Bandsaw Shake

[Jim Ball]

I mentioned this over in a thread in the "Shoot the Breeze" forum & Ken Cierp replied that he built a shelf into the stand of his saw and put a bag of sand on it to eliminate almost all the shake.

I tried this out on my 14" Ridgid bandsaw, except instead of a bag of sand, I used a couple of 45 lb Olympic barbell plates. That did reduce the vibration by about half, but that Ridgid just has a flimsy stand. My next effort will be to replace the V-belt with a link belt. The only other thing I can think of if it still shakes is to build a rock-solid wood cabinet and toss the original folded metal junk into the trash. My wife has already informed me that I MAY NOT blow our tax refund this year on a 19" Grizzly bandsaw. LOL

What other solutions have you guys used to deal with a shaky saw?

[John Link]

What other solutions have you guys used to deal with a shaky saw?

A 14" Powermatic with extension for extra cutting height sounds like it would work.

My Carter parts arrived today and they look exceptionally well made.

[Jim Ball]

What other solutions have you guys used to deal with a shaky saw?

A 14" Powermatic with extension for extra cutting height sounds like it would work.

My Carter parts arrived today and they look exceptionally well made.

The last thing I want to do is replace one 14" bandsaw with another 14" bandsaw - even if it was a Powermatic...or any other of the big names. I've already put a 6" lift kit,Carter roller guides and a Kreg fence on mine. Carter makes good stuff. If I can get my saw running smoothly, I can put off buying a bigger saw and add a Carter blade tension quick release.

[Jay McClellan]

FWIW, I have the Powermatic 14 with a riser block and it's a good saw, but I wouldn't buy it again. It might be the best 14" saw with a riser block out there but in the end it's still a 14" saw with a riser block. It was the best option for me when I had a basement shop and had to carry (slide) all the big power tools down a carpeted stairway with a 180-degree turn in the middle, because I could carry the two halves down separately and assemble it down there. The reverse wasn't too bad either when I moved from that house, but as long as you can move it I think a rigid-frame (not Rigid brand) saw would be much preferable and not much different in cost.

I did do a really cheap upgrade that improved stability - screwed the saw to a 24" square plywood base. Obviously it would be better to anchor it right to the floor but that wasn't a good option for me (I'd hate to drill into the heat pipes in my concrete floor) and this works pretty well.

[Jim Ball]

I've just ordered a Power Twist linked V-belt for my Ridgid bandsaw. I'd love to replace the Ridgid with a Grizzly 17" or 19" model, but cannot justify the expense, so I've decided to go ahead and do what I can to improve the Ridgid 14". I'm going to build a heavy plywood cabinet to replace the stock bent sheet metal open frame base. I'm thinking of using a thick workbench top on the cabinet to reduce or minimize any flexing there. If I can find a bargain, I'll upgrade the motor to 1-1/2 hp. I may call my former boss and see if there's one laying around their shop gathering dust he'd part with cheap. Urethane tires and a Carter blade tension quick release should complete the upgrade.

Besides, it'll give me something to do while I wait for the order of guitar wood I just received to acclimate to my shop. :D

[Jim Ball]

I installed the Power Twist linked V-belt on the bandsaw yesterday. It did reduce the vibration a bit more, but I do not think it helped as much as adding the 90 lb. of weight to the frame. It's obvious to me that the vibration - more of a shake, actually- is coming from the base frame and top just being too lightweight to properly dampen vibration and flex.

[ken cierp]

BTW Harbor freight sells an American made (I think) Fenner competitor's mulitlink belts called AccuLink. I have one in the shop not in use yet -- but honestly except for the color Green vs Red it looks identical, no kidding. Much less expensive based on the reviews it is at least a comparable product.

http://www.harborfreight.com/vibration- ... 43771.html