The Home Machinist!

I can tell you from experience that the supply of belts at the ordinary auto parts stores will not match with the same belt number for the run of the mill belts they sell. I don't remember if I ever specified Gate but my most recent attempt was at a NAPA store.

I suspect the problem may be that most regular auto parts stores are selling import belts that might be relabeled to store brands. I haven't been impressed by the belt quality in recent years.

When I find the size or belt number that I need, i will go to Motion Industries. That is were I have been getting my bearings for the last 10 years (as Garish Bear) and they have never failed me and reasonable prices, good service.

Steve

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Jet vertical Mill, Champion 12X30 lathe, Amer. Mach. Tool radial drill, 24"X60" LeBlond lathe, Scharmann 3" Hrz Brg Mill, Steptoe 18" Shaper, South Bend Shaper, Jet 14" Power Hacksaw, B & S (No.4 36") Gear Cutting Mach., Wm Pilton vert. Slotter, Enco 12" horz. saw, McEnglevan MP36 foundry furnace, Rockwell 14"X42" lathe, K&T 2H univ horz. mill

Can't say anything about NAPA, but I know Carquest belts are Gates. I also know that I've had no miss-match problems with any from Carquest, in three different states, and I've bought a lot of 'em the last 10 years for heavy equipment.

I thought NAPA was Gates as well....but I'm not sure about that.

Bill

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Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.

I may have miss-spoke when I referred to NAPA previously. This was a store that had merged with NAPA here in the area. They are a local chain called Westbay Auto Parts and took over the several of the local NAPA stores. This is in an area a couple countys away from my new home.(Sorry about that NAPA).

I so a lot of automotive business with Carquest here locally. The have a good machine shop in back and appreciate that. I don't do valves or bore blocks. I leave that to the guys who have been doing it everyday for a living.

I'll check out this belt thing there. "Shop Local"!

Steve

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Jet vertical Mill, Champion 12X30 lathe, Amer. Mach. Tool radial drill, 24"X60" LeBlond lathe, Scharmann 3" Hrz Brg Mill, Steptoe 18" Shaper, South Bend Shaper, Jet 14" Power Hacksaw, B & S (No.4 36") Gear Cutting Mach., Wm Pilton vert. Slotter, Enco 12" horz. saw, McEnglevan MP36 foundry furnace, Rockwell 14"X42" lathe, K&T 2H univ horz. mill

When in back gear oil is required for the pulley bushing. Over exuberance in that could easily soak the belts.

Steve

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http://www.totallyscrewedmachineshop.com

Looking at the cut away drawing of the gear head, the spindle and two control shafts are all that penetrate the gear case. There is a cover plate for removal of the back gear shaft that is press fitted into the case and the manual says there is a "pliable gasket seal". That might be the way the oil is splashing out when in back gear. I'll check that out when I am replacing the belts.

Steve

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Jet vertical Mill, Champion 12X30 lathe, Amer. Mach. Tool radial drill, 24"X60" LeBlond lathe, Scharmann 3" Hrz Brg Mill, Steptoe 18" Shaper, South Bend Shaper, Jet 14" Power Hacksaw, B & S (No.4 36") Gear Cutting Mach., Wm Pilton vert. Slotter, Enco 12" horz. saw, McEnglevan MP36 foundry furnace, Rockwell 14"X42" lathe, K&T 2H univ horz. mill

Not familiar with the 14, but all the shafts should have oilers, and that oil seeps out on the pulleys, then to the belts, and from there gets transferred everywhere. The cabinets tend to be messy.

And while it's got gears, it's also not what most would consider a "gear head". It's more a sort of hybrid between open belt and true gear heads, and most of the spindle (and other) gears run dry, particularly in the 11", though I think the 14 provides a few wet sumps.

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Russ
Master Floor Sweeper

Nah! The 14 has a gear box on top and the drive motor and variable drive in the cabinet underneath the twin drive belts come up thru a side cover/passage to the pulleys on the end of the spindle. This drive input sleeve shaft, running on the outside of the spindle. There in might be another source of the oil leak. Might not be a seal to prevent the oil from going between the sleeve and spindle. There are some bearing in this assemble and perhaps there is a bad seal in that arrangement. Little are to find or repair since the double vee pulley would have to be removed, etc..

Just thinking out loud.

Steve

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Jet vertical Mill, Champion 12X30 lathe, Amer. Mach. Tool radial drill, 24"X60" LeBlond lathe, Scharmann 3" Hrz Brg Mill, Steptoe 18" Shaper, South Bend Shaper, Jet 14" Power Hacksaw, B & S (No.4 36") Gear Cutting Mach., Wm Pilton vert. Slotter, Enco 12" horz. saw, McEnglevan MP36 foundry furnace, Rockwell 14"X42" lathe, K&T 2H univ horz. mill

When I want a drive component I go to a "drive component" dealer not an auto parts outlet. It just seems that an employee from a supplier like "Motion Industries" who is as competent (or more?) than an employee of an auto parts place like "NAPA" (does it really mean No Auto Parts Available?) would be more knowledgeable in that field.
Belts and other industrial drive components are better sourced from an outlet that specializes in that.
Unless you can find the equivalent elsewhere

Ditto

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Russ
Master Floor Sweeper

Last machine belts I bought came from Industrial Drives in Portsmouth VA.

Steve

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http://www.totallyscrewedmachineshop.com

McMaster-Carr. Applied Industrial Technology (the old Bearings Inc), that's where I got a matched set last year.

Dennis

Contact Motion Industries they will get anything you want or Kaman Bearing both are great. Kaman has in the past set me up with a conversion to a single Gates poly chainbelt instead of three v-belts which slipped consistently on me causing nothing but problems. Now with the poly chain there is zero slip and I havent changed a belt since. My Kaman rep came in looked at what I was running and ordered the correct drive shieves and belt length for me to maintain the same gearing and I was good to go. I've saved more in belts since than the cost to convert. Poly chain is a little louder to run they just hum a bit, with other machines running we dont even hear them. You would love the outcome.