Fenner Power Twist Belt

I had it on my sears bandsaw and it got rid of all the vibration. A standard belt takes on a set so when you use it you have two flat sides and two humps. The link belt will not do this so it runs smoother. I also put it on my table saw and it now will run with a nickle standing on edge. I really notice the difference in cold weather.
 
Link Belts are worth every penny you pay for them! :thumb:

The best example I have is a contractor saw I had until I sold it a few years ago. It had the typical vibration, especially on startup. After swapping to the link belt, the saw passed the nickle test. :)
 
Dan
There is no question in my mind about the value of this product. I have it on my Delta bandsaw and my Grizzly Jointer.
More importantly look up on the web the real big users and you will see that it is used in heavy industry. We are a peripheral market by comparison. If you can afford it go for it.

Has anyone tried it on a variable speed clutch type of drill press or lathe?
 
I put one on my drill press - all vibration eliminated. I've also got one on my table saw - same story, my small band saw as well. And, i just picked one up about a month ago for my small shaper.
I do like these, but they're not cheap. The one on my table saw is a 3/8" - not available at the woodworking stores, but McMaster Carr has them on line. www.mcmaster.com
If you do fork over the cash, i think you'll be happy.
paulh
 
Lessee... I have them on my jointer, both drill presses, my 14" bandsaw, and two on my 15" planer. Back when I had a contractors saw, I had one on it, too. Yeah, they're a good product!
 
okay odd duck here..........on machines where you hand feed they`re alright but if one gets to slipping it`ll melt.......i`ve stopped using them altogether. i now run cogged "v" belts on all my equipment except the d/c pump and i`ll keep the 5/8" fenner`s on it `cause i`d have to break down the babbits to put standard belts on it.
 
tod, did you take it off your hussey, well your hussey is a little older so it may not have come with one. i would imagine a hussey would be a good place for one to slip. in the limited usage mine has seen it hasn't slipped yet.

that is the only machine i have one on. but i have nothing to compare it to since it came with that. seems to run smooth though.
 
tod, did you take it off your hussey, well your hussey is a little older so it may not have come with one. i would imagine a hussey would be a good place for one to slip. in the limited usage mine has seen it hasn't slipped yet.

that is the only machine i have one on. but i have nothing to compare it to since it came with that. seems to run smooth though.

yup the hussey was the worst offender, it`d munch a belt in a split second...if folks think regular v belts go thunk-a-thunk they should try running a melted fenner belt:eek:
 
I respect Tod's experience and welcome a different viewpoint. By way of example; I have found WWII blades to be only average and have never gotten the quality of cut I get from my Freud or Lietz blades at about 60% of the cost so I know what it is like to be the odd-man-out.

I run link-belts whenever I can and have had great experience with them. I have only run Fenner and so cannot speak to other versions. My last two new machines were assembled with them. I never used the stock belts.

I actually had to go check the date on the OP because I thought "this must be a really old thread". I thought everyone (almost) loved their link belts and they were just a "given". Machines, however are designed as a complete unit. Fenner's are sometimes built into the equation and sometimes (like for most of us) are an upgrade or replacement item. I could easily see a powerful machine expecting a certain type of solid belt "eating" a Fenner.

I have never had one slip but, I am a hobbyist. My single belt, 3HP jointer spins a Fenner and has worked great. They really smoothed out my DP and made my dad's contractor saw behave like a new machine. But, my WWII is still only used for rough-cuts ;-)
 
I'm with Todd. A good quality commercial belt will run just as smooth AND transmit more power than a link belt.

It's funny how everyone who replaces an old raggedy belt with a link belts raves about how smooth it is. Truth is, any belt will be smoother than the old worn out belt it's replacing. One of the main downfalls of link belt as Todd stated is that they transmit a lot less power than a regular belt. Belts work on friction, link belts by their very design are missing a lot of material were it's needed most to achieve that friction.

