TRIPP Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 I'm a new power hammer owner and have recently installed a fairbanks ez11 it is approx 150 lb and i.m having some difficulty with belt adjustment. How tight does the belt have to be with no load i can't get it to pull the flywheel over. Fear of breaking something on my new toy has me abit gun shy on having it to tight. Any clues thanks tripp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Does the hammer turn over easy by hand? Is this a "slack-belt" clutch or does it have an internal clutch. Is the brake releasing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPP Posted November 22, 2009 Author Share Posted November 22, 2009 Turns over easy by hand and it is a slack belt clutch. Tightened the belt more and got it going but i don't have much speed yet, i will try some other adjustments. Going in the right direction though, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 How do you know it's going in the right direction? There is a tight side and a slack side in a belt drive. The motor pulls the belt tight on one side and the idler must be on the opposite side. Real leather works the best for a slack belt clutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 If you're belt is slipping too much, belt dressing can be used to improve things. Normally, you don't want a hammer cluthch to be too grabby because that can make it difficult to control. On the other hand, sometimes you don't get all the speed or power out of the hammer becasue the belt is just a tiny bit too loose. This is when belt dressing can be helpful. The best belt dressing I've used, both for splip belt clutches and regular flat belt (and even V-belt) drives is plain old honey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 (edited) One question.... one statement... Are you sure you have the minimum horsepower motor with enough rotating mass for the hammer? A light motor does not work well with that size mechanical. The original motors used (or line shaft environments) probably had hundreds of pounds of rotating mass that was engaged when the belt was tightened. Also..... Try reversing the rotation of the motor. As Grant has indicated, it makes a difference in the successful operation of a slip-belt environment. Edited November 24, 2009 by djhammerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 If your belt is too tight, the hammer will cycle when you put power to the motor. Check treadle adjustment and damper/brake adjustment for free play. I couldn't make leather work on my A, had to go to composite material and now have single hit capabilities. Also, is yer damper on the down sid eof the belt, in other words, is the on the sid egoing to the drive wheel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucegodlesky Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 BTW, there is an ongoing Fairbanks rebuild thread right now at Bladeforums in the knifemaker section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted November 24, 2009 Share Posted November 24, 2009 Patrick, How do you apply the honey? How do you thin it down and how much if so? MichaelIf you're belt is slipping too much, belt dressing can be used to improve things. Normally, you don't want a hammer cluthch to be too grabby because that can make it difficult to control. On the other hand, sometimes you don't get all the speed or power out of the hammer becasue the belt is just a tiny bit too loose. This is when belt dressing can be helpful. The best belt dressing I've used, both for splip belt clutches and regular flat belt (and even V-belt) drives is plain old honey. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPP Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 It is a canvas type belt and yes it is going the right way. I ment going in the right direction as progress Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPP Posted November 26, 2009 Author Share Posted November 26, 2009 one question.... One statement... Are you sure you have the minimum horsepower motor with enough rotating mass for the hammer? A light motor does not work well with that size mechanical. The original motors used (or line shaft environments) probably had hundreds of pounds of rotating mass that was engaged when the belt was tightened. Also..... Try reversing the rotation of the motor. As grant has indicated, it makes a difference in the successful operation of a slip-belt environment. 5hp motor, power does not seem to be a problem, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Hammer Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 (edited) I have a 150 lb Fairbanks also. They are great hammers. Your original question asked how tight the belt needs to be at no load. I assume that means before you press the treadle. The tightness of the belt when the hammer isn't turning over doesn't really matter as long as the belt stays on. What matters is when you press the treadle, the hammer turns over. One thing... when the treadle is pressed fully, the belt should be wrapping around as much of the hammer drive_pulley as is possible. This is true for the motor pulley also (more belt contact is better). I like my treadle travel to be the least it can be, so.... at idle, my belt is just loose enough so it doesn't turn the hammer over (it's fairly tight). Does your hammer have a brake? If so (even if not), try stopping the hammer at the top of the stroke. It takes less torque to get it going when you start from this position. If it doesn't have a brake, you should investigate getting one. I had a 100 lb fairbanks that didn't have the original brake on it... but I made one that worked fairly well (it worked like a Bradley Upright Compact hammer brake). The hammer will always start easier when the ram is in the top position. It may take you a little practice to learn to stop the ram at the top of the stroke, but after a while it is fairly easy. 5 HP is plenty for your hammer if it's a 150 lb hammer. Is the motor a single or 3_phase motor? A 3-phase motor will have more torque. Can you estimate the weight of the motor? What type of motor-to-hammer setup do you have (direct motor pulley to hammer... or jackshaft to reduce RPM)? What RPM is the motor? How wide is the belt you are using? What is the diameter of the pulley on the motor? Is your motor-to-hammer pulley ratio the proper one to turn the hammer at its rated speed? It's OK to turn the hammer slower, but not OK to try to turn it faster than rated. Can you post some pictures? Is your belt dry? If so, you might try taking it off and sanding one side of it to rough it up a little. Try using one side of the belt, then the other (flip it inside out). Edited November 26, 2009 by djhammerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted November 26, 2009 Share Posted November 26, 2009 Pics would help us evaluate your setup. If I used honey, the ants and the bees would carry my hammer away...:-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRIPP Posted November 27, 2009 Author Share Posted November 27, 2009 I want to thank all you guy's for the help, took all the advice and did one thing at a time till i got everything running smooth. The other thread re rebuiding the fairbanks was a big help too re lubrication. I will try and get some pictures up so you all can see what you helped with. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I don't thin the honey at all. I just squirt it out of the bottle onto the drive wheel of the hammer and let the belt spread it around. If you can dribble it down into the region where the belt and wheel meet that works well. I've used this technique on my Bradley and on a flat belt driven drill press and the v-belt on my lathe. I have been doing this for at least a year and haven't had a problem with insects. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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