sticky fan sheave?

baddlad · Post by **baddlad** » Sun May 03, 2009 6:36 pm

OK new question. I have my headstock taken apart cleaned it all up and I put the floating sheave back onto the spindle and it seems like the two sheaves kind of stick together or lock together a little bit. I can pull them apart but there is a little resistance initially. Once they are apart the floating sheave slides very smoothly on the spindle. At first I thought maybe I didn't get all the residue from the evaporust off and it was sticky, but I felt it with my hands and it's not. So here is the question, are the teeth on the floating sheave and the fan sheave supposed to slightly lock together, or when I add the belt on later does it keep them apart enough that they don't stick together. Or is it just normal for the two sheaves to stick together a little because of they way they fit together? I hope that made sense.

Jeff

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun May 03, 2009 6:58 pm

baddlad wrote:OK new question. I have my headstock taken apart cleaned it all up and I put the floating sheave back onto the spindle and it seems like the two sheaves kind of stick together or lock together a little bit. I can pull them apart but there is a little resistance initially. Once they are apart the floating sheave slides very smoothly on the spindle. At first I thought maybe I didn't get all the residue from the evaporust off and it was sticky, but I felt it with my hands and it's not. So here is the question, are the teeth on the floating sheave and the fan sheave supposed to slightly lock together, or when I add the belt on later does it keep them apart enough that they don't stick together. Or is it just normal for the two sheaves to stick together a little because of they way they fit together? I hope that made sense.

Jeff

Have you lubricated it yet??????

baddlad · Post by **baddlad** » Sun May 03, 2009 7:05 pm

also I made a wooden headstock carriage to hold the headstock like Nick had in the video on one of the sawdust sessions. I highly recommend making one if you rebuild your headstock, it sure made it a lot easier.

baddlad · Post by **baddlad** » Sun May 03, 2009 7:07 pm

yeah I lubricated it but only on the shaft not in the teeth of the fan sheave. That is where it seems to stick a little is where the teeth of the two sheaves mesh together.

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sun May 03, 2009 7:07 pm

baddlad wrote:OK new question. I have my headstock taken apart cleaned it all up and I put the floating sheave back onto the spindle and it seems like the two sheaves kind of stick together or lock together a little bit. I can pull them apart but there is a little resistance initially. Once they are apart the floating sheave slides very smoothly on the spindle. At first I thought maybe I didn't get all the residue from the evaporust off and it was sticky, but I felt it with my hands and it's not. So here is the question, are the teeth on the floating sheave and the fan sheave supposed to slightly lock together, or when I add the belt on later does it keep them apart enough that they don't stick together. Or is it just normal for the two sheaves to stick together a little because of they way they fit together? I hope that made sense.

Jeff

Glad you asked the question Jeff. Just to let you know, my Greenie has the same condition. In order to initially get the floating sheave and fan sheave apart, I would have to use a light pry and once apart, the floating sheave would move freely on the motor shaft. I decided that the interference with minimal so I left it as is just to see how it would react when I started it up. Well, it worked fine. There was absolutely no delay or hangup when decreasing the speed from the fast position, which is when they are close together. Whether or not it is was a good idea to leave it like that I hope will be answered by one of the guru's here. I'll keep my eyes on this post for sure.

p.s. What component did you evaporust?

baddlad · Post by **baddlad** » Sun May 03, 2009 7:35 pm

mickyd wrote:
p.s. What component did you evaporust?

I only used evaporust on the floating sheave, I avoided using it on anything with a bearing.

baddlad · Post by **baddlad** » Sun May 03, 2009 7:36 pm

and Mike by the way what you described is exactly what mine does.

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sun May 03, 2009 8:30 pm

baddlad wrote:and Mike by the way what you described is exactly what mine does.

Question for you BOTH. How far apart are the outer edges of the two halves of the sheave when the 'stickey' condition starts. Is it less than 1/2"? They should NEVER have to operate in this position UNLESS you are using a badly worn out belt.

Also is it sticking on the key? Are the keyways damaged or not exactly lining up? Are the sheave fingers rubbing?

mickyd · Post by **mickyd** » Sun May 03, 2009 9:02 pm

JPG40504 wrote:Question for you BOTH. How far apart are the outer edges of the two halves of the sheave when the 'stickey' condition starts. Is it less than 1/2"? They should NEVER have to operate in this position UNLESS you are using a badly worn out belt.

Also is it sticking on the key? Are the keyways damaged or not exactly lining up? Are the sheave fingers rubbing?

jpg - Slightly more than 1". My belt measures .525".

I can best describe like this. I first noticed the condition when I first reassembled. There was NO belt on yet. The motor was out of the unit. Everything was immaculate and burr free. The spring pressure causes the two sheave to be in contact with each other at thier closest possible positions. When they are like that, if you try to pull the floating sheave away, you either can't OR you have to pull with a good amount of force. If I put a little lever arm in between the sheaves and apply just a bit of leverage, the sheaves start to seperate. The INSTANT they start to separate, the floating sheave is free to slide in and out. I don't think it moves more than a fews thousandths of an inch and it frees up. You let go, it comes back in contact, and the same thing happens.

I just went out and took the belt cover off and WITH THE BELT ON, machine at the slowest speed setting (floating and fan sheave closest together), they are FREE NOW. This is the first time I have tried moving the floating sheave since I put everything back together so either
1. The approximate 1 minute running time I have done unfrooze the things OR
2. This condition occurs when there is NO BELT on. If I wasn't so sick, I't take the belt off and see if they still stick with no belt on.....maybe tomorrow.

p.s. Answer to you last three questions NO, NO, I think so, at the absolutue extreme on closure. To be sure, I'd need to look at closer but I probobly won't since they are not sticking with my belt on.

billmayo · Post by **billmayo** » Sun May 03, 2009 9:05 pm

A common problem that I find. If the headstock has been operated for long periods of time (like lathe operations) at the slow speed, the motor belt will cause the tips of the sheaves to flatten (get wider at the tips). I use a flat metal file to file on the side of each tip on both sheaves which cures the problem but is very time intensive.

In some cases, a quick solution was to add brass shim washer(s) between the sheaves on the motor shaft to where the sheaves just started to stick but will still pull apart with my hands. Works well with 26" motor belt.

I find that when installing a new or used fan and/or floating sheave, the new sheave tips may not line up in the center of the opposite sheave tips resulting in the sheave sticking. I have many new and used sheaves so I do a check using each sheave until I find one that lines up between the center of the tips on the other sheave and does not stick. Therefore I recommend always buying a new or used set of fan and floating sheaves at the same time. Easier to return a set if they are sticking.

Always insure the fan sheave set screw is tight (remove motor from motor pan to check) as I have found a few of these set screws that were loose or missing resulting in the fan sheave and sometimes the floating sheave needing replacement.