power twist link belt ???

reible · Post by **reible** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 7:10 pm

Hi,

The used shopsmith I got back some years ago started to make an odd noise and when I opened her up I saw the drive belt is frayed. Since I have no idea when or if the belt was ever replaced I'm reasonable sure this is the cause of the noise.

This is my secondary machine so it is not used as often as my other one and don't have to repair right now but I would like to do so before the temperatures in my shop drop too much lower... so say in the next month.

I know I have seen some posts from our friend Bill M about replacing the drive belt on machines that are not used alot with a link belt. This sounds like a good plan for this machine. I think I will order a new belt from shopsmith as well when I put my next order in to have as a spare.

What I found on sale was a 4' section of 1/2" link belt for 24.90. I have the same stuff on both my non shopsmith jointer and bandsaw so I have a few links left over but no where near enough to finish a belt for the shopsmith. So I could go with the stuff I have extra of and keep a stock of left overs untill I get enought to use somewhere else, or I could go with some other version from who ever.

So now for a couple of questions. Is anyone else using this type belt either on the shopsmith or else where? Has any else besides Bill used it inside the shopsmith? Any brands to avoid? (The ones I've gotten are from Hartville Tool, and have the USA thing going for them). In my note pad I wrote down 35 links, does anyone know if a link is a standard??

From what I've noticed the bandsaw was pretty well tuned anyway so the link belt did not seem to make much difference. The jointer is a 6" cast iron one so the vibration was already dampened by the weight, however it would make a high pitched belt whine when starting up in cold weather and that is now gone. Not sure they were up to the advertisements I've seen but if they at least wear as well as they claim maybe the cost isn't so bad.

Any other comments are welcome.

Ed

grouser · Post by **grouser** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:39 pm

I use the link belt on my wood lathe. It's an old one and the motor just hangs below the headstock and the wieght of it keeps the tension. When I had a regular V-belt the vibrations were terrable when I started it up. Even worse in cold weather.All that went away so I can say the link belt worked for me and I thing there is good advantage to them,,,JMHO

etc92guy · Post by **etc92guy** » Mon Nov 10, 2008 10:43 pm

I personally saw the link belts when I visited Bill. There are a couple of advantages. The link belt doesn't take a set when it sits for a while like the regular belt. This should be an advantage especially as it gets colder in your area. The other thing that was noticed is there is no rubber build up on the sheaves. They stay shiny with the link belt.

reible · Post by **reible** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 11:27 pm

Hi,

Just put in my order for the linked belt from:
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10885

The regular price is $28.99 ($7.25/ft) now on sale though the end of Jan 09 for $24.90 ($6.23/ft). And it says USA for those that care.

I also picked up the 1/8" MJ splitter steel pro system (all ready have thin kerf model) on sale from $29.99 to $24.97 (USA)
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/12457

And to round out my order a couple of 1/4" spiral router bits (one up and one down) regular price $15.99 each for $12.78 each. (USA)(USA)

The total order came to $75.43 which got me free shipping!

Anyway if anyone is looking for linked belts now you know the price from Hartville Tool.

Ed

PS they claim: Ships In 24 Hrs

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 12:14 am

Regarding link belts, I seem to remember over on the 10ER Yahoo forum that Skip Campbell found one particular link belt to be a little rough on the aluminum pulleys. I don't recall the brand of belt. Might be a good idea to keep an eye out for pulley wear from the link belt.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 8:45 am

I've seen red ones and green ones in ads. I have a green on on a flee sander knock off. The links are made of layers of, what seems to me to be, phenolic.
Each link is not very pliable and very hard. I would imagine that this one would be very "scratchy" on the SS pulley.

Another thing. This was my first use of a link belt. when I installed it on the Pulleys, it wouldn't fit. It was 1/32 too wide. In my ignorance, I just figgered that it was mismatched with the pulley so, I began to sand the edges. Finally decided that this isn't right, so I called the company that supplied the belt and pulleys. I'm glad I was on the phone and not standing in front of the lady I was talking to. THE BELT WAS INSTALLED UPSIDE DOWN!:eek: All I had to do was turn it over so the links were INSIDE. Fit like it was made to. I wish I had looked close and had seen that the links' dimensions were different from top to bottom.
Live and learn.

Gene

hobbyist · Post by **hobbyist** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:07 am

I installed a PowerTwist link belt on my Mark V last year and it has been working fine. Vibration and noise were definitely reduced, though not dramatically in my case. I used 35 links as Bill Mayo suggested in one of his posts -- thanks for the information Bill.

The PowerTwist belts are fairly stiff. I imagine that they might be robbing some power at high and low speeds when the sheave diameter is small. For my standalone Shopsmith bandsaw I use a Goodyear Torque Flex cogged belt. The Torque Flex belts are extremely flexible. I haven't yet tried one on the Mark V.

I also found an older post on rec.woodworking about using the PowerTwist belt on a Shopshmith. Here it is...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.woodworking/browse_thread/thread/1d298dc075739c44?q=shopsmith+links++group:rec.woodworking#e7512fae957b21ec

Ray

reible · Post by **reible** » Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:28 am

Thanks for the info, 2002 isn't all that long ago but it would be interesting to see how everything is still going.

My order is due in on Monday but it will be a couple of months before it warms up enough to do anything with it.

Ed

hobbyist wrote:I installed a PowerTwist link belt on my Mark V last year and it has been working fine. Vibration and noise were definitely reduced, though not dramatically in my case. I used 35 links as Bill Mayo suggested in one of his posts -- thanks for the information Bill.

The PowerTwist belts are fairly stiff. I imagine that they might be robbing some power at high and low speeds when the sheave diameter is small. For my standalone Shopsmith bandsaw I use a Goodyear Torque Flex cogged belt. The Torque Flex belts are extremely flexible. I haven't yet tried one on the Mark V.

I also found an older post on rec.woodworking about using the PowerTwist belt on a Shopshmith. Here it is...

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.woodworking/browse_thread/thread/1d298dc075739c44?q=shopsmith+links++group:rec.woodworking#e7512fae957b21ec

Ray

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:03 am

Un-packed my link belt and was thinking that maybe some of you have no idea what these belts look like. I snapped a couple of pictures. First one is after the belt had been out of its package about an hour... the set is coming out as it was wrapped in a chipboard holder much like a regular belt might come in. I just dropped it on the floor and this is how it fell.
[ATTACH]3096[/ATTACH]

The next shot is what it looks like on the outside, much like it would look sitting in a pulley.
[ATTACH]3097[/ATTACH]

The inside looks like this.
[ATTACH]3098[/ATTACH]

A single "link" looks like this.
[ATTACH]3099[/ATTACH]

In about another hour I'll shoot and past another image of how the set is coming out of it. I'm as interested as you are as it has been a couple of years since I last did this.

Ed

reible · Post by **reible** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:05 am

It has been about another hour and as you can see it has lost more of its packaging set. My guess is that it will still get a little better but not all the set will come out until it has run for a while in a real application.
[ATTACH]3100[/ATTACH]

OK now I'll wrap it back up and stick it in a box until the weather warms... that is unless some one has another picture they would like to see???

Ed