Q from a would-be turner

Hello Bojan,

It is a good idea to let the motor weight tighten the drive belt; however, it is normal to then lock the position of the motor so that it is not continually levering against the belt. I suggest that you install a way to lock the motor position after tightening the belt with the motor weight. If you allow the motor to hang on the belt, so to speak, it will tend to swing up and down a bit as the load changes and would put an unnecessary load on your belt and possibly on your spindle bearings.

Welcome to woodturning and good luck with your lathe. I've only built a couple of lathes over the years and one of them was a foot powered lathe, but I've owned several and done modifications or added motors to several and have learned not to let the motor weight continually tighten the belt.

Fred Holder

Not a lathe, but my Delta contractor's saw hangs on the belt in almost exactly the way you describe. The only caveat with this method is that (as noted in the other post) you shouldn't let it hang continously. In the case of the contractor's saw, it is very easy to remove the belt from the pulley on the motor when it is not going to be used for a while, and the motor just hangs on it's mount. That way, the belt neither streches nor develops a "memory" that would cause the machine to bump as it runs.

I am not 100% certain, but I think I have heard in a few places that this is not as true if you use a v-twist (link) belt.

Hi Bojan

I would agree with what Fred Is saying, I have build some equipment in my earlier life that used the motor weight to keep the belt tight.

What happens with a stronger motor is that it will try to pull itself up on the belt and then fall back, as you cut the wood on the lathe the wood cuts easier at one spot than at another spot, this will set up a jerking and vibration as the rotational speed changes all the time when the motor pulls up and then falls down.

You should get something like a locking arm, just like your arm but where the elbow can go to just past its straight center and lock.

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Compromise between ease of speed changes and protecting the hinge alignment uses things like simple bungees to dampen oscillations, or a lever/cam or lever/drop stop arrangement to lift or tighten. I like the lever and cam solution, but it means you'll have to remember to de-tension after use, something that can be difficult to remember as you parade your latest creation into the house or upstairs, as in my case, to show to the wife.

If you use the thing often, belt set should not be a real problem, but the motor will climb on startup, producing an unnerving jump.

I had a shop built table saw that had the same setup... worked well for years and I always left it hanging, the theory being that if you bind the blade (or get a catch on a lathe) the motor bounces or rises up and the belt slips..

On the Jet mini lathe, the motor is on a swivel with a locking handle... you raise the motor and lock it to change belt settings, lower it to what you think is proper belt tension and lock it in position.. I've seen this done with a section of threaded rod and a couple of wing nuts, also... the wing nuts change the length of the rod to add or reduce belt tension.. Mac

de-tension after use,

into the house or upstairs, as in my case, to show to the wife.

Thank you for mentioning that, George... Nice to see that I'm not alone..

Sometimes I feel like a kid doing show & tell at school... lol Mac

Thank you all for advices, I'll try to come up with some kind of lock to keep motor steady tomorrow.

de-tension after use,

into the house or upstairs, as in my case, to show to the wife.

Nah Mac, you're not alone. Sometimes I even take particularly nice peices into work for show and tell.

mac davis wrote:

I do it all the time. The girls end up with a pile of bowls and platters, so do some of the Docs. I took an Osage Orange mallet in yesterday, and ended up making 4 smaller mallets for clubbing blue crabs at the dinner table when I got home. I sometimes take requests, but never as a commission. It takes the fun out of it and makes it a job.

Dave Leader

de-tension after use,

creation into the house or upstairs, as in my case, to show to the wife.

Cool.... might sell a few that way.... I limit myself there by working out of the house, no networking...

My wife is VERY patient and understanding... on a good (or bad?) night, I might run 3 or 4 pens, bowls, etc. in to show her so that I can bask in the glow of her praise.. *lol*

I think one of the reasons that she's so supportive is that her praise sends me back out to the shop for a while.. *g* Mac

Hi Sawaar Here,s a link to one possible bracket to use.

Hi Larry

Yes there has to be a steady tension, if given any slack and movement it would release, but the motor would still hang.

It is very easy to make a stay that would do the job, but I don't know what the abilities and tools etc. are in his possession, readily available stays are light duty mostly or just not usable in this way.

It should at least give an idea of what's needed, I think

Have fun and take care Leo Van Der Loo

Mine has a simple thing a guy could make out of sheet metal or even a bit of plywood. It looks like half a "C" with a curved notch in the center. A wing nut holds it at the right spot- just like the depth adjustment on any given circular saw. Seems to work fine.

Been working on it all day yesterday and I think it's gonna work. My motor is set beneath bearings, on one MDF board. Board is connected with two hinges to the frame. When lowered, motor hangs on belt - I just have to add one long screw with wing nut to lock it in it's position. Unfortunately, I can't test it - first have to find some electrician to connect all the wires and switch.

Thanks again for all the answers! Bojan