Step Pulleys

[Flute Maker]

I have an old Craftsman lathe with step pulleys and want to slow it down some more at times...Does anyone know of the best place to get larger step pulleys or have any good ideas? I would like to have a nice lathe but I have adapted this to do what I need at the time. Thanks !!!

 

[Sully]

Any of the following will have a pretty large selection of step pulleys. I've used each of them on occasion:

www.surpluscenter.com
www.applied.com
www.grainger.com
www.agrisupply.com
www.tractorsupply.com

If you really want to slow the lathe down a lot, your best option would be a countershaft setup. See for example these setups about 1/3 of the way down the page:
http://www.homeshopsupply.com/upgrades.html

 

[CaptnA]

http://www.sprocketpulleyscoupling.com/industrial-pulleys.html
might be worth looking at.

 

[Mike Davis]

You can use a jack shaft step pulley to further reduce the speed of the lathe without sacrificing the top end.

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbth...umber=4776856&page=131&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=

 

[CarvedTones]

One more dirt cheap option that might give you a little slower bottom end. Assuming you have a 5/8" shaft and a step pulley with 2.5" as the small one, this 1&3/4 pulley should give you lower speed. If you poke around, you might be able to find a 1.5". They are easy to find for 1/2" shafts. And you can always use a scrap of hard maple and turn one yourself...