Gates B56 hipower belts "flat or crowned"

[William1961]

In the process of putting Gates B56 Hipower II belts on my 18.75" sheave.
I noticed there is not much or no crown on this belt.
Is there a better belt to use.
I am also considering machining a 1/8" off the radius of the sheave to expose more belt.

Any advice will be appreciated.
Thanks.

[William1961]

Another view.

[ladylake]

 Seems like most new belts are getting thinner so they save a couple of cents making them , Goodyear included.  I machined my wheels of years ago.. Don't think it matters if the belt is crowned or flat.  Steve

[4x4American]

Best thing to do is try it I would say...put a blade on tension it and see if there is a gap first of all between the blade and the bandwheel steel and then spin it by hand to see if the blade will track.

[pineywoods]

Stick with the flat top belts. The internal construction is different. Cut an old one across the belt and you will see a layer of cords underneath that flat surface. Not there on the crowned belts. The crown will be mashed flat and then released on every revolution. The constant re-shaping will result in early failure. B56 vs B57 argument has been around for decades. Problem with B56 is they are a tight fit and chances are good you will break some of the internal cords getting them installed. Counter argument says there will be sawdust buildup under the loose B57 belt. In 15 years of sawing, I have found this not necessarily the case. The only time I have seen it, the sawdust exit chute was plugged, dust had to go somewhere.  Clinching argument for me...woodmizer, with 35+ years of experience, still recommends flat top B57's

[Darrel]

I tried some crowned B57's on my mill once when that was all that was available.  They didn't last long. 

[Magicman]

The flat top B57's that WM sells are especially manufactured to their specifications.  You will also find that the price is not jacked up as some might envision.

[ladylake]

 I've never had a problem running crowned belts or more flat ones either.  No problem with cord breakage getting a B56 on and once they're on they run a long time, really helps to machine the wheel down a little so you can run any brand and they stand up good.  Steve

[bandmiller2]

Steve, how did you machine down the lips on the band wheels. I was thinking about using a large angle grinder and cup wheel. I have a nice old Hendy metal lathe, but 15" is max. I still have the original set of Gates crowned belts on my mill and their still working well but won't last forever. Thanks Frank C.

[Kbeitz]

Steve, how did you machine down the lips on the band wheels. I was thinking about using a large angle grinder and cup wheel. I have a nice old Hendy metal lathe, but 15" is max. I still have the original set of Gates crowned belts on my mill and their still working well but won't last forever. Thanks Frank C.

The angle grinder thing does not work. I have spent hours trying to crown a 21" bandsaw
pulley. All I did was to help make it egg shaped.

[ladylake]

 I used a 4 1/2 angle grinder with a regular stone one side at a time. At first (years ago) I just angled the sides of the wheel so as the belt wore the blade wouldn't hit the sharp outer edge of the wheel and after the belts got thinner I took down the center of the wheel too. On the drive side I let the motor idle in gear to keep the wheel spinning no band on, on the idle side if you hold the grinder at a angle to the wheel it will get the wheel spinning real nice taking off metal nice and even all the way around . No problems doing this.  Steve

[William1961]

Looks like I will also try to grind down the edges of the sheave.
Will try to post my results.

[drobertson]

I've read this again and again on so many threads concerning these belts,, and I still struggle with the question why do you folks continue to fight this issue?  the B-57's have proved to be the belt. What folks don't seem to get is of most of the belts offered, they are tension belts,, WMZ B-57's are compression designed as already mentioned, it's really a simple solution,, Folks that go through belts fast? well something else is wrong,,my goodness, this is so simple it's hardly worth the discussion again, much less machining down a sheave,,Really?

[Dewey]

I don't think Belts are made to the tolerances that they used to be....  I have had my Mill and running it full time for 20 years..... a Timber Harvester HT 30 with 19" wheels....  At first 15 year the B-56 Belt worked fine... They were tight getting on but ran true until they flatend .  For the last few years The Belts ranged enough so that even new they may not be crowned...  I took my  Wheels of and took them to a machine shop and take a 1/8" off.....  I have plenty of crown now... I would suggest taking a 1/16" off instead... taking a 1/8" off obviously changes the diameter of the wheel a 1/4"... with the extra crown the Belt after a few weeks of sawing actually flattens out over the wheel, I then take them back off and with a pair of Scissors trim off the overlap.... the only good thing is the Belts come off and go back on allot easier now..

[Chuck White]

About how many hours on an LT40HDG before it looks like a good idea to machine the edges of the band wheels?

My mill just turned over 2,800 hours, so I think I still have quite a long time!

[pineywoods]

Mine has 8000+ hrs, never saw any need to machine the wheels. There's one nearby with 17000+ hrs, still original wheels.

[William1961]

Mine has 8000+ hrs, never saw any need to machine the wheels. There's one nearby with 17000+ hrs, still original wheels.

Woodmizer builds their own band wheels.
And their own style belts so it's a proprietary thing.
I am a garage built sawmill maker.
So my mill cannot be compared to a  factory built one.
That's why I am enjoying my build.
If I had $25000 or $35000 I would buy a factory built sawmill and use factory supplied parts.
I like the idea of a tight fitting belt on the bandwheel.
I am building this mill with no plans or drawings and I am taking ideas from other built sawmills.
Some pieces are a bit confusing.
But that's the joy of hand building one from nothing.
Thanks for all the advice.
I will be machining about an 1/8" off the edge of my sheaves.

[ladylake]

I've read this again and again on so many threads concerning these belts,, and I still struggle with the question why do you folks continue to fight this issue?  the B-57's have proved to be the belt. What folks don't seem to get is of most of the belts offered, they are tension belts,, WMZ B-57's are compression designed as already mentioned, it's really a simple solution,, Folks that go through belts fast? well something else is wrong,,my goodness, this is so simple it's hardly worth the discussion again, much less machining down a sheave,,Really?

I think most loose fitting belts are taken out by broken blades  . My brother in law who works for a auto supply place out of the blue tells me he sells 3 B57 belts a week to a mill near me, that mill does run 40 hours week but 3 belts a week is crazy.  Once in a great while a broken blade will get my B56 also, maybe once a year.  We machine down wheels as that is what works and keeps cost down.  Steve

[drobertson]

William, I did not consider the fact you built your own mill, so I'd say at this point you may go through some trial and errors in finding the right fit and  performance.  I have learned after another fellow building his own mill over seas that finding the right sheave and matching belts can be a challenge. I wish you the best for sure..    david

[ladylake]

Seems like some on here are confused about machining wheels down, the reason we do it is that newer v belts don't stand above the wheel very much, not like they used to.  So we take a little metal off the wheel to make them stand above the wheel more and we get WAY more life out of a belt. This has nothing to do about how many hours are on your mill. If I bought a new mill I'd machine the wheels at the first belt change.   Steve