Anyone have a 5/8" ID motor pulley available?

[xplodee]

Looking for a 5/8" ID motor pulley to install on my Heavy 10 with a VFD. Because of the VFD I don't care too much exactly for which model it is. Ted does have a couple but I can't afford those prices in my budget right now (super over budget on this machine) so I'm looking to see if anyone has one lying around that would be willing to help out a fellow south bender, lol.

Thank you for your consideration.

T

 

[Dobermann]

Look at Surplus Center. They have lots of pulleys with various bores for not much money. If you're using a VFD then you don't really care if it's the "official" two-step pulley anyway. Or go to the hardware store and buy a die cast pulley with the correct bore. Not very expensive.

 

[xplodee]

Look at Surplus Center. They have lots of pulleys with various bores for not much money. If you're using a VFD then you don't really care if it's the "official" two-step pulley anyway. Or go to the hardware store and buy a die cast pulley with the correct bore. Not very expensive.

Excellent suggestion and that you for it. I checked McMaster and found this one:

6213K73

Which has a 2, 3, and 4" channel. I could machine off the 4" channel. Think the 2" and 3" would give me adequate speed and torque across the countershaft range with a 1300RPM 1hp motor?

 

[thomasutley]

Excellent suggestion and that you for it. I checked McMaster and found this one:

6213K73

Which has a 2, 3, and 4" channel. I could machine off the 4" channel. Think the 2" and 3" would give me adequate speed and torque across the countershaft range with a 1300RPM 1hp motor?

Double-check the aftermarket sheave spacing on multi-groove pullies. There's a good reason Ted gets what he gets for his OEM pullies--because the belts all line up with SBL Co's narrow groove spacing on the countershaft pulley.

 

[Dobermann]

I think that will work just fine. The beauty of the VFD is that you don't have to be so particular about getting the pulley sizes "just so." And with most VFD's you can over-drive the motor so that it will run faster than its nameplate speed if you want to. There's some variation in how high the frequency can be run but you should have no trouble with 70 or 80 HZ if you want the additional speed capability.

I just changed the motor drive pulley (single groove) on my 9C from a 3" to a 2" because I didn't need the speed and this allows the motor to breathe a little easier. I run 70 HZ max frequency with my set-up which uses a 1750 rated RPM motor.

 

[xplodee]

I think that will work just fine. The beauty of the VFD is that you don't have to be so particular about getting the pulley sizes "just so." And with most VFD's you can over-drive the motor so that it will run faster than its nameplate speed if you want to. There's some variation in how high the frequency can be run but you should have no trouble with 70 or 80 HZ if you want the additional speed capability.

I just changed the motor drive pulley (single groove) on my 9C from a 3" to a 2" because I didn't need the speed and this allows the motor to breathe a little easier. I run 70 HZ max frequency with my set-up which uses a 1750 rated RPM motor.

Agreed.

The countershaft driven pulley has two flats that are 0.875" wide each. The three v-belt grooves on the McMaster pulley are 0.625" wide each. This means that the belt will have to ride considerably closer to the edge between the two driven pulley diameters. I'm fine with this. Will let you all know how it works because $18 is pretty good.

 

[iwananew10K]

don't see this working out too well, not only will the spacing be off, but more importantly the proportional steps will likely be off too so while you adjust it to run on one step the belt won't fit on the next step.

 

[michiganbuck]

Excellent suggestion and that you for it. I checked McMaster and found this one:

6213K73

Which has a 2, 3, and 4" channel. I could machine off the 4" channel. Think the 2" and 3" would give me adequate speed and torque across the countershaft range with a 1300RPM 1hp motor?

in a pinch I have put 3 singles in a row.

 

[xplodee]

don't see this working out too well, not only will the spacing be off, but more importantly the proportional steps will likely be off too so while you adjust it to run on one step the belt won't fit on the next step.

That's actually a pretty solid point. Here's my latest thought process- in order to be able to change belts between the motor and counter shaft I will need the proper pulley and belt length that came with the lathe. This is not going to happen, Ted doesn't have this pulley and it's not important anyway.

I will run a single pulley on the motor because I have a VFD anyway. By using this calculator (Pulley Calculator. RPM, Belt Length, Belt-Surface Speed, Animated Diagrams Metric) I was able to determine that if I use a 4" motor pulley to drive the larger of the two driven countershaft pulleys (~9.75") and use the left-most spindle pulley then I will produce a spindle speed of 1357RPMs while running the VFD at 60hz (my motor at 1130).

That will work for me! Then I can just turn the frequency down using the VFD to reduce the speed and I will have a lot current available to power that spindle at these lower speeds since I have a 1hp motor and VFD.

I bought the McMaster pulley and will likely turn it down to get rid of the other pulleys but fwiw TSC has single diameter spindles for $13-20.

 

[iwananew10K]

That should work.

But you might consider sizing so that you get your top speed at about 75-90 HZ

that would give you more low end flexability and keep your motor speed up a bit more to avoid overheating.

