When the length of a crossed belt is required, and the pulleys are not erected upon the shafts, it is, on account of the abstruseness of a calculation for the purpose, preferred in workshop practice to mark off by lines the pulleys set at their proper distance apart (either full size or to scale), and measure the length of the side of the belt, supposing the belt to envelop one-half the circumference only of each pulley, and to add to this one-half the circumference of each pulley; or if there is a great difference between the relative diameters of the pulleys and the distance apart of the shafts is unusually small, the lengths of the straight sides of the belt are measured and the arcs of contact around the pulleys are stepped around by compasses, the set of the compasses being not more than about one-tenth the circumference of the pulleys. This gives a more near result than that obtained by calculation, because although it will give a belt shorter than by calculation, yet the belt will be too long on account of the stretch necessary to the tension required for ordinary conditions.
In narrow belts, as, say, three inches and less in width, the belt may be cut to the length of a tape line passed over the pulleys, and when placed over the pulleys it may be strained under a hand pull and cut as much shorter as the tension under hand pressure indicates as being necessary.
Fig. 2664.
But if the belt is a wide one a stretching clamp, such as shown in [Fig. 2664], is employed, the screws being right hand at one end and left hand at the other, so that operating them draws the clamps, and therefore the ends of the belt, together.
The stretch of a belt not stretched in the piece proceeds slowly when the belt is at work, hence if laced at first to a proper degree of tension it will get slacker in a few hours or in a day or so, and must be tightened, or taken up as it is termed, by cutting a piece out. For this purpose a butt joint possesses the advantage that the piece to be taken out may be less, and still leave the end clear for new holes to be punched, than is the case with a lap joint, which occurs because the butt joint occupies a shorter length of the belt than is the case with a lap joint.
Fig. 2665.