[Shop-talk] historical machine shop question

[Karl Vacek]

You mean an overhead drive shaft (or in larger factories there'd be a series
of them running parallel over the shop), each turned by an endless belt,
right?  I've heard them called overhead drive shaft, overhead shaft, jack
shaft, master shaft...

They most always had flat belts (leather or canvas) and crowned pulleys,
which usually ran amazingly true no matter how misaligned they seemed and
how ratty the belt.

Karl



-----Original Message-----
From: shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net
[mailto:shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of David Scheidt
Sent: Wednesday, March 02, 2011 17:31
To: shop-talk
Subject: [Shop-talk] historical machine shop question

Before the cheap electric motor, it was usual to run machines in a shop from
a central engine (steam, water, hamster wheel) with a big endless belt
running over head.  At each machine, a second belt carried power from the
overhead to the machine's driven shaft.  Is there a general term for this
sort of set up?

--
David Scheidt
dmscheidt at gmail.com
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