Heavy Duty Traction Belts

[cnc4me]

Questions for those that have upgraded belts-

What is the thickness?
Is the inside of the belt the same as the outside, or does it have some type of liner?
Is there a texture on the outside that helps grab the board better, or is it simply the rubber?
And have you had any drifting issues?

Thanks

[supershingler]

i have two machines.... one with the new belts and one without.....
as soon as i get ahead a little more the second machine will also have the new belts. i cant answer the thickness questions but i really like the kevlar belts. they just seeem to be a lot more grip to them


kendall

[cnc4me]

Do the kevlar belts have some sort of fabric on the inside? And what is the the texture like on the outside? Do you think the thickness is twice or three times as thick as the old sandpaper belts?

Thanks

[wasacop75]

They are a little thicker. you have to put spacers in when you put them on..

[jwhllh55]

The thickness of the heavy duty belts is unknown exactly, but it's thicker for sure. Like what was mention before, there is a spacer you need to install for the belts to work right and re-adjust the machine to the new belts. There is a file on the forum that tells how to do that, and when you buy the belts, it the file comes with the new belts.
The new belts has ribs, which holds the boards better than sandpaper.
I don't remember seeing any backing on the new belts, but I didn't look that close when I installed them. Well, worth the investment, however.
Thanks,
John

[seabass]

Hi, does anyone know if the rubber belts also make for a better carving(tracking etc) or are they just durable so they do not need replacing as often?

I was wondering if the 100.00 gets you a better quality overall cut.

In short, do they make a big difference in operation like replacing a CW with a Rock chuck? If there is no noticeable improvement in cut I may pass and get the cheap ones. If it improves the tracking a whole lot I could really use them for inlay work where .001 does make a difference.

[unitedcases]

I was always curious if they stay lined up better. I always have mine shift. I know the quick trick with the spacers to realign fast but is there a trick to the old style never shifting. If not then maybe it is worth the 100 just to get the new ones.

[Jeff_Birt]

I love the new belts! They seem to grip the wood much better and improve accuracy when doing a lot of cut-outs. I never did have much of a problem with the sandpaper belts tracking funny. The few times when I did was due to having a board that was not quite planed parallel. Having the head not level will do the same thing.

[seabass]

I never had any issues with the sand paper belts at all.

I do 80% cut outs usually with thin letters. Making both the positive and negative pieces on the CarveWright, even on optimal, you can see slight defects in the straight line portions of the letters. The defects are very small, but they are there none the less and slightly aggravating. If I use my router with a template to cut the letters those defects do not show.

Sounds like the belts may be for me.

[jiml]

I've had the rubber belts for almost a year and the only thing I notice is they get a little slick from the fine sawdust sticking to them. Thinking of wiping them down with alcohol.

[wasacop75]

i tore a paper belt somehow during the middle of a carve
but the LOML suprised me with the rubber belts.
she knows the LHR site better than i do.

[Jeff_Birt]

Thinking of wiping them down with alcohol.


I would not suggest trying to clean rubber with alcohol. You will ruin it. Alcohol will seem to help for a little while but it dries the rubber out. The rubber then shrinks and cracks.

Try wiping the belts down with a clean rag. If that does not work then try a small amount of very mild soap.

[baby15]

They are a little thicker. you have to put spacers in when you put them on..
under the rubber spring there is a screw to put a spacer under is that a metal whasher or rubber o ring it dont specifiy i put the rubber one in an have trouble measuring length.

[earlyrider]

I believe its a metal washer. The kit should come with it. The O ring should go on the brass tracking sensor.
Ron

[baby15]

will change washer today. already put o ring on tracking sensor. just that a small rubber o ring i put on the screw fit the screw perfect wonder what the small o ring was for

[baby15]

took it apart an found out that was a metal washer i put on but the rubber spring fell off when i installed . next time i do this will have my glasses on my mistake. this is only a machine an everything can be fixed.