I have a Delta Unisaw that I should change the belts on due it not having been done since new. That is about 17 years ago. I would like to hear from someone that has done it and how they did it. I would also like to know if the plastic link belts are a viable option and should I upgrade the pullys.
Thank you
Replies
First of all the rule of "If it ain't broke don't fix it." may apply here. Why do you think you need to change the belts?
If you do change them, link belts will work fine and will probably be easier to install, possibly a lot easier to install depending on how your machine is set up.
The original pulleys on your saw should work just fine. The pulleys on contractor's style saws are often flimsy but that shouldn't be a problem with a Unisaw. What you should do while the belts are off is check that the set screws on both pulleys are tight. You should also rotate the arbor by hand while the belts are off, looking for symptoms that the bearings are starting to wear out, but this is unlikely unless the machine has been heavily used.
Removing the top on the saw will make giving the machine a major overhaul much easier.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
John,It was my understanding that link belts were not to be used on multi-belt sheeves. Am I mis-informed?thanks,Jim
Jim,
There are a lot of myths and misinformation going around about link belts. The belts made by Fenner, the red ones sold by many suppliers, work very well in all applications including multiple sheaves. They are meant for long term use and will last as long, and probably longer, than conventional belts. They would be my first choice for replacing the belts in a Unisaw.
John White
Thanks John,I'll keep it in mind next time my Uni needs new belts (probably sometimes 10-15 years from now.)Jim
I would agree with JohnWW except in this case, do not wait until your saw needs belts, get some link belts now. They will give you a better quality cut and your saw will just sound better. Do a search on Amazon.com for link belts and read the reviews, all 48 of them.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
Edited 10/2/2006 4:35 pm ET by JerryPacMan
While I do agree that link belts will quiet the saw some, I don't believe that in anyway it can improve the quality of the cut. My Unisaur is a '51, which I overhauled a year ago. Had the original motor rebuilt. Personally, I think it's a relatively quiet saw to begin with, with little to no vibration. At this point the only thing that's going to improve the cut is better blades (I already use Forrest blades) or a better operator.Jim
I disagree, if you get rid of those stiff heavy rubber belts the quality of your cuts will improve. Forrest uses a link belt on the small bench top saw they use when doing demo's at woodworking shows.
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
Again, quite honestly, I don't have a clue how spending $8 a foot is going to improve the "quality" of my cuts. My current setup, which includes having my table set within .002 of my blade, my fence at .003 toe-out at the exit side to the blade, a good quality blade that's actually sharp, provides me with glue-quality edges on my rips.How will changing the belts improve this? I'm not trying to be obstinate, I simply am without a clue as to what measurable difference link belts will make. (other than lightening my wallet to the tune of about $60)Jim
I'm with you. There are situations where I think a link belt might help. However, there are a seemingly infinite number of testimonials out there along the lines of:
1. "I just replaced the 35 year old belts on my blurfl with link belts and the difference was amazing!" (no doubt. I bet it also stopped barfing up chunks of dried out belt)
2. "I just upgraded my new machine with link belts and it's 100% better!" (after dropping that kind of cash, there's no way anyone's gonna admit the performance didn't change)Shall we take on cool blocks next?Pete
I don't think putting link belts on my Unisaw would be a prudent use of funds, but I am a big fan of cool blocks !! I cut a lot of curves on the bandsaw and being able to bury the 3/16 blade in the blocks while cutting in 1.75" oak maple and cherry sure makes for a lot less noise and most important a lot less sanding.
Since the house is on fire let us warm ourselves. ~Italian Proverb
Nah...skip the cool blocks, I went straight to bearing guides...that did make a difference.I suggest we go for 8000 grit waterstones for your plane irons and while we're at it, the superior shavings produced by a $5000 holtey. :)Jim
Edited 10/4/2006 9:02 am ET by JimV
Jerry, I use the red Fenner on my contractor 1.5 hp TS, a big old time heavy drill press,14" band saw and a 6 1/4 joiner. I love them. I would put them on several other motor/belt driven tools if I could get a better price than the current that is esclating to $7 a foot. This stuff is only a fabric type belt that they run through a punch press die ,,,, why so much $. If they had a deal for $4.99/ft. I would pick up 20 ft. in a heart beat . They have now reached my NO threashold at the new prices. Dayton belts are now looking real good again. I don't mind spending bucks but I don't like getting ripped off at all. Pat
I don't believe you can update the pulleys any better than what you have. They are already machined steel and not die cast.
