I have an excello mill similar to a bridgeport that I am currently close to finishing a retrofit on. I've got the spindle working great - it is a cat40 spindle belt driven by a 3hp motor/vfd. There is a 2 speed gearbox but no vari-speed head or anything like that. It has a 1-1 pulley ratio, 3.75" pulleys and an HTD timing belt. Above 2k rpms, it gets quite loud in a whining belt noise kind of way. I'm sure this is quite normal, and I wouldnt care except that I'm trying to run this thing in my garage.
Any way to quiet down the belt noise? Smaller pulleys to reduce belt speed? Change to a v or smooth belt system? I dont want to drop a bunch of cash on new pulleys if it wont make a difference. Or is this just how it has to be with a belt driven spindle setup?
Thanks,
Kevin