Flat belt drive

[Alan Worland 1Participant @alanworland1]

[Alan Worland 1Participant @alanworland1]

I am about to set up my Stuart No4 engine on a base driving a small generator and have purchased a length of 0.5″ width belting.
How much of ‘lap’ should this have when using adhesive, and what adhesive should be used?
It will be running around a fairly small generator pulley and I am thinking about joint flexibility?

Alan

[websnailParticipant @websnail]

The big boys, back in their day, used a wire hinge. Could you not make something like it. Only smaller.

This book is a good read. **LINK**

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

Hi Alan, I was going to put you on to another thread about 2 years ago, then I saw who's thread it was, by some coincidence the author had the same name.

I rebuilt a Stuart S9, and tried a leather belt about 3/4" wide. I'll have to do something about some sort of dressing on the belt, its too slippery. Try to keep your pully's as large as possible, and your belt as long as you can.

The S9 has gone back to its owner, and is on display in the front window of the little Museum just down the street from me. Ian S C

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

At the St Albans show last weekend traction-engne-Tim was running a 5 in saw blade off a 2in scale Burrell for hours until he let the belt foul a guide. He used ordinary staples. Otherwise I'd suggest rubber puncture repair glue.

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

Make a scarph joint by tapering each end before super gluing together. Contact adhesive MIGHT be even better.

Rik

[IanTParticipant @iant]

My copy of "Belt Drives in the Small Workshop" (Duplex 1950) advises several means of doing this Alan.

The first is to use an "alligator" fastener (a bit like a hinge where the two halves are joined by the central pin and the two parts have teeth that grip the belt ends. Assuming these are not freely available, it also suggests wire stitching using a form of 'X' pattern (but warns there will be an audible click). Finally there is a scarf joint described, where the overlap is recommended to be four times the width of the belt. The joint is made by the use of "celluloid" cement ( "as supplied by the belt manufacturer" )  and it is clamped between two lengths of wood using a G-clamp whilst setting.

I've got a flat 2" leather belt on my Lorch Schmidt AB which is scarfed & stitched and it's held up very well so far. However I have just purchased two new (round) leather belts for my Cowells drill and will probably not use the simple wire clip supplied. Again the advice for a scarf joint length (on a round belt) is four times the diameter.

I have been wondering what glue I should use and thought of the 'rubber' glue used to glue replacement rubber soles onto shoes but would welcome any advice from anyone else who has had a good result from other glues. I will probably also stitch the joint too for added strength (waxed cotton is suggested – plus pre-drilling the required holes! ). I certainly don't want any annoying clicking when the drill is running and I think this way should last longer.

By the way – before anyone suggests it – I've tried the plastic stuff and it really wasn't as good as the leather belt the drill came with.

Regards,

 

IanT

 

PS I've also read up Tubal Cain in this area. As a result I've purchased some Neatsfoot Oil to soften the leather belting before use as Tubal suggests (again off eBay)

Edited By IanT on 03/10/2013 16:08:49

Edited By IanT on 03/10/2013 16:19:49

[thomas oliver 2Participant @thomasoliver2]

I have a Kennedy Hacksaw and I made up a belt from a discarded motorcar camshaft belt, I ground the scarf joint at at least a 30Deg angle and joined it wit superglue. The joint was clamped in a vice and left for 24 hours. Considering the belt is driven by a thin sleeve on a 5/8th in motor shaft it has stood up for two years. I also cut sections off a poly v belt and joinn them similarly for my Pultra lathe. This has the big advantage that I do not have to dissemble the main spindle to fit the belt,but glue it up in situ.

[dave greenhamParticipant @davegreenham19379]

Hi Alan.

you don't say whether it's rubber or leather belting, years ago when I was a hosiery mechanic

we use round leather belt on the sewing m/c's these were joined with what I can only describe as

a 1 mm dia staple. The open joint of it facing the pulley.

Loctite also do a super rubber glue, I've used that for sticking rubber soles back when they part company on shoestring at the toe, but what it would work like for a belt I can't say. But may be worth a try.

Dave

[websnailParticipant @websnail]

Don't forget, both rope and belt drives work by friction (not tension), so the larger the contact arc with the driving pulleys the better. Some times an idler pulley has to be used to increase this contact area.

Got any pictures of the set up?

[Alan Worland 1Participant @alanworland1]

Thanks for all your replies. I should have said the belting is rubber and quite thin but contains a woven structure which has made it ‘unstretchable’ it also has a texture on one side making it very grippy.
My main concern was the ability of any adhesive to flex and remain effective, particularly as it goes round the generator pulley, which is only about .5″ diameter.
I have been considering a tensioner on the outer side of the belt but this would then cause the belt joint to be flexed one way – then the other!

Alan

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi Alan

Have you considered welding a belt?

I have had them made professionally in the past, even better the video below is do it yourself.

**LINK**

Regards
john

[Edward MessengerParticipant @edwardmessenger76333]

Hello Alan,
I have been driving an ancient Drummond M with a 1″ wide by about 1/16″ thick rubber / fabric belt wth a 3″ scarph glued with Evostick contact adhesive for about 15 years.
Put a thin film on each end, let it dry for an hour or so and clamp between two pieces of wood for 24hrs.
The thin ends of the joint started to lift a couple of years ago so I just stapled them down with an office type stapler.

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