HARDWOOD RECORD 



26A 



for keying or setscrewing to the shafting. 

 In this case the wheel is not clamped, and 

 it is necessary to open a coupling of the 

 shafting to take off or put on a wheel. The 

 wood disks are shaped to fit into the sides 

 of the flanges. The latter close in tight 

 under pressure of the bolts. Then comes 

 the final turning of the surface, and the 

 wheel is ready for use. Not infrequently a 

 solid body of wood is used in place of sec- 

 tions, as is shown in Fig. 6. 



A very strong style of wood pulley is 

 manufactured on the plan shown in Fig. ~. 

 The additional supporting circular piece in- 

 side the rim strengthens the spokes. Then 

 there are triple spoke wheels in use, such 

 as that e-xhibited in Fig. 8. Here is shown 

 the shaft B and the three spokes extending 

 from the hub to the rim. 



The manufacture of wood pulleys is un- 

 derstood more thoroughly now than even 

 ten years ago. I remember many trials 

 with wood wheels in my early mill life. 

 In one instance a wood pulley was adjusted 

 to do cerCain work in connection with op- 

 erating a fulling machine in a textile mill. 

 The wheel and belt were adjusted as in 

 Fig. 9, the belt having a suriaee contact 

 from the point C around to D. Great an- 

 noyance was occasioned by the constant 

 shifting of the belt, and of course it was 

 said that the wood wheel was no good. 

 Finally one of the men who knew his busi- 

 ness suggested that the belt be slacked up, 

 and he put up a guide wheel, as at G, 

 Fig. 10. The result was that the wheel 

 thus gained a surface contact from E to 



F, the belt slipped no more, and complete 

 satisfaction was obtained. 



Fig. 11 shows a mode of obtaining fric- 

 tional contact of surfaces of hardwood 

 wheels. The wheels H and I are adjusted 

 in journals fastened to the frame of the 

 work, as shown. A lever is bolted as at 

 J to the wheel I. This lever is furnished 

 with a drop rod K, which is either weighted 

 or is drawn to proper point by a spring ar- 

 rangement. The more pressure exerted on 

 the lever the harder the frictional contact. 

 Frictional rolls of wood, metal or com- 

 pressed paper pulp are used only in special 

 instances, and not many are to be found. 



There is a remarkably good demand for 

 grooved hardwood wheels of all kinds such 

 as are shown in the remaining figures. Hope 

 power and transmission systems have been 

 very extensively introduced in recent 

 years; considerable exterior work in mines, 

 brick yards, etc., is now done by the cable 

 transmission method, all of which calls for 

 the use of grooved wheels. Formerly the 

 grooves were cut to coincide with the shape 

 of the cable, but this did not work well 

 as the cable could get no positive grip and 

 would slip. Then V-shaped grooves were 

 introduced, as in Fig. 12, which affords the 

 cable M a secure grip by being forced be- 

 tween the tapering sicles of the groove. 

 Sometimes the base of the groove is ex- 

 panded a little to make a wider seat for 

 the cable, as at N, Fig. 13. Wheels are also 

 grooved with a round base and square side 

 so that the cable rests as P, Fig. 14. 



"Observer." 



Hardwood Belt Clamps. 



To operators of small mills in the countrj' 

 the knowledge of how to construct belt-clamps 

 that will give satisfaction will readily oe 

 conceded to be of great value. To such this 

 article, exhibiting and explaining the con- 

 struction of various types of belt-clamps, 

 some made by the writer in the course of his 

 experience which are simple yet practical, 

 and others, more complicated but suited to 

 particular needs, seen in use in various shops, 

 will doubtless prove interesting. There are 

 also portrayed some of the regulation kind, 

 obtainable at most belting establishments. 



