Hi all-
I moved from the very humid New Jersey to the very dry Albuquerque and my tools arrived in various states of disrepair (if you want to know a moving company not to use, I can point you in the right direction…)
Anyway, I’ve taken my various tools apart and am attempting to re-tension all the belts and having a very hard time getting the tension back to what it was and as a result am getting vibration and a burning rubber smell when running my jointer (grizzly 6 inch helical) and my bandsaw is also battling me. My working theory is that the belts are super dry as they are in my non-climate controlled garage in the high desert. Any advice? I’ve thought about link belts as a possible solution, but have no experience using them.
Replies
It sounds more like the pulleys are misaligned than it being a climate issue.
Thanks for the reply John. It could be the case that the pulleys are still not aligned but I think they are dialed in pretty well with a straight edge. I also checked to see if the set screws were slipping at all and it doesn’t appear to be the case. If however they are not perfectly aligned, would a link belt help mitigate vibrations from slightly misaligned pulleys?
I can't tell you why you have the problem, but if you are thinking about new belts, I highly recommend the segmented or link belts. I'be had them on all of my equipment for several years without issue. Smooth and quiet.
Thanks for the response! I think I will give them a go. Couldn’t hurt anyway.
BTW, I see no difference between the cheaper HF ones and the others.
While not quite as dry as NM, in my Colorado shop I have used linked belts for years without issue on every machine that takes V belts. Everything runs much more smoothly than with the conventional belts — no slippage or vibration. Pretty durable as well — no apparent wear in 18 years on my regularly used table saw. Can’t comment on jointer use as mine takes a ribbed flat belt.
The machine must have some means to adjust belt tension as adding/removing links changes the belt length in increments of about 3/4”.
Nice! I’m gonna give it a go and see if that improves things. Thanks for the reply.
I would check the pulleys for rust or pits.
I've had a shop in NM for 45 years, 30 of those in Albq. Never had any issues with motor belts. I don't think I've ever heard any of the folks in the local woodworking club mention this problem.
Come to the next club meeting and talk to folks who can help you out. Find out about our meetings at abqawa.org