Bandsaw belt replacement-goto a link belt?

[Jeff Heil]

Lost power using the bandsaw today. Opened up the lower cabinet and saw the belt was fried. it is the original belt for the saw, a Rikon 10-325 14" bandsaw. Would you replace with the same type of belt or goto a link belt? The original lasted at least 10 years.
Thanks for the help!

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[glenn bradley]

That is a micro-ribbed belt so a link belt is not a good replacement. Any quality belt of the proper type and dimension should serve you well.

[Frank Pratt]

I have that saw & it went through the first belt in short order because the motor pulley was not coplanar with the lower wheel pulley. Maybe check that out when you replace the belt because they should last a long, long time. And as Glenn said, a link belt won't work there. You can get a replacement from Rikon, but an industrial supply place may have them for less.

Since I got things aligned properly, the saw has been a dream. No drift whatsoever. I'd like to try the new style guide adjusters on it.

[Curt Harms]

What Frank said. If you have a bearings and drives or power transmission place nearby you could check with them. Otherwise Rikon has a pretty good reputation for customer service.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Plus another to what the guys already said above about the micro ribbed.

However this is an opportunity to continue my crusade against the myth that link belts are somehow superior to real belts. They are not. In any way. Just find the Gates belt that matches and you'll be happy, spend less money, have better power transmission, better belt life, and sleep better knowing that you are not the woodworking equivalent of a googan.

[Dave Sabo]

Plus another to what the guys already said above about the micro ribbed.

However this is an opportunity to continue my crusade against the myth that link belts are somehow superior to real belts. They are not. In any way. Just find the Gates belt that matches and you'll be happy, spend less money, have better power transmission, better belt life, and sleep better knowing that you are not the woodworking equivalent of a googan.

Perhaps when it comes to hobby woodworking machines.

Out in the real real world a machine or HVAC, or equipment tech can keep a couple of coils on the truck and have a belt that fits your motor no matter the type, size, brand or age. No tellin ya “I’ll need to check to see if it’s in stock and go get it” -or- “we’ll have to order that”.

with a link belt Boom , done.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Perhaps when it comes to hobby woodworking machines.

Out in the real real world a machine or HVAC, or equipment tech can keep a couple of coils on the truck and have a belt that fits your motor no matter the type, size, brand or age. No tellin ya “I’ll need to check to see if it’s in stock and go get it” -or- “we’ll have to order that”.

with a link belt Boom , done.

And it will work adequately until the tech gets back with a real belt, as long as they hurry. That's actually the reason the dang things were invented, was for a temporary belt to get your car/machine back to a shop. In the real world though, techs usually know exactly what belt they may need before they go on a call and they have it with them.

[David Kumm]

There are industrial grades of link belts but they are specific to purpose and not what we generally see in the hobby world. Dave

[glenn bradley]

I had to look up Googan :D. Sorry you had some sort of bad experience with link belts. Just to stem the rant, I have run link belts for nearly 20 years and never had to change or tighten one yet on a woodworking machine. I am not sure what people are doing when they stretch or outright destroy them although I have seen the pictures ;). We used them in heavy machinery without issue under working load conditions that would be difficult to create in a wood shop. I'm not denying your right to hate them, just trying to tone down the prejudice :)

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[Frank Pratt]

Link belts definitely have a place and certainly are better than "adequate" until a real belt is found. I had a Jet contractor saw that vibrated a lot & the belt slipped under heavy load. I replaced it with a link belt & it ran smoothly with no slippage for the next 15 years. I sold that saw to my brother 5 years ago & the belt is still fine. I used another on an old jointer that would have needed some extensive disassembly to replace the belt with a conventional on.

[Mike Kees]

I had one on my Delta contractor saw that I used at job sites as a carpenter for at least 10 years before it broke. My experience when going back to a conventional belt was the opposite of Frank's ,my belt slippage went away. It was smooth running and did the job for a decade. I generally would not use one now as I prefer good quality belts made for machines, but definitely agree that they have their place and I do not hate them.(feels good to get that off my back....):D

[Randy Heinemann]

In answer to the original poster . . . I replaced my Rikon belts with Rikon belts ordered directly from Rikon. They fit perfectly and the machine performs as well as from the factory. As far as I know, you can't use a link belt on the Rikon 325 because the pulleys are ribbed (as others have said). The link belts won't work. I have used link belts on other machines though. They work well, last a long time (maybe forever for me), and they tend to reduce vibration.

[Dave Sabo]

And it will work adequately until the tech gets back with a real belt, as long as they hurry. That's actually the reason the dang things were invented, was for a temporary belt to get your car/machine back to a shop. In the real world though, techs usually know exactly what belt they may need before they go on a call and they have it with them.


Not as often as you think.

