. Amazing what a light coat of grease did for the smoothness of operation.

Deb

Reply to
Dr. Deb

Tom, I have a similar lathe and when it was new I went through many belts until a guy in Ireland suggested that I work the edges of the movable pulleys with a file and fine emery cloth. I had just bought five belts from a motor parts supplier as they were a lot cheaper than from the lathe manufacturer. After doing as he suggested I fitted one and it is still going five years later! In fact I have misplaced the other spare belts so I hope this one goes on forever. The other suggestions re lubrication are also essential.

Regards

Michael Jacks> Ok, I know it may not have been the smartest thing, but I have a central

Reply to
mike

When I had similar problems on my Jet, the customer service guy told me to set the lathe on low speed, then use WD40 (with the little straw attached to the spray tip) and spray the shaft that I could see through the slots on the motor pulley. Then run the lathe and run through the speeds a couple of times. Warning--the lathe will throw off some WD40 while you do that.

Then shift to the highest speed you can, and do the same thing with the lathe headstock shaft. Repeat the running and speed shifting process.

It fixed the problem, and I've had to repeat it every once in a while when things start slipping.

If you look at how the speed changer operates, you will see how the only thing that keeps the belt tight is the spring that pushes the two halves of the pulleys together.

Good Luck

Old Guy

Reply to
Old guy

Tom I have the same lathe, lube the shaft that the pulley slides on. I lube mine about once a month to keep it free and easy to use. While in their, check all nuts,bolts and set screws you can find. It is a good habit to start. Belts can be gotten from auto parts stores or your local small hardware store and are better quality then the one that came with the lathe. As all ready mentioned also check your Reeves drive pulleys for casting burrs and lightly sand them down if needed. Another thing to check is the pin that holds the springs for the pulleys ( it is in the shaft the pulley is on ). Others have had them shear off and take the pulley plate with it. Ordering parts from HF is cheap but can take a while to get to you (even if in stock). Having spares around can be a good idea. I`ve had mine for a 1 1/2 years and have had to replace 1 belt and the tool rest (broke when a large peice of oak came apart). If ordering parts get a few extra face plates (>$6 each) , they come in handy for making donut chucks etc. To give an idea how cheap parts are, the spindle only costs $8.50 ( thought I had bent mine but didn`t).

Reply to
BAM

Thanks,

If I have to remove and replace the belt, how do I do that? I didn't get any documentation with the lathe?

Thanks again,

Reply to
Tom Huntress

Once you get it working, do a little cleaning/lubrication/preventive maintenance every few months. It is so much easier to take care of BEFORE the pulley seizes up.

If you have to take the pulley apart, tie a string to the spring. It will want to jump into your pile of wood chips and hide.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

I was able to just pop it off by hand and reinstall the new also by hand. Nothing but the outer cover has to be removed. BAM

Reply to
BAM

Kill two birds with one proverbial stone. Sever the belt and replace it with a link belt. It's easier, requiring no pulley disassembly, and the link belt will run significantly more smoothly, not to mention lasting quite a bit longer. The original rubber belt on my Jet 1442 was showing wear at roughly 50 hours of use. My current link belt looks fine after an estimated

150 hours.

Max

Reply to
Jeff Coppes

Tom,

Go to the HF website, locate the lathe, and download the manual free.

B.

Reply to
Buddy Matlosz

Tom, I own the 12x36 (SKU T34706) lathe from them.

Remove the sheet metal plate and oil the motor pulley. You'll see a hole (should be plugged by a ball bearing). Give it a couple shots of regular oil (10w what ever is handy). Then, unless you've got a flexible spout oil can, pull the headstock off the base and invert it. You'll find a corresponding oil hole for the headstock reeves drive pulleys drilled through a machine screw. Now is also a good time to oil the gearing that the speed crank operates. There is another lubrication passage directly under the spindle. I'm not sure what Central Machinery suggests for lube, but here I use grease from a needle nose fitting.

Once all is lubed, and with the belt removed, try moving the pulleys in and out by hand. Keep your fingers out of the opened pulleys. Once they move smoothly, replace the belt and the headstock. Then, with the motor running, move the speed control lever. All should be smooth at this point. Probably smoother than it came from the factory, actually. (The speed control uses rack and pinion shafts made from SOFT metal ... do NOT force them. Not even a little bit. DAMHIKT)

The pulleys are fragile ... don't whack them with anything or you'll end up having to talk with the glaciers in HF parts dept.

Hope this helps ... just had to do it with mine.

Bill

Reply to
Bill in Detroit

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.