 

[SBLatheman]

"I bought the McMaster pulley and will likely turn it down to get rid of the other pulleys "

Chances are that you will not be able to remove any of the steps on that die cast pulley.
... Putting an Atla$ grade pulley on a South Bend
Ted

 

[Dobermann]

This discussion has sort of slipped off the rails. It seems to me there are two schools of thought on this forum: Those who view a lathe as a tool and want to use the lathe as a means of making things, and those who view the lathe as some sort of entry for a concourse event where it will be judged on paint color, smoothness of finish, original equipment and accessories, frosting on the ways, etc.

In this case I think the OP just wanted to get his lathe up and running without worrying too much about loss of points for an "incorrect" pulley. (As a side note, his lathe probably didn't originally come with a VFD so there go a pile of points for original equipment.)

So, he has a pulley and the lathe will run and make stuff. NOW he can set about machining the absolute correct pulley from billet stock to match the original perfectly. Points regained!!

As a second side note, among the 3 South Bend lathes I have, I have a Heavy 10 with the original 2-step motor pulley on it and except for the time I wanted to see how it would work with the higher of the 2 speeds, I've never used the higher option because I use a VFD. Since the pulley is inside the cabinet and I don't look in there very often, it would appear I'm wasting a valuable resource!

 

[thomasutley]

This discussion has sort of slipped off the rails. It seems to me there are two schools of thought on this forum: Those who view a lathe as a tool and want to use the lathe as a means of making things, and those who view the lathe as some sort of entry for a concourse event where it will be judged on paint color, smoothness of finish, original equipment and accessories, frosting on the ways, etc.

In this case I think the OP just wanted to get his lathe up and running without worrying too much about loss of points for an "incorrect" pulley. (As a side note, his lathe probably didn't originally come with a VFD so there go a pile of points for original equipment.)

So, he has a pulley and the lathe will run and make stuff. NOW he can set about machining the absolute correct pulley from billet stock to match the original perfectly. Points regained!!

As a second side note, among the 3 South Bend lathes I have, I have a Heavy 10 with the original 2-step motor pulley on it and except for the time I wanted to see how it would work with the higher of the 2 speeds, I've never used the higher option because I use a VFD. Since the pulley is inside the cabinet and I don't look in there very often, it would appear I'm wasting a valuable resource!

Dobermann, you apparently haven't seen xplodee's actual restoration thread. It is quickly becoming THE "concours d'elegance" standard by which all other restorations will be judged. It really is a beautiful job he's doing, including a full re-grind and saddle buildup on top of the best paint job I've seen on the forum so far. Makes what I'm doing with my 16" machine look like an Earl Scheib quickie job.

With the exception of the VFD, the rest of this machine is very much OEM and I'm surprised he's considering an aftermarket sheave for it. I'm guessing the VFD addition is what's driving him to even consider putting back a part that isn't stock.

 

[Dobermann]

So why doesn't he just machine his own pulley to the proper spec's? It'd be cheaper. But to do that, he's got to have some sort of "strange" pulley to run the machine. Thus my take on the project. I have no idea what his ultimate goal is or was but there are lots of ways to make the machine run. Besides, as I pointed out, the addition of a VFD kills the "original machine" part of the argument.

I have to admit I don't understand the "museum piece" branch of the South Bend Lathe following. As I said, I have three of them. They all run perfectly, make good parts, and are well cared for. They're a little oily and they don't have all their original paint nor any paint store substitute but they're as accurate as anybody's South Bend.

 

[xplodee]

Thomas-

Those are some really nice comments about my lathe and I truly appreciate it. We all know this sucker will get dinged up as soon as I get it done and start using it, but kind comments like yours will last me a lifetime.

Doberman-

I like your position on this topic!! And I agree with you. The sweet irony is that my machine is definitely a concours restoration for no other reason than I'm super anal. BUT, I don't really care how original it is or how original the parts are that I use on it. The color I picked is not an original color, nor is the VFD, nor is the control box that I'm going to be using or the motor I'm driving the lathe with. And SB surely never spent as much time filling and sanding as I did! If they did they'd be out of business, oh wait never mind that comment.

Anyway, I don't agree with any sentiment that just because this pulley came from McM that it's not good enough. And if anyone missed it, because my motor is a 1130RPM three-phase, I calculated that I need a 4" pulley to run the spindle at a max of 1300RPM's.

Here's my lathe so far, hope you all approve! (full flickr album is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/86870138@N06/albums/72157651739484216)

Untitled by Tim Marks, on Flickr


Untitled by Tim Marks, on Flickr

 

[StrayAlien]

... agreed, it is a beautiful resto, well done ... and believe me it will get dinged up fast!

I've not even got mine back together yet but am using it to a) repair some things for the mill that are b) used to repair the lathe, so that c) it can repair itself and it is already starting getting beaten up.

Drop a tool on that paintwork and bingo - a nice chip off. And when those sharp metal swirly pigs tail chips hit it that beautiful cross slide paintwork ... more scratches. For sure, I learned very quickly not to be too precious! :-)

At any rate, I am well in the camp of do what you like that makes you happy and accept that others doing what they like making themselves happy might be different to you. Fantastic paint or no, whatever. Just enjoy the journey, the tool and the history or whatever! :-)