They should, but rarely do they make the effort. And, don’t get me started with appliance techs.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Never miss an opportunity to poke a hornets nest! ;)

My point about link belts is that they are inferior to the intended belt. There is no way that a belt made to "fit any" pulley, actually fits any pulley correctly. The correct real V belts do actually fit the pulley correctly. So, if you have a belt that is not correctly fitting, it not only compromises power transfer but creates slippage. That slippage = wear. Also, as the belt enters and leaves a pulley, it has to be a "clean" engagement, no "squishing" the belt. If it does, the pulley wears. Pulleys are generally not cheap and wear that alters the V makes any belt not work correctly. Why even go there? Just buy a real belt, oh and they are cheaper.

I'll wager that 99% of the reason that link belts help vibration is because the machine needed new belts anyway, so ANY belt would have helped vibration. It just happens that they mechanic installed a link, and it got better, so... myth begins. If mechanic had installed a quality Gates or similar, it also would have gotten better. Also, if the machine is vibrating, something is wrong, don't try to mask it with a belt, figure out the real cause.

Most woodworking machines of Asian manufacture come with junk belts. Belts also do not last forever, and when they get a stiff spot, a burn, have a cord break or whatever, they show you with a vibration. Do your pulleys and wallet a favor and just replace them with the correct quality belt. Besides, you probably need to go to NAPA for something else anyhow.

Rant over. :)

[Frank Pratt]

Never miss an opportunity to poke a hornets nest! ;)

My point about link belts is that they are inferior to the intended belt. There is no way that a belt made to "fit any" pulley, actually fits any pulley correctly. The correct real V belts do actually fit the pulley correctly. So, if you have a belt that is not correctly fitting, it not only compromises power transfer but creates slippage. That slippage = wear. Also, as the belt enters and leaves a pulley, it has to be a "clean" engagement, no "squishing" the belt. If it does, the pulley wears. Pulleys are generally not cheap and wear that alters the V makes any belt not work correctly. Why even go there? Just buy a real belt, oh and they are cheaper.

I'll wager that 99% of the reason that link belts help vibration is because the machine needed new belts anyway, so ANY belt would have helped vibration. It just happens that they mechanic installed a link, and it got better, so... myth begins. If mechanic had installed a quality Gates or similar, it also would have gotten better. Also, if the machine is vibrating, something is wrong, don't try to mask it with a belt, figure out the real cause.

Most woodworking machines of Asian manufacture come with junk belts. Belts also do not last forever, and when they get a stiff spot, a burn, have a cord break or whatever, they show you with a vibration. Do your pulleys and wallet a favor and just replace them with the correct quality belt. Besides, you probably need to go to NAPA for something else anyhow.

Rant over. :)

I can't really argue with any of your points above, but will add that the cheap die cast pulleys on many machines, as well as the cheap OEM belts, can also contribute greatly to vibration. My whole point was that sometimes when cost, time, convenience and mechanical requirements are all considered, a link belt can be a perfectly viable solution.

[glenn bradley]

Never miss an opportunity to poke a hornets nest! ;)

:) Thank you for taking that in the positive way it was intended Steve. After posting I was indeed concerned that I was stirring the pot and that was not my intent; just offering up another view. Too often the written word in the forum does not successfully convey the spirit of the words. Kudos to you for a good constructive discussion. Your "rant level" is well within bounds in my book. :)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

:) Thank you for taking that in the positive way it was intended Steve. After posting I was indeed concerned that I was stirring the pot and that was not my intent; just offering up another view. Too often the written word in the forum does not successfully convey the spirit of the words. Kudos to you for a good constructive discussion. Your "rant level" is well within bounds in my book. :)

Thanks Glenn, kudos to you to! I do love a good natured debate about something that is in pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, and having willing counterparts keeping it good natured as well just makes it fun! After all, if we can't disagree about belts and still be friends, whats the point :)

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I can't really argue with any of your points above, but will add that the cheap die cast pulleys on many machines, as well as the cheap OEM belts, can also contribute greatly to vibration. My whole point was that sometimes when cost, time, convenience and mechanical requirements are all considered, a link belt can be a perfectly viable solution.

You are not wrong Frank, those junk pulleys are often a problem to. I've even found a few that are machined too loosely, and the set screws and keys actually make the pulley run offset. There are some really good cast and machined iron alternatives out there thank goodness if a guy needs a better one.

[Curt Harms]

I can't really argue with any of your points above, but will add that the cheap die cast pulleys on many machines, as well as the cheap OEM belts, can also contribute greatly to vibration. My whole point was that sometimes when cost, time, convenience and mechanical requirements are all considered, a link belt can be a perfectly viable solution.

You're certainly not wrong about cheap belts and pulleys contributing to vibration. I have a Delta radial drill press (from when I didn't know any better and thought Delta was the be-all end-all when it came to wood working machinery) It always had a vibration. I tried a link belt, foam insulation where the belt cover door fits no good. I put a VFD and new 3 phase motor on the drill press and couldn't find a step pulley for the new motor so put on a single sheave pulley. New pulley and no vibration. Huh.