Lathe Hack and old school tool use.

Fusion_power · March 24, 2017

Twenty years ago, my old Craftsman saw had worn out the aluminum pulleys provided with it when new. That sounds kind of strange, but aluminum is a soft metal and relatively easily distorted. Over time and hard use, the pulley wings where the belt rides had flexed enough that they were wider on one side which made the belt flop excessively. I went to a local flea market fairly regularly where a guy often showed up with odds and ends of machine tool parts. When I asked about cast iron pulleys, he dug around in a box and came up with two of them that were the perfect size for my Craftsman saw. I bought them for $1 each. When I think about my old saw, I often remember that it has worn out one set of pulleys and half a dozen belts, yet the saw is still rock solid and works like it should every time I turn it on.

March 24, 2017	#10
Fusion_power Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alabama Posts: 2,250	Twenty years ago, my old Craftsman saw had worn out the aluminum pulleys provided with it when new. That sounds kind of strange, but aluminum is a soft metal and relatively easily distorted. Over time and hard use, the pulley wings where the belt rides had flexed enough that they were wider on one side which made the belt flop excessively. I went to a local flea market fairly regularly where a guy often showed up with odds and ends of machine tool parts. When I asked about cast iron pulleys, he dug around in a box and came up with two of them that were the perfect size for my Craftsman saw. I bought them for $1 each. When I think about my old saw, I often remember that it has worn out one set of pulleys and half a dozen belts, yet the saw is still rock solid and works like it should every time I turn it on.