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Friction Drive - Paper PulleysI received the question below from Robert Empey robandterra@sympatico.ca a reader of the site...Q:As I was searching through the Internet and I came along your web site. I find the information and pictures very interesting as I own and operate a mill of my own. The company name is Empey logs and lumber. We have an older high productive circular saw mill. We have upgraded many thing to the old mill. eg. Steel carriage, hydraulic dogs, hydraulic log turner and much more. We mainly saw Hard maple and sell it wholesale. We can average in an 8 hour day with 4 men an honest 5500' of 4/4.The reason I am sending you this Email is because I am looking for some information and I thought that maybe could help me out. Our carriage is friction driven and we cannot seem to find any more friction paper to redo the pulleys. We have searched around our area and have been told that it is a thing of the past. If you have any idea where i can get ahold of some friction paper or if there is a replacement of some kind,it would be very much appreciated if you could get back to me. Thank you for your time. I asked around and got the following answers...A:My father used masonnite on our friends friction drive mill. It is holding up OK.Thanks Mike wmrohrer@myactv.net A:I have a friction drive tractor called a Beaver. They were made here in Ontario and are similar to the Heider tractors. I used regular masonite to renew the drive on it and it seems to have stood up pretty well for several years. Not sure how the saw mill drives are; but on the tractor there are rings that sandwich together with bolts and a retaining ring right on the fly wheel. You just cut the required # of rings out of sheets of masonite.Rick Mannen. r1_mannen@lycos.com A:Hey Paul, I have a friction drive from a sawmill. It's in a heap, not restored. The material is not on a pulley, it is the driven component that bears against a straight sided wheel, operating the carriage travel. One might call it a pulley if it were not installed. It has no crown. The material is not easily identified, looks like gasket material. A friend restored a friction drive tractor, he used many rolls of brown craft paper. The paper is laminated, that is, a stack of circular sheets, pressed together between metal discs, the edge of the paper being the drive surface. He finished the job in a lathe. It worked well. Dick Gibbens RBGIBB111@aol.comA:Dear Paul, Did you get all of the answers you needed regarding paper pulleys? I guess the main thing is to understand that it is not a paper cover over a steel, iron or wood pulley. Rather it is a pile of discs that are then bolted or riveted together and a crown is then turned bringing the pulley to size and shape desired. I might suggest that you contact you local tractor dealer as both John Deere and International tractors were using paper pulleys for power take offs until quite late. At Rollag, Minnesota, our 380 HP Twin City Corliss drives a generator that has the largest paper pulley I have seen. When we put it into operation, we joined the belt ends with an alligator clip. This started to beat the pulley up quite badly so we ended up lacing the belt. I believe that the Gas Engine Magazine has advertised a firm that restores paper pulleys. I have catalogues showing paper pulleys. If you need any more infor, let me know and I will see what I can dig up. You may have my address in your book. If so, it is now changed to steam.boat@verizon.net.Francis A. Orr res1q4ec@verizon.net A:Hi Paul.Hi Everyone: The friction paper comes in sheets and has to be cut in round pieces and stacked on a special mandrel for the friction feed drive on older sawmills. Then it has to be turned to a true round shape to feed smoothly. It was still available a few years ago but I believe was quite expensive at the time. Sawmill supply houses used to be able to get it. I have heard that tempered masonite makes a pretty good substitute. Has anyone bought any of this stuff lately ???? The friction paper was still available a few years ago. A friend got some from a sawmill supply and blacksmith shop in Rice Minnesota. Seems to me the stuff was pretty expensive a few years ago. It is cut in discs and goes on a special mandrel for the friction drive on the feed works. Then the piece is turned on a lathe to form a round and true surface. I have heard that tempered masonite makes a pretty good substitute. Ken Majeski Ellsworth Wis. Minneapolis Steam Engine, Case Steam Engine, Rumely Oil Pulls H,F &R. Local Threshing and Lumber Sawing Show third Sat in Sept. http://community.webtv.net/KMOilPull/Kensoldenginepage KMOilPull@webtv.net A:So, why a paper pulley? Substantially greater friction than iron. Do Iremember correctly that paper is 60% more efficient? And Masonite should be a pretty good substitute because it appears to be layers of paper. Bet it is easier to work with, too. Jack jackwitt@mcleodusa.net A:Hi Rick; Most of the sawmill feed drives I have seen have a large nutalmost as big as the friction drive that screws on the end to hold the discs tight. If you ever have one apart be sure to put it back on so when it drives it tightens the nut. My buddy redid his and you geussed it, he put the drum on the other way so the nut will unscrew once in a while Hard to keep track of things when you have 2 frictions and one belt that drives both friction drums in a different direction...... Ken Majeski Ellsworth Wis. Minneapolis Steam Engine, Case Steam Engine, Rumely Oil Pulls H,F &R. Local Threshing and Lumber Sawing Show third Sat in Sept. http://community.webtv.net/KMOilPull/Kensoldenginepage ... |
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Last modified Sunday, 03-Aug-2003 07:18:50 BST |
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