Adjustable Motor Mounting Bracket / Counter Shaft Bracket

[Spokerider]

I'm looking for any pics that you guys might have of your DIY / home made adjustable motor mounting bracket please.

I have a Craftsman 101.0730 with the early L9-20A counter shaft bracket...….the early version with the "three holes" in the base. I'm in the process of mounting the motor and the counter shaft bracket, based on the ?correct? V belt length, to the poorly made bench that came with the lathe. This bench will suffice for the time being.

On that note...….I would like to make adjustable mounting brackets for both the motor and the counter shaft bracket, so I can tension these belts individually and independently of each other. Looking to be able to go up or down in belt length an inch or so at least, from the current belt lengths I have now. Currently, the motor sits on a door hinge, and bounces around under it's own weight, when in use. This poorly thot out design will not be re-implemented, for sure.

Anyone have pics to share please, for ideas?

 

[John_Dennis]

I am not familiar with the Craftsman lathes. I had a similar Logan that used the weight of the cast Iron pulley cover to press a plunger that put tension on the belt. If I remember correctly this was the secondary belt. The first belt was tensioned by the slotted motor mount and a screw tensioner.

A photo would help. I think some Craftsman lathes were made by Atlas so you might look at those.

 

[francist]

Here’s what I did for my newer version of your machine. I know, not exactly the same countershaft setup, but maybe close enough to work. I hung a separate bracket off the back to hold the motor which can move up-down independent of the countershaft assembly. This allows a person to tailor one belt without necessarily affecting the other. I have the same setup for the Atlas in the main shop, just a little less styled. Both have about an inch of travel.



With regards to the door hinge, Atlas used a similar arrangement for the motor mount on their horizontal millers. To stop the mount from bouncing, they just used a threaded rod and a couple of nuts to capture the motor bracket between. Once you get the tension you want you just snug both nuts together and no more bounce. Maybe something like that could work for your setup too?

-frank

 

[DavidR8]

I just have to ask @francist, do you use that lathe in situ?


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[darkzero]

I just have to ask @francist, do you use that lathe in situ?


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Sure he does. Frank machines invisibilitium with it. It machines much like brass I hear.

Here's a picture of invisibilitium.

 

[francist]

do you use that lathe in situ?

No, not at the moment. I’m missing a compound slide for it so I just run it up for exercise every now and then. But aside from that, why not? My house, my rules...

-frank

 

[Janderso]

Chips out of carpet?

 

[matthewsx]

Carpet keeps you from tracking the chips into the rest of the house

 

[FanMan]

This is my setup. The countershaft assembly is fixed, since it has its own screw for tension adjust and I can always add or remove a link or two. The motor came with a pivoting bracket to tension it, don't recall where it came from, a treadmill maybe... I just made the aluminum blocks to mount it to the back of the cabinet, with the threaded rod and wingnut to tension it.

 

[Spokerider]

Thank you for the pics and input guys. It helps.

I have the same three-holed counter shaft base as you do FanMan. I'm thinking of placing the motor between the counter shaft bracket and the lathe base.....and on the left side of the lathe.
I see posted pics / brochures pics of the motor mounted facing left, and right, so dunno which way is the intended ?correct? orientation of the motor.

I have a few more questions please;
How much / little tension / deflection should the spindle V belt have when the lathe is operating? inch lbs deflection? In other words......how much belt tension is too much tension?

About the counter shaft....it has two sets of "flats" machined into it. A small flat and a corresponding larger flat. What is the purpose of these machined flats? I'm guessing that the small flat, is where the counter shaft sits, and the adjustment screws sit, when the lathe belt is in "neutral"? And that when the lever is engaged to tighten the belt, the adjustment screws contact the larger machine flats?
Or...….does one continue to pull the lever to rotate the counter shaft far enough, to get the screws beyond the flats and up / onto the round part of the bar? I see that doing this, provides just a little more lateral movement of the countershaft, providing just a little more belt tension.