My bandsaw has developed considerable vibration so I set out to mitigate it. Took off blade, covers, etc. to check if the wheels were coplanar. They are. Balanced? Yep, very well AAMOF.
That pretty much leave the belts so I ordered somr link belt even though the exiating ones have very little set. The motor is mounted in a way that makes it easy to use longer or shorter belts, within reason, so my question is this: am I better off vibration wise in using a long or short belt?
That was your first mistake:
And tires and bearings, especially if you leave your blade tensioned for long periods of non-use.
Not a mistake, they are exactly how they came.
Bearings are fine, tires need minimal dressing, blade is never left tensioned so, do you know about belts or not?
Until excessively short I don't think it'll make any real difference.
I'm not sold much on the belt and vibration theory; even if they sit for a while lightweight B cross-section belts don't take long at all to warm up and work out any "set". Sorta' like only nylon-cord bias ply tires in the winter starting out in the morning.
I'd be looking at possibly getting some kink in a blade or weld location hardening, tires getting flattened or perhaps bunching (that is, not evenly distributed around the wheel so slight variations in thickness) or the like.
What's the characterics of the vibration can be informative as well...
Very aged tires can become "punky" for lack of a better word - the rubber composition changed / deteoriated ... I would be looking there before the belt ... as others have suggested. John T.
On 10/03/2016 7:12 PM, snipped-for-privacy@ccanoemail.ca wrote: ...
Indeed, very similar to my earlier--the other thing is buildup _under_ the tire, particularly if somebody tried to glue 'em on at some time...
The shorter the span the less the belt will vibrate.
Similar belts at Woodcraft, Rockler, etc.
Belts that sit a long time will take a "set" and the motor pulley is usually the smallest one. If you take off the belt and let it rest on the table and you see the memory of a small pulley curve it will affect the operation for a good five or ten minutes until the belt warms up and then things will quiet down.
If the motor pulley and the driven pulley are not in a perfectly straight line it also will affect the operations. It will eventually cause the motor pulley to have excessive wear on one side and you can tell by looking at the motor pulley with the belt off.
Also, if everything looks straight and the belt is tight like on your old auto engines it will cause excessive wear, again on the motor pulley, and will wear a grove in it. With the belt off run your fingernail up either side. If you feel a ridge on either side, or both, you will get belt slapping and vibration as it goes in and out of that grove.
Any wear on the motor pulley is reason to replace it, it shortens the life of belts and causes the problems mentioned above.
New pulley? Get a new belt. If the pulleys are rated or sized for an A, B, or C belt always buy for the pulley style.
Small motor pulleys under 3.5 inches should be a toothed belt or better yet, one like the one linked to above. It reduces wear and tear on the pulley and the vibration it can create, as well a reduce the amperage on the motor draw. Always have about 1/2, to 1 inch deflection on the belt when tightened according to manf specs.
Checking the motor actual amperage against the nameplate rating will tell you if your are too tight, drawing more amperage than it is rated for, or too loose. Loose belts can also squeal and the saw will seemingly stall if the belts are not tight enough.
The belt shown about and linked to, is highly recommended in most all cases, especially for table saws. It will cost you less to operate, will run quieter, and reduce vibration even with new pulleys. Follow the instructions to the "T" about readjusting after an hour or two of operation and you will not be disappointed. Save the excess links in case your belt ever comes apart to replace the broken link. Although I never have had to do so. And yes, I can vouch for less vibration and smooth running. (Making sure the motor mounts are all tight and the pulley system is "co planar")
Thank you :)
Thank you.
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