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Drive belt tensioning dolly wheel

How to make one

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John Coates07/04/2010 20:51:09
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558 forum posts
28 photos
I have replaced the drive belt on my lathe with a V belt (was Nu T-link) and new drive pulley
 
There is some slack in the belt I want to be able to tension out with a dolly wheel much like the one in the 8th photo on lathes.co.uk:
 
 
I am trying different drive pulleys on the belt spindle to see how they affect the mandrel speed

But I have tried to Google such a device and can't find anything similar. The wheel is causing the main problem - as to where to get one. The arm will be a small piece of steel with the bolt fixing through the case at one end and the dolly wheel at the other with some sort of bearing to let it rotate
 
Any help appreciated
 
John
 
Keith Long07/04/2010 21:56:28
883 forum posts
11 photos

Hi John

For something quick and simple, and ought to be available pretty cheaply as well, what about a roller skate or skateboard wheel. They normally have ball races for bearings and can stand quite a large weight acting on them as well as shock loads so should be easily capable of tensioning a belt.

It might be worth talking to your local garden machine supplier as well, the larger rotary mowers, esp. ride-on size, often have belt tensioning pulleys fitted under the deck as part of the transmission. I've used one of these on the drive to my lathe BUT it fits inside the belt not outside as you require. I'm sure outside jockies are available though, have a look on E-bay.

Keith

John Coates07/04/2010 22:04:41
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558 forum posts
28 photos
Thanks Keith
 
Would've helped if I had known to call it a "jockey" rather than a "dolly" !
 
John 
Jeff Dayman07/04/2010 22:04:50
2356 forum posts
47 photos
How about shortening a tubular roller from a conveyor belt? good bearings already in those...
 
or a wheel from a commercial paint roller?
 
or a wallpaper roller tool?
 
Hope one of these works. Failing that , you could make a solid aluminum one with a pressed in ball bearing quite easily. A 2" offcut of 2" dia alloy would not be too expensive.
 
Cheers Jeff
Ian S C08/04/2010 02:28:44
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7468 forum posts
230 photos
Hi John, just ge a large dia ball race, even a good second hand one would be OK.Go for a large dia bearing and use a bush inside it rather than a small bearing with some thing pressed on the out side. Ian S C
Gordon W08/04/2010 09:44:12
2011 forum posts
Go down to local garage, get old jockey wheels of timing belts. These should be replaced with new belt, so plenty being scrapped and are usually OK for all sorts of uses.
Clive Foster08/04/2010 17:26:42
3630 forum posts
128 photos
Gordon's suggestion of a timing belt jockey wheel works well, I used one off a Lancia HPE (Fiat twin cam motor) in the drive system of a SouthBend 9" for many years.  Get the bracket and spring assembly too if you can.  Saves work.  On the Southbend I used two stage all Vee belt primary drive from motor to countershaft  instead of the standard single stage Vee to flat system.  I made the second stage two speed with the spring loaded jockey pulley tensioner operated via a cable from an over centre lever.  The lever operation not only made speed changing easy but also formed a simple but effective clutch.  I found it easier to use a reversed cable link with the inner wire fixed and the outer sliding back and forth to transmit the movement from lever to pulley arm.
 
I'd previously used a tube sleeve pressed onto a pair of ball races for a similar job.  Effective but, as is so often the case with these little jobs, it took considerably more making than anticipated.
 
Clive 

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