South Bend 10K Drive Belt Splice

Hit&Miss_Tom said:

I have a bench top South Bend 10K lathe using a flat drive belt about 1" wide and 3/8" thick. The belt appears to be some sort of "rubber" type material. It is spliced and glued together.

Generally it works ok but will slip off on heavy cuts. It is old and I figure it 's life may be about over. I have found some "flat belts" on eBay and at McMaster Carr that maybe could work but I have NOT found the glue yet. Does anyone know what type glue was used on this type of splice, and where to get it?

I am not sure about other types of connecting the ends as the diameters are small and I figure a "metal" type connection would not work as well as a glued one. My untested opinion only.

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Let me point out that you will be getting tons of replies to your query, but most will be BS. That lathe has been in existence since 1925. It is very hard to beat the original leather belt with the catgut splice. It just works. Modern materials appear to be better, but splicing the ends together is the weak point and the net effect is that they are not. OIl from the countershaft bearings will contaminate whatever belt you use. The net result is slippage of course. Clean the belt and all is fine again until the next time. Slippage on that lathe is not a bad thing. It often limits damage from stupid. The lathe was designed for a 1/2 horse motor, not more and it is enough. The belt when perfectly clean might couple 1 HP, but it is more power than the lathe can couple, so why stress the machine? Use an old fashioned leather belt and have a new spare handy.

Read the thread:

Don't delay... do the Serpentine Belt Fix today!

Personally, I like leather belts too, but prefer to have them laced w/pin. I'd get a spray can of belt dressing too for when it starts to slip a bit.
This isn't a "forever" decision and you can always swap types of belt at a later date
if you choose. They are cheap.

https://youtu.be/AokpoxdKsyk

PMc

View attachment 312849

I've spliced mine a few times over the time I've owned the lathe. All the pictures I've found are a little fuzzy, so the last time I did mine, I recorded the procedure. I've attached an image below.

I did the Al Bino belt on my SB13 back in June 2017 and it has held up just fine ever since. I use this machine 2-3 times a week for gunsmithing and hobby projects and I have nothing but good things to say about Al.

Glued or cat gut spliced belts take away one of my favorite things about ol flat belt lathes.

The "Click" of the metal lacing hitting the pulleys.
For me that is the sound of a metal lathe...

Needless to say I prefer leather belts and metal lacing.

Your lathe was made for leather belts and they work as well now as they did then, but if how well your lathe works is more important than originality the Serpentine belt is the only way to go. You can get a Serpentine belt for free, just ask a local garage to save you a few used ones. A used one that is in good shape will last for years on your lathe. The Serpentine belt grips much better than a leather belt with belt dressing. The Serpentine belt does not stretch and doesn't need to be as tight. If you get some oil on it just wipe it off and it will still work. They can be skived and glued, laced or use Alligator clips.

garyphansen said:

Your lathe was made for leather belts and they work as well now as they did then, but if how well your lathe works is more important than originality the Serpentine belt is the only way to go. You can get a Serpentine belt for free, just ask a local garage to save you a few used ones. A used one that is in good shape will last for years on your lathe. The Serpentine belt grips much better than a leather belt with belt dressing. The Serpentine belt does not stretch and doesn't need to be as tight. If you get some oil on it just wipe it off and it will still work. They can be skived and glued, laced or use Alligator clips.

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I agree with your comment on the grip of a serpentine belt, but not your comment on skiving, lacing or alligator clips. My experience and unfortunately others is just the opposite. So, I have to conclude some serpentine belts may work and some do not.

All I can say that my first glued serpentine belt splice lasted about seven years of heavy use. When it let go I re-glued it and also laced it up with some braided fish line and it hasn't failed again in many years. I also have serpentine belts that were laced with braided stainless steel wire and another with alligator clips that have been running for more than ten years without failing.