The one upside is link belts can be installed without disassembling a trapped pulley. If you look at Fenner's website, the vast majority of applications they brag about are just that. Situations were installing a normal belt would have taken an excessive amount of down time to install. Industry runs on the bottom line. If you can keep a machine in service or reduce the down time then that's the route the bean counters will go. The increased cost offsets the loss of production time.

Personally, with a link belt costing 5-6 times the price of a good commercial quality belt, I'll stick with the commercial quality belt.

Mike
 
I put one on my Delta contractors saw (1 1/2hp 120/240VAC motor) and have been very pleased with it. Vibration is greatly reduced with the machined pulleys and the belt is ease to install/adjust. :thumb:





I've never had any problems with it, but I'm not a pro shop...
 
...Truth is, any belt will be smoother than the old worn out belt it's replacing. ...Personally, with a link belt costing 5-6 times the price of a good commercial quality belt, I'll stick with the commercial quality belt.

Mike

One of the big problems many folks encounter is not trashed old belts - it's 'lumpy' new belts. Many manufacturers (and nearly all TaiChi) use very cheap belts, with uneven sidewalls (lumps) and bad splice joinery, so installing a link belt instantly improves the machine's performance.

I've not yet experienced the slippage problem that Tod mentioned, but the only higher-powered machine I have them on is my 3hp planer. Everything else is 1hp or less.
 
One of the big problems many folks encounter is not trashed old belts - it's 'lumpy' new belts. Many manufacturers (and nearly all TaiChi) use very cheap belts, with uneven sidewalls (lumps) and bad splice joinery, so installing a link belt instantly improves the machine's performance.

Jim, If you note, I stated "a good commercial quality belt". I'll agree whole heartedly as you stated that a "very cheap belt" will have issues. That doesn't prove that a link belt is better a than good commercial quality belt, it only proves that a link belt is better than a "very cheap belt".

I agree that Fenner is very good... at marketing... They've managed to convince a lot of folks that a link belt will outperform a "very cheap" or worn out belt.

Mike
 
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Jim, ...I agree that Fenner is very good... at marketing... They've managed to convince a lot of folks that a link belt will outperform a "very cheap" or worn out belt.

Mike

I'm not sure that Fenner is actually responsible for the marketing hype. One of the magazines touted their use on a contractors saw, maybe fifteen/twenty years ago. I had to go to an industrial supply house to find my first one, and they sold it by the foot off a big roll. I think I paid something like $1.50 per foot back then.

The user responses to the magazine (FWW?) were all pretty positive, and the rest, as they say, is history. Now nearly every WW supplier sells them - and for exhorbitant prices, too!

The first use I ever saw for them was on an old Jaguar spoke nippler (don't ask) that had been converted in the 1950's from flat belts, for use in a motorcycle wheel shop. Worked pretty good for that use, but vibration dampening sure wasn't a consideration there. That thing shook the whole shop when it was running!
 
I put link belts on my 6" jointer and 17" drill press pretty much from the get-go, since both ran rough with the cheap factory belts. My tablesaw and lathe came with good flat ribbed belts and machined pulleys, and the bandsaw belt is so small it never seemed to have a vibration problem.

I'll keep the "good commercial quality" belts in mind next time I'm replacing a cheap factory belt. ;)
 
okay odd duck here..........on machines where you hand feed they`re alright but if one gets to slipping it`ll melt.......i`ve stopped using them altogether. i now run cogged "v" belts on all my equipment except the d/c pump and i`ll keep the 5/8" fenner`s on it `cause i`d have to break down the babbits to put standard belts on it.

Same here. I had put two of these on my 25" planer/molder and ended up melting them. That was a big waste of money. Maybe on machines that do not require large amounts of torque they will work, but I am not going to waste more money to find out.
 
Just to beat a dead horse . . . . From a recently completed Wood Magazine long term test:

"After replacing the belt guard, we switched on the saw and managed to balance a 1.35mm-thick dime on edge on the table while spinning a 3/4" stacked dado blade. Even months after the upgrade, the saw still purrs along. For our money, these upgrades proved worthwhile. (Cost: about $50 postage paid from In-Line Industries. Call 800-533-6709 or visit in-lineindustries.com)."
 
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