Baileigh Industrial

[giradman]

Shopsmith used the Reeves drive.  There is a hole in the sheave into which I drop some sewing machine oil on a regular basis.  The manual is very clear about performing this maintenance.  Do some research on the Shopsmith to determine durability.  The Shopsmith had other issues, but I do not believe durability was one of them, though I may be wrong.

For those following this thread interested in the Baileigh DP - Reeves drives are used and require maintenance - below are two emails that I received recently from their sales team in response to a number of my questions - first is on top & second follow-up on the bottom - issues remain regarding reliability, e.g. what routine maintenance is needed, what is their frequency of breakdown needing repair, how is quality known from the brands offered, etc.  Dave

Thank you for your interest in Baileigh Industrial.  That is indeed a variable speed press.  It is not digital, but rather mechanical with the speed readout being the only digital device on it.  The way the speed changes work is via a reeves type belt drive.  This type of drive uses variable pulley sheaves to change effective pulley diameter.  Here is a video that shows a reeves drive in action https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8ExzaUq5GI.   Please let me know if you have any more questions.

I will say that those drives have been around a very long time and they can be very reliable, but they do require maintenance to keep them in top running shape.  Also, not all of them are created equal.  If you want variable speed, that is the most budget friendly option.

[WaterlooMarc]

My lathe uses a reeves drive and it’s bern motoring with no maintenance for almost 20 years now. Granted it see a lot less use than a drill press but I change speeds VERY often at the large and not very frequently at the drill press.

[Alan in little Washington]

It uses a Reeves drive just like the Shopsmith, older lightweight Delta (701?) lathe, their big variable speed drill press, and other machinery from other manufacturers.  The design has been around for a long time.  Turning the knob mechanically causes the sheaves on one pulley to move closer together or farther apart. The sheaves on the other pulley move freely but are firmly forced together by spring tension.  Works fine, a bit noisy and yes, should always be adjusted when running.

The digital readout is a separate simple electronic tach-  there is a pickup, circuit and digital readout.