Drive Belt Memory is a Thing of the Past

Ordinary motor drive belts develop a “memory” of their shape around pulleys whenever the machine isn’t running. Starting up the motor moves these humps rapidly, creating noise and accuracy-robbing vibration in a table saw, bandsaw, drill press, and any other drive-belt tool.

I recently replaced the old-fashioned drive belt on my table saw with a link belt, and noticed an immediate reduction in both noise and vibration. And I’m sure it’s not my imagination that my cuts seem smoother. The link construction made it easy for me to match the length of the new belt to the old one. When you have the old belt off, use a straightedge to check the alignment of the pulleys on the arbor and motor. Move one pulley or the other to ensure that they are parallel and in the same plane. Be sure to replace all belt guards after the installation. 
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