Use the motor on my 10x15 C&P without a belt?
The old-style C&P that I just purchased came with an ancient, but working, motor. However, the previous owner had put some kind of 2” wide rubber strip along the flywheel and just set the spinning wheel on the motor up against that— eliminating the need for a belt. This seems a bit strange to me but I guess if it works, it works. Has anyone ever heard of doing it this way? Would it work well, or is there potential for huge problems?
Thanks!
sure, it works. but the motor then spins backwards to keep the the press turning forwards. no harm. just as with all old drive systems, give the flywheel a really good “push” before starting motor. you don’t want to “burn a spot” in the “driven” wheel.
This is my set up; it works really well, actually. Is there a brake of any sort? For safety’s sake you don’t want to try to stop the flywheel with your hand. rh
I have a kill switch directly under the feed board. Is that good enough? Other than giving the wheel a push before starting the motor, is there any other advice for using this sort of system? Are there ever any problems (although I can’t imagine any)?
Thanks so much!
I’m not entirely sure what a kill switch does—does it stop everything immediately? Or just turn off the motor? In the latter case, there would still be some momentum driving the press.
But I do think the friction drive is a fine way to go…
Anyone else want to chime in?
The kill switch likely just kills the motor. There is indeed still momentum in the flywheel. It’s nice to have a foot brake in case you need to stop the press without being tempted to grab the flywheel.
The kill switch indeed just shuts off the motor. How would I go about getting/setting up a foot brake? Can I have a foot brake AND a treadle? I would assume they would be mounted in separate locations, but would they interfere with one another?
With motors that use a belt system instead of friction, do most people have foot brakes, or do they just wait until the wheel naturally stops?
Sorry for my ignorance on all of this. I’m learning slowly but surely :)
The foot brake is attached on the side of the press (sometimes on the floor) and has a leather pad that makes contact with the outside of the flywheel to stop the press. You could make one if you’re handy. I’m not sure their essential—especially if it might interfere with your current friction-driven setup.