Old Bandsaws

[gert]

I have this very old band saw that I bought 20 years ago used. The previous owner had dropped it, I know cause it has frame welding. Any way the thing has always vibrated like crazy, and I have tried everything to fix it including replacing the bearings, motor alignment, tires and having the wheels checked by a machine shop etc.

It shakes so bad you sometimes can't see the cut's relation to your pencil line because it's so blurry.

Any way I have all these chunky soup cans full of lead; and at 13.5 lbs each, 4 of them took care of 85% of the vibration :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3310/3566143287_520d5b335b.jpg

With all those deck beams to cut for GS this'll be way pleasanter.

[Tom Wilkinson]

Did you replace the drive belt. My guess is a new segmented belt and cast pulleys would fix a whole lot of it. That is if you get tired of the can o lead solution.


And that looks like a very late model bandsaw compared to mine.

[oznabrag]

You say you had the wheels checked. For concentricity and balance?

Next stop is the shafts they run on. Bent?

Out-of-balance/out-of-true pulleys are next, but you knew all this, didn't you?:D

[TerryLL]

If the wheels are true and the bearings are good, then it has to be in the pulleys, the belt, or the motor. Run it without the belt to check for motor vibration, then run it without the blade. If the vibration persists with the blade off, then it's not in the upper wheel or tires or upper bearings. Belts get stiff and develop flat spots, so try a different belt. You could also have some weird harmonic belt thrumming, so take the guard off and watch the belt and pulleys go round.