Tablesaw mounting to reduce vibration

[Larry Fox]

Group - I have an SCMI SI-12 Sliding Table saw that I am picking up a bit of vibration in and am suspicious of how it meets the floor as the underlying cause. It is strange as it not only passes the nickel test but also passes the penny test but it still feels like it has some high-frequency vibration that I would like to root out. It sits on a concrete floor which is uneven so I have wood slivers under two of the feet and a wedge under the 4th foot and I am suspecting this as I said. I have been looking at adjustable vibration eliminators but they are very expensive ($60 per foot) and wondering if anyone has a recommendation for a cheaper option. Also open to other suggestions as to the source of the vibration. It already has link-belts on it, the motor appears to be solidly mounted and I have checked and verified all the usual suspects.

Thanks in advance for your time

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Larry
Check out this thread and replace the word jointer with table saw, good info. You might replace wood shims with asphalt shingle material, hold's up better. Tom
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?209144-Need-help-with-Delta-DJ-20-jointer&highlight=v+belt

[Jacob Reverb]

If it passes the nickel and penny tests, what does it matter?

If you're growing NASA-certified selenium crystals, maybe you can find a better place to do so than on your TS while using it... :D

I bet you also have more than .000000000001" runout on the arbor, too!

[Bruce Page]

Larry, I installed a set of Anti-vibration leveling mounts under my milling machine & lathe to eliminate high frequency vibration. They won’t save you much money over what you’ve already found but they work well.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#60915k74/=plbux0

[Larry Fox]

Thanks guys. I will look at the shingles or the mounts Bruce mentions.

Jacob - under normal circumstances I would be right with you but this one is weird. Despite the fact that it passes both tests it still throws off some what I term high frequency migration. If you put a penny flat on the table it would move across it but it stands on edge through a start, run, and full shut down which does matter as I have had it release the fence lock-down mechanism so it is not just my imagination.

[Jeff Duncan]

The nickel test is bunk and means absolutely nothing in the real world. I have one shaper that starts to shake so bad at a certain speed range on shutdown it almost walks off it's pallet, yet a nickel with still stay upright:rolleyes:

You have vibration, so the first thing to do is locate where it's coming from. The floor being off is not ideal, but I don't believe that should introduce vibration in itself. First thing to do is disconnect the belts and see if it still vibrates. If it does then your motor needs help. If not it's somewhere between the motor and blade. Vibration is most often caused by parts not being in balance, or a bad belts(s). I'm not a fan of link belts on industrial machinery, but if you already have them and can eliminate them as a cause, then so be it. Could be the motor, or the pulleys, or the arbor, but somewhere something is out of balance and you'll want to find it and eliminate it.

good luck,
JeffD

[Charles Coolidge]

I just went through this on my bandsaw, machine leveling pads at my usual industrial sources (McMaster, MSC, Enco, etc.) were way over priced. Then I looked where I bought the bandsaw and bingo Grizzly had just what I was looking for low profile heavy duty pads. I went with the 3" pads, they are rated for 1,600 pounds each! Cost $16 each, perfect. In the pics below I mounted to a nearly 2" thick slab of maple so I had to get longer threaded studs, found them at my local ACE hardware, also got the low profile jam nuts there.

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[Jacob Reverb]

I suppose you could bed it in 15 or 30 cubic yards of bank sand blessed by Tibetan monks, like they do with sound booths, if it really throws off your joints that much.

[Larry Fox]

I suppose you could bed it in 15 or 30 cubic yards of bank sand blessed by Tibetan monks, like they do with sound booths, if it really throws off your joints that much.

Funny - maybe after I get this vibration weeded out (comedy = tragedy + time). Helpful - not so much.

[Larry Fox]

Update on this - I ordered 4 of the feet Charles recommended - I will update once they come in and I can install them.