It often happens that the carpenter or ma- 

 chinist of the shop, although unskilled in 

 such work, is called upon to make a belt- 

 clamp or to design one to be made at the 

 nearest woodworking place. Several patterns 

 of clamps are in use, although they are all 

 made on practically the same principle. The 

 simplest form is exhibited in Fig. 1. Com- 

 mon pine, although not as desirable as hard- 

 woods, can be utilized to good advantage for 

 these clamps, providing that the wood is 

 heavy enough to afford a secure grip on the 

 belt when the nuts of the clamper bolts are 

 screwed down. Wood which is very elastic 

 should be avoided, as the portion where the 

 friction tightening on the leather is needed 

 most is liable to expand outward enough to 



permit the belt to slip. Clamps are some- 

 times carelessly constructed so that the pieces 

 of wood taper just enough to prevent the 

 two surfaces from clamping flatly and firmly 

 upon the belt. As friction contact is relied 

 upon to hold the belt, it is essential that 

 perfectly smooth and even surfaces be pre- 

 sented for clamping. Another disturbing 

 feature is found in many badly made clamps, 

 in which the threads of the clamping bolts 

 are not cut far enough back on the bolts, 

 with the result that the belt slips constantly 

 because the nuts cannot be turned down suflS.- 

 eiently close to make the necessary pressure 

 on the wood clamps to hold the belting. This 

 is often remedied by packing strips of leather 

 between the clamping pieces and the belt 

 surface, but this is a crude scheme and not 

 at all satisfactory. 



It is essential that the two ends of the 

 belt be held firmly and evenly for lacing. 

 If the belt is small, say from two to four 

 inches wide, no clamp is really necessary, as 

 the ends can be held together by the hands 

 quite easily. But belts from four to twelve 

 or more inches in width require means of 

 support whUe being laced. It is best to 

 lace heavy belts while on the wheels, and 

 then they can be drawn up to the right ten- 

 sion by means of the drawing rods and 



laced in the position in which they will run. 

 Most clamps are made with this idea in view. 

 Referring to the simple plan of clamp 

 shown in Fig. 1 it will be seen that it con- 

 sists of two pieces on either side of the 

 belt, A. A. Three by two inch stick is 

 usually uesd for these parts, which should 

 be planed even. Next, the best plan to fol- 

 low is to bore through both pieces at one 

 time for the clamping bolts, as at B. Ordi- 

 nary iron bolts with washers will do very 

 well. The two pieces are now ready to be 

 bolted together and placed in the vise to be 

 bored for the clamping rods, C. C. These 

 rods run from five-eighths to an inch and a 

 quarter in diameter, according to the size of 

 the clamp. The hole for the rod is bored 

 through the juncture of the two pieces at a 

 point about three inches from the end as 

 shown. In this device the clamp is controlled 

 by turning the nuts on the rods on either 

 side of the clamping-pieces. Fig. 2 shows a 

 m.odel of another style of belt-clamp, not a 

 very convenient one, as it is necessary to 

 grip one end of the belt with the rope, as at 

 F. The part D is of the usual design of 



clamp and is bolted to place on the belt. 

 Another section of wood is fastened to this 

 piece by bolts, and a rope E is secured to 

 it. This rope extends to a hook in the wall 

 and serves to steady the belt while it is be- 

 ing laced. It is not possible to hold the 

 ends of the belt even and steady when a rope 

 is used on one side as in this case. 



A much better device is illustrated in Fig. 

 3. The construction of the wood-clamps is 

 the same as in Fig. 1. Instead of nuts for 

 tightening and releasing the clamping-rods, 

 hand-screws, G, 6, are employed, thus obviat- 

 ing the use of a monkey-wrench. Sometimes 

 neither nuts nor hand-screws are employed 

 for opening and expanding the clamping- 

 rods of the belt-clamp, and link pattern 

 tighteners, as represented at H, H, Fig. 4, 

 are used. This makes it necessary to have 

 the clamping-rods made in two sections for 

 each side. The ends are adjusted in the 

 holes in the clamp ends and here fixed per- 

 manently with nuts on either side. The 

 manipulating of the clamp is accomplished 

 entirely by turning the links H, H, as these 

 are threaded right to left, to correspond 

 with the right and left threads of the rods. 



A good belt-damp for special use, as in 

 dye houses, bleaeheries, laundries, etc.. 



