Fred Hubert
02-12-2010, 12:56 PM
This is applicable to the Craftsman, Ridgid and at least one model of the Steel City granite top table saws. There may be others of the same basic design/manufacture to which this would apply.
At issue is the way the motor is suspended from the arbor by the belt as the tensioning mechanism for the drive belt. While I don't believe this design is changeable, other design issues result in vibration. For example, poor OEM belt quality, and the fact that the pulleys are slip-fit on their shafts such that when the set screw is tightened it inherently creates an out-of-round situation as the pulley gets slightly offset from center.
Many Ridgid saw owners have reported marked improvement with a replacement belt. I found a local auto parts supplier that carries Gates and they can order a new belt for me for ~ $13.79 total after they make me cover the shipping. Not thrilled with that, but it beats the $19+ from elsewhere by the time shipping is factored in.
I took a close look at my saw to verify rib alignment on the pulleys (easy task with the door open or off and the tilt at 45 degrees), but when shining a flashlight in there I could see bits of sawdust in the ribs. Makes me wonder if a ribbed pulley is a good idea in such an environment. Particularly if such a simple thing as changing the belt can result in a dramatic improvement, it just stands to reason that saw dust in the ribs are less than ideal.
This is the nicest table saw I've ever owned, so I have no reference to compare to - what kind of drive system to 'better' saws use?
Following with my line of thinking, I found a discussion where a guy upgraded his Steel City version to a dual v-belt setup. He spent almost $100 doing it, but the majority of that was in the fancy belts he bought (the two pulleys were $17 each). See for yourself here: http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?t=26355
In my case, I can hear the vibration of the motor, but the mass of the saw keeps it pretty rigid (no pun intended). In fact, not having a nickel handy I performed a penny test yesterday morning - the penny moved slightly on startup but stayed upright easily and only fell during shut down. Seems like the motor gets into a floating position rather quickly on startup, but during shutdown the offset pulleys begin to wobble the motor more and more as it slows and comes to rest on the pulley.
I'm considering an upgrade of the pulleys and want to decide on that one way or the other before I spend money on a new belt that may not work with new pulleys. But if some shutdown vibration is relatively common and has no negative effect on the saw then I'd appreciate learning that before wasting my money and time.
Anyone here with more knowledge than me on the subject that can offer up some good advice? If so, I thank you in advance...
Regards,
Fred
At issue is the way the motor is suspended from the arbor by the belt as the tensioning mechanism for the drive belt. While I don't believe this design is changeable, other design issues result in vibration. For example, poor OEM belt quality, and the fact that the pulleys are slip-fit on their shafts such that when the set screw is tightened it inherently creates an out-of-round situation as the pulley gets slightly offset from center.
Many Ridgid saw owners have reported marked improvement with a replacement belt. I found a local auto parts supplier that carries Gates and they can order a new belt for me for ~ $13.79 total after they make me cover the shipping. Not thrilled with that, but it beats the $19+ from elsewhere by the time shipping is factored in.
I took a close look at my saw to verify rib alignment on the pulleys (easy task with the door open or off and the tilt at 45 degrees), but when shining a flashlight in there I could see bits of sawdust in the ribs. Makes me wonder if a ribbed pulley is a good idea in such an environment. Particularly if such a simple thing as changing the belt can result in a dramatic improvement, it just stands to reason that saw dust in the ribs are less than ideal.
This is the nicest table saw I've ever owned, so I have no reference to compare to - what kind of drive system to 'better' saws use?
Following with my line of thinking, I found a discussion where a guy upgraded his Steel City version to a dual v-belt setup. He spent almost $100 doing it, but the majority of that was in the fancy belts he bought (the two pulleys were $17 each). See for yourself here: http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?t=26355
In my case, I can hear the vibration of the motor, but the mass of the saw keeps it pretty rigid (no pun intended). In fact, not having a nickel handy I performed a penny test yesterday morning - the penny moved slightly on startup but stayed upright easily and only fell during shut down. Seems like the motor gets into a floating position rather quickly on startup, but during shutdown the offset pulleys begin to wobble the motor more and more as it slows and comes to rest on the pulley.
I'm considering an upgrade of the pulleys and want to decide on that one way or the other before I spend money on a new belt that may not work with new pulleys. But if some shutdown vibration is relatively common and has no negative effect on the saw then I'd appreciate learning that before wasting my money and time.
Anyone here with more knowledge than me on the subject that can offer up some good advice? If so, I thank you in advance...
Regards,
Fred