Fitting a Cowell’s drive belt.

[aeolaParticipant @aeola]

Hi,

could anyone explain to me how to fit a new belt to a cowell’s E lathe (not the one from the motor, the one that goes from the countershaft to the spindle). I’m scratching my head trying to figure it out.

Thanks for your time reading this, even more so if you reply :-))

Regards,

Paul

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

No experience on Cowells specifically, but it does look like you are faced with the common choice on such machines: Either remove the spindle from the headstock and the countershaft from the H frame so that you can fit a new continuous belt. Or fit a link belt that can be joined up without having to pull the machine apart.

Fenner brand seems to be the popular choice for link belts, if they come in the right cross-section for your small machine. They are popular among Myford owners, who use a “full-sized” A-section belt. The Cowells may use the smaller Z or ZX series or similar.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

This is the early version of the Cowells spindle [1.5mm pitch] but so far as I am aware all other details remain unchanged … It may be of interest.

MichaelG.

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[MichaelRParticipant @michaelr]

You will have to remove the gear on the spindle and slacken the drive pulleys to withdraw the spindle for a belt change..

See this Link https://altrish.co.uk/tag/cowells-lathe/ there is a full explanation.

MichaelR

[Roger WoollettParticipant @rogerwoollett53105]

I also have a Cowells 90ME. The instructions in MichaelR’s link look good to me. Two things to be particularly careful of. Do slacken the bearings completely. Wear is likely to have made the arbor bearing slightly smaller tan the rest of the arbor Also the grub screw securing the pulley is likely to have raised a burr. You may have to tap the arbor gently to get the burr through the front bearing.

 

 

 

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Or possibly drop a drill bit down the grub screw hole and remove the burr on the spindle before passing it through the bearing?

[Author]

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