Rikon 70-100 Lathe Belt

[DonWood]

Hi Everyone:

I have been using the Rikon 70-100 for pen turning since April '06 and love it. However I am having problems with the belts going bad very quickly.

The first belt lasted about 9 or 10 months before it broke.

I got another belt from Woodcraft and used it about one week before it split crosswise down to the radial type belt that is sandwiched between the normal belt layers. The splits were every couple inches around the belt. Well, I called Rikon and they sent me another belt free of charge!!

Well, guess what? I used the replacement belt for about one week and the same thing happened. Again I called Rikon and they are sending me a free replacement?

No complaints at all about Rikon or the customer service it has been great! But has anyone else been having belt problems?

I have checked all the normal things like alignment, burs on the pulleys, tension on the belt, etc. This just started happening suddenly, I am thinking maybe Rikon has gotten ahold of a bad batch of belts...... Anyone else having the same problem?

Thanks for the info.

 

[hrigg]

I've only been using my 70-100 for a couple of months and I haven't had any belt-related issues, but I've seen other posts where folks have been directed to NAPA Auto for quality replacement belts. Don't know if NAPA carries belts that will fit the Rikon's grooved pulleys, though.

 

[DonWood]

Thanks Harry for the suggestion. Rikon said that there is no other belt available that will fit, but I should probably check anyway.

Don

 

[Gary Max]

Try NAPA----just hand them the old belt---forget the lathe story.
I have never stumped them.

 

[leehljp]

I have the same lathe; purchased in Feb. 06. Made about 100 pens. The belt is still OK but it does look like it is wearing a little faster than it should. It looks just a tad bit frayed as though on of the pulleys is not in perfect alignment. That makes me think that your situation sounds more like some kind of alignment problem too.

On mine, when I move the belt, tighten it in place by moving the motor down - then the next step - As I tighten the lever and lock it in place, I can see the motor and pulley change angles. There is some slack in there somewhere that does not look quite normal. Alignment of the bottom pulley could possibly be an issue. If I were in my younger days, I would have disassembled it by now to see what is going on.

 

[Randy_]

Don: Are there any markings on the belt to indicate the manufacturer or the size? I assume that the Rikon uses a flat, grooved belt similar to the one on my JET mini. I could be wrong; but I seriously doubt that NAPA carries that type of belt. For folks who have bigger lathes that use a normal V-belt, NAPA is probably a good local source; but I think it unlikely they carry the small Poly-Rib belts that our mini lathes require. I would like to hear from anyone who has ever found a belt for your JET mini at a NAPA store.

Even though my JET mini is a Chinese made lathe, the belt is made in America by Carlisle. If the Rikon belts appear to be cheap foreign made belts, you might want to try thr following supplier and buy a Carlisle belt.

<b>Link to site for purchase of JET belts;

Company name: Michigan Industrial Belting

Phone number:1-800-778-1650

http://www.mibelting.com/indbelt.htm</b>


That being said, I would recheck your pulley alignment very carefully. I suspect pulley alignment is a more likely cause of your problem.

 

[DonWood]

Thanks so much to everyone with the suggestions. I have checked the pulley aligment several times and it is straight as I can get it. The problem is not with the belt fraying on the edges. The tension I am using is just a little more than motor weight, so I am being careful not to get the belt too tight. I also checked the pulleys for burs and they are as smooth as can be.

The belt is cracking (crosswise) right down to the radial type belt every couple of inches around the belt. Then after the cracking takes place the belt does not last too long. It started all of a sudden. The belt that I had used for the first 9 months or so had gotten so stretched that I could no longer tighten it enough to get it to stay on the pulleys, thus I changed belts. This all started when I put on the new belt without changing anything else.

Well, maybe the new replacement that I am receiving will be better. Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. I have had two belts in a row do this to me. The mystery continues

P.S. - I will try NAPA just to check it out and see if they have one that will fit.

Don Wood

 

[ctwxlvr]

The cracking crosswise sounds like a old belt, not used but sitting on the shelf for a long time posiably in sunlight and dried out and when put under load, around a small pulley it cracked to the cord.

 

[dbriski]

I have had my Rikon since June 06. Replaced the belt couple months ago due to fraying, the new one from Woodcraft has been working great for me. I only put motor weight's worth of tension on my belt, and I normally don't change it after its set unless it starts making noise of being too loose. I wonder if you are applying too much tension.

 

[bradh]

Originally posted by ctwxlvr
<br />The cracking crosswise sounds like a old belt, not used but sitting on the shelf for a long time posiably in sunlight and dried out and when put under load, around a small pulley it cracked to the cord.

Could also be cracking from heat degrading the rubber. Could be due to belt slipping, the belt tension OK?
Brad

 

[csb333]

I think you need to tighten the belt. I sell a lot of belt driven equipment and we usually recommend that they be tight. Good Luck.- Chris

 

[DonWood]

Thanks again to everyone for all the suggestions. I am now waiting for the new belt to arrive from Rikon and will give it another try. I have been using tension by setting it just a little tighter than the motor weight. The belt does not seem to be slipping.

Strange, what has me puzzled is that the first belt lasted so long and then the last two belts cracked almost immediately.

I will be anxious to see if the latest new belt does the same thing, really has me puzzled.

Thanks again everyone for all the suggestions

 

[DonWood]

Well, hi everyone - As an update to my Rikon belt dilema....

I have been using me new belt from Rikon for a week or so now and quess what, no cracks in the belt. I think that maybe it was just a batch of bad belts, the latest one seems to be just fine.

Thanks again everyone for the suggestions.

Don Wood

 

[bjackman]

Don,
Have the replacements been the same as the original? The original on mine is similar in shape/size/flat w/grooves, to jet's, but differs in that it is almost clear. Kindof rubbery plastic with no fiber core. I personally don't like how it kindof stretches when you snug it down.

 

[DonWood]

The belt is sort of almost clear rubbery type of belt. It does have an interior belt however and is not just rubber. All the belts I have had have been like this. Just ran into the issue with the belts when I replaced my first one. Then the 2nd and 3rd belts cracked just after a couple days of use, maybe turned 10 pens.

However this latest one I received from Rikon seems to be much better, it has not cracked and I have been using it for probably 2 weeks now.

And yes, the belt does stretch a little if you tighten down beyond the motor weight. I just let the motor weight determine the tightness and then push it just a "little" tighter.

 

[Mikey]

When i purchased the Rikon last year, the belt was so tight that the motor sat cocked in the bracket. I assume they fixed this as this was one of the main reasons i returned it. Anyway, I'm assuming they now supply a longer belt now??

 

[LEAP]

Originally posted by Mikey
<br />When i purchased the Rikon last year, the belt was so tight that the motor sat cocked in the bracket. I assume they fixed this as this was one of the main reasons i returned it. Anyway, I'm assuming they now supply a longer belt now??

Are you talking about the Mini lathe? The belt tension is a user setting.

 

[Mikey]

Well, I don't know how many lathes Rikon came out with, but yes, it was their mini. The belt was so tight that it did this too the motor even with the motor all the way in teh up position. i remember reading a lot about this problme when it first came out and then something was going to happen with a fix. I returned mine before then. I did speak with the guy at Woodcraft on Saturday and he mentioned that he doesn't sell the Rikon in his store anymore because of the problems that people had with it.