CVA Lathe - Flat belt woes

[Martin-Sy]

I have just got back to commissioning my CVA lathe.
The first job is to machine a backplate for a 160mm 3Jaw I picked up on fleabay a few years back.
The backplate is Warco's finest and steel rather than cast iron but all I need to do is machine the 125mm register and drill/tap 3 holes.
Easy, or so I thought, but I cannot take any serious cuts as the belt slips.

The belt (2.5 inches wide) is tight, feels supple although somewhat oily.
This isn't a great surprise as there was an oil leak from the gearbox onto the pulley when I got the machine.

So .... can I just wash it in water with a degreaser or is there something better for leather belts.

Thanks

 

[MattF]

Warm soapy water would be fine for washing it, but you could do with applying something like neatsfoot oil to it afterwards, to prevent the possibilty of it cracking once dried.

 

[Martin-Sy]

Thanks Matt, I'll give that a try.

 

[fizzy]

Use a linisher belt inside out

Actually you never know

 

[fizzy]

My 2 CVAs are both V belt drive - just flat belt for feed.

 

[Seadog]

Something like this would be better.

FIXT BELT DRESSING SPRAY 1 X 400ml FOR TREATING ALL TYPE OF BELTS INCREASES GRIP AND EXTENDS BELT LIFE

Applications A High grip antifling coating which improves grip and performance of all belt types, ensuring optimum performance and efficiency Prevents slip and squeal boosts power transmission and increases belt life Resistant to oxidsation and is easily removed from belts Benefits A highly...

www.lubetechshop.co.uk

 

[Martin-Sy]

My 2 CVAs are both V belt drive - just flat belt for feed.

Yes, from what I can gather the majority are. Early ones (Mk1s) have 2 V belts. Later 3 V belts or a few like mine (customer option maybe) have a wide flat belt.
Feed belts are all flat.

 

[fizzy]

Something like this would be better.

FIXT BELT DRESSING SPRAY 1 X 400ml FOR TREATING ALL TYPE OF BELTS INCREASES GRIP AND EXTENDS BELT LIFE

Applications A High grip antifling coating which improves grip and performance of all belt types, ensuring optimum performance and efficiency Prevents slip and squeal boosts power transmission and increases belt life Resistant to oxidsation and is easily removed from belts Benefits A highly...

www.lubetechshop.co.uk

Don't be silly - that is the sensible solution

 

[brightspark]

Something like this would be better.

FIXT BELT DRESSING SPRAY 1 X 400ml FOR TREATING ALL TYPE OF BELTS INCREASES GRIP AND EXTENDS BELT LIFE

Applications A High grip antifling coating which improves grip and performance of all belt types, ensuring optimum performance and efficiency Prevents slip and squeal boosts power transmission and increases belt life Resistant to oxidsation and is easily removed from belts Benefits A highly...

www.lubetechshop.co.uk

yep used to use it on a big old flatbelt drive lathe i had and on the 4 v belts running my 90cfm v twin comp

 

[Pete.]

When I got my 10ee it had flat belt and it slipped a lot, and threw the belt if you looked at it funny. In desperation I got a tin of spray glue and sprayed the running face of the the belt and it was vastly improved. It would still throw the belt on a very heavy cut though and after breaking several parting tips I finally machined some vee pulleys and got rid of the flat belt altogether.

 

[Martin-Sy]

I have cleaned the belt with soap and warm water as @MattF suggested.
Definitely an improvement but if I run a finger nail along the belt there's still oil in it.
Lathes.co.uk can supply a new custom made belt at a bit under £200.
At that price I'll persevere for a bit longer, but maybe I should be on the lookout for a pair of V pulleys.
The tracking is also slightly out. At the headstock end the belt is right on (and sometimes slightly over) the edge of the pulley.
Both pulleys are crowned.

 

[MattF]

Aliexpress has sellers selling leather flat belt, else there's balata belt, which is readily available.

 

[Pete.]

I did see a photo of a 10ee fitted with a big wide poly-vee belt directly running on the flat belt pulleys. It was on the practicalmachinist forum some years ago.

 

[Geoffm]

The table feed on my Denbiegh horizontal mill uses a polyester car timing belt on the flat belt pulleys. Works well and doesn't slip. I cut it and sewed it together as I couldn't get one the right length and it doesn't have a tensioner.
Try a place that makes conveyor belts for industry. I had some made years ago for my big Denbiegh pillar drill and the spindle drive on the horizontal mill.

 

[E T]

I've been using an automotive serpentine belt on the Southbend since I bought it.
Lots of grip, never slips. Oil on the belt/pulleys doesn't effect it one bit.

 

[graffian]

I saw something about CVA belts, and from it I got the impression they used flat belts then tried V belts and went back to flat belts?
Mine is a flat belt, an oily flat belt. But the lathe takes deep cuts no problem.
It's not leather, well I think it isn't, it's black, rubbery and if I touch it I get black hands.
The little flat belt, for the feeds, looks to be leather.

I had an old Cincinnati flat belt lathe, proper line shaft type thing. I used a home made belt, made from some
laminations of brickyard conveyor belt riveted together. The belt would slip at much over a 25thou cut, for years
I accepted it slipped. I was doing something that was seriously boring, I happened to have a bottle of sodastream
coca cola concentrate. I dripped a few drops of the concentrate onto the pulley while the lathe was running.
Almost immediately there was a sound like tearing cloth, it was the belt sticking to the pulley and getting torn off it!
The cut went from 25 thou deep to 10 times that!