I don't see any point in using link belts in this application. The link belts don't have a memory issue which is why they make a difference on a contractor saw where the motor hangs by it's own weight. The memory of a regular belt causes it to bounce slightly which results in a loss of power on the up bounce. After the belt gets warmed up it's better. On machines where the motor is fixed the bounce isn't an issue so no need to use a Fenner belt. On smaller diameter pulleys, cogged belts works better and will wrap around smaller diameters easier.
Regarding matched belts...Just buy three belts at the same time. Certainly no need to spend the extra money for matched belts. I used to work for a dealer as the technician and the Delta regional sales manager told me how the engineers decided only one belt was needed to power the saw but didn't dare follow through on it. Wasn't news to me as I've been working on the bigger saws and knew what they had for belts.
The three belt thing. Delta has gone overkill on the three belts. Three belts are not necessary for this saw but if they got rid of them people would complain they were cheapening the saw. PM went from three belts to two years ago. Even better example is to look at big slider panels saws. Most of them use only one belt and these are typically 7.5 to 9 hp motors. This is on Griggio, Paolini, Casadei, SCMI, Minimax and many others.
I agree with Rick L. I picked up an old Delta Unisaw for $50 at an auction about 15 years ago that was before they were Rockwell. It had a 1.5 hp motor on it. The top was back over in another building upside-down in a puddle of water. I found a 3 hp motor that needed new bearings, that I got free, and I already had a new fence that someone gave me after they up-graded. I already had a single pulley that fit the motor, so I bought a single belt to drive the arbor. I used it for about five years like that, and never felt that there was any need for three belts. I ripped plenty of oak and other hardwoods 2" and thicker, and never felt there was any slippage or need for extra belts.
There are many more V belts available today then there were years ago. I put a different set of belts on my saw. They are notched on the insdide and go around the pulley easier. What a difference!
Yup, the official name is a cogged belt. Just what you need for small pulleys.
Pete
I subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" school, especially when it comes to belts. The originals should be nicely broken-in by now, soft and flexible. While it's true that a 3 hp Unisaw would work fine with a single A-section belt (4L belts are not as heavily constructed, though they're the same width, and almost the same depth), the idea is to run them looser than you would normally. I run mine at what might be called sloppy-loose. They don't slip under load, and being loose, they don't telegraph the small variations in belt width and other imperfections into the sheaves. I'm still running the original, and rather cheap in my estimation, belts after 10 years, and virtually all the vibration in the saw comes from the motor itself, not the arbor or belts. If I tighten the belts the vibration goes up noticeably. The Unisaw manual even recommends running them looser than what folks would call normal.
Powermatic switched to a pair of 3VX belts some time back, but they are a different type of belt than that used on a Unisaw. I believe they're commonly called "wedge belts" in the UK. They're narrower, but have a much higher hp rating (for a given set of sheave diameters and motor speed) than even an AX (cogged A-section) belt. Just FYI, the order of HP transmission capability for v-belts commonly found on saws is, in ascending order, 4L (fractional hp), A, AX, and 3VX, where they're all 1/2" across the top except for the 3VX, which is 3/8".
If I ever need to replace my belts, I'd just use a set of AX belts from Gates or Goodyear. I also wouldn't worry about 'matching', since the Rubber Manufacturers' Association standards for what constitute matching is much looser than the variation between belts of a given length (from the same manufacturer) these days. Browning uses (or used to use, I don't know any more) a "Code 1" matching system, where any belts with the same Code number will match closer than the RMA standards would require. And, in my opinion anyway, matching isn't all that critical on a table saw anyway. An industrial drive working under load continously is one thing, but cabinet saws rarely see heavy loads, and when they do, it's pretty short lived.
Be seeing you...
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