Hand Wheel / Link Belt on HF 34706 Lathe ?

[wassaw998]

On the HF 34706 lathe, is there any way to attach a hand wheel / wheel to the headstock (opposite side of where a chuck would go) ? I notice in the videos I watch on turning the guys have a wheel on that side that they grab all the time. There are threads in the hole there. I know if I threaded in a wheel, I'd have to take it out to use the push rod (or maybe there is a hollow wheel thread?). Just wondering if that is something people ad, and if so, where do you get 'em?

Also, do folks change out the v-belt with a link belt ? Or, can you even do that? I have read a lot of posts saying the stock belt tends to wear out fast.

Any other mods to this lathe that folks make I'd appreciate too. I've re-mounted mine on an old fish tank stand I had, and am working on that at the moment. The stand is not nice looking, but it is very sturdy and solid, and I am adding an mdf top to it.

Thanks.

[kwgeorge]

Well let’s see if we can deal with your questions one at a time. Yes you can attach a handwheel to the lathe. The hole you refer to is left hand threaded and kind of a strange size. Removing the handwheel once installed may be quite the task in itself as I understand it really tightens up after a while. If that is what you are looking for I believe this one may work. Not totally sure because I have not personally tested it but the Jet is so closely made;

http://www.store.yahoo.com/bestwoodt...12spincon.html

I personally found my own solutions and created my own which I have shown here in this thread;

http://www.bt3central.com/forum/topi...TOPIC_ID=18488

On to the belt, your lathe uses reeves style adjustable pulleys and by the design of these a Link belt would not work. It would catch very badly. The belt that comes on the lathe wears due to alignment issues or people changing the speeds to fast. You can get replacements belts that are better quality at your local auto supply.

I have made many mods to mine, I have installed a variable speed DC motor, made and installed a custom pulley, replaced the stock tool rest and base and so on. There are many things you can do to this lathe. Some of these I detail on my site.