South Bend Lathe Drive Belt Replacement 

Thank you so much!

Truth be told, the original glued leather belt lasted 50 years. Very rarely would it slip. Hard to beat the old ways! Thank you for your kind words.

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@@maxmarcellus5473 The suggestion is greatly appreciated- Thank you! I will look into how to do that. The audio definitely could use some adjustment other than the levels and normalizing we currently do. I have been using the Rode Compact plugged directly into the mic input, and holding it in my hand- so definitely less than ideal. Feel free to provide as much critique and suggestion as you would like- it really helps.

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@@RocanMotor marvelous.....best wishes from Central Florida ....Paul

Hi Paul, there is an amazon affiliate link in the description for the 3M scotch weld glue I used. 1. This is a very common belt size (cheap) and it has more than enough grip to transfer all of the torque this lathe has to throw at it. 2. If i went that route I would try to retain as much of the original components as possible and modify the treadmill motor to accept a similar stepped pulley. Its hard to suggest something without seeing specifically what you're working worth. I would be happy to respond to a video or a photo if you'd like. On my machine the VFD with the factory 3 phase motor provides more than enough speed control and greatly expanded the range of usable speeds. An electronic leadscrew would be fantastic, I look forward to seeing what you come up with. I considered driving the leadscrew with a stepper motor reading an encoder on the spindle myself, but this lathe has significant sentimental value to me so I opted to keep it in the condition my grandfather gave it to me in.

It's still holding up fantastic! Normally this would be running nearly daily, but as the shop is still getting set up run time is probably somewhere around 40-50hrs so far. However, I've used this exact method twice before and the belts lasted years without any issue- I stopped working on those machines before the belts quit. It will be obvious if the belt didnt adhere correctly and if it is going to delaminate it will happen early on. Belt tension should be lower than when a leather belt is used simply because the tractive force is so much greater than with a leather belt.

That's a great suggestion and not something I've experimented with! My only concern would be the belt being overly stiff doubled up at the joint. Perhaps a thinner belt could be used on top, or the ribs of a belt ground off. This method has held up thus far, but only time will long term.

@@RocanMotor i did it with one of the recreation leather belts and it has held great and i don’t notice a problem with the turn. i’m gonna switch to a rubber belt thoigh becuase they ripppppp compared to the annoying slipping leather. you can send a carbide bit deep into aluminum so much better

@@1timmeh I'll give it a shot next time around!

@@RocanMotor cool. i’ll try it and let you know here soon

I just put a serpentine on my 10 inch. It’s really nice.

I appreciate the correction! The smooth side of the belt is very slick and hard- the ribbed side has significantly more grip.

I don't recall the actual length- my suggestion is to buy a belt that is too long and to cut it to length as I did in the video. I can take a measurement for you, but theres a lot of variation in belt length from model to model. This is a 1965 South Bend 10L. I suggest setting the adjustment to the shortest possible adjustment, and then engage the drive lever to move the pulleys apart. Use a garment measuring tape or string at the middle of the pulleys to get a total belt length. If you are using laced belts, you don't need any additional length. If you are using a glued / lap belt, then add a few inches of length to account for the overlap. Lace it /glue it up and mount it, a little slack is preferred at this point. Then adjust the tensioner as necessary to take up the small amount of slop in the belt.

@RocanMotor I called Squirrel Daddy, the company I got the belt from, and they sold me a strip of lace for $10. I have the lacing tool, so I'm going to shorten it. I have to make 2 4" belts for the 18" American, so it'll all work out. I'll just order more than I need from McMaster Carr. I don't prefer the 1" I got because it's so thin. 0.061"

I prefer endless belts despite the challenge of replacing them. Pinned belts can sometimes wear the pulley and both pinned or laced belts will sometimes show up in the finish of the work, particularly in softer metals I've found. Definitely lots of benefits to a removable belt though! Thank you for tuning in!

@@RocanMotor great points indeed, although I've seen spliced belts with a hard spot or a hump on the joint which is no better. It'd have to be done right. looks like yours turned out pretty good. I have a heavy 10 too ...... and a 13. My H10 is a mid 50's with the three drawer and tubular base. Sweet little lathe

@@dizzolve very nice! You are absolutely right, prep is key to make sure the joint runs smoothly like you said. I would love a 13, really awesome. This is a 1965 heavy 10 with an L-00 spindle and taper attachment that was originally delivered to a high school machine shop in New York. I received it in completely unused condition, in the original cosmolene, as it was a spare that was locked away for its entire life. My grandfather was a custodian in the school and tucked it awat when they got rid of the machine program. A shame, but that's how I received almost all of my machines.

@@RocanMotor wow ....... what a gem of a find. Would love to have seen it right before it's first chip

@@dizzolve I'll make a video talking about it some more! The flaking is in phenomenal shape still and although I've used it heavily over the years it has been babied. The change gears for example barely have any paint scraped off, and the paint that was from before my time.