I'm pickin up bad vibrations - HELP

[Aaron Hamilton]

Just put together my W1741 8" P-bed jointer tonight. Beautiful machine. But.....it is vibrating pretty bad (it will vibrate off a rubber push block in about 10 seconds). Any diagnosis recommendations? Please help!

[Tom Henderson2]

Hi Aaron-

Bummer! I'm not familiar with that specific jointer, but let me share a few thoughts....

First, check the easy stuff -- verify all the knives are installed properly, that the cutter head is not loose, etc.

Next try to isolate the motor from the cutterhead. If it is belt-drive, remove the drive belt and fire up the motor. If the problem goes away, then you have isolated it to the cutter. If it is still present, you know it is in/near the motor. So remove the drive pulley and try again... etc etc.

Eventually you will find the source.

Hope this helps. If it is NOT belt drive, I'm not sure what you can do to isloate the motor from the rest of the mechanism. Hopefully others will have some suggestions for you.

-Tom H.
Ventura, CA

[Randall Frey]

Well, not sure exactly what is going on, but I'll take a stab at a few idea's. The rotating components obviously are at fault. I would start by pulling the belt off and running the motor only. From there, I would try rotating the knife spindle by hand from the pulley, see if it rotates freely. Next, inspect the belt very closely, look for any abnormalities. Next check both the drive and driven pulleys for any bumps or abnormalities. Make sure the pulleys are aligned correctly and are tight to their mating shafts. Also make sure the knives are tight and properly installed. If all of this looks good, you could try one of those link type belts that piece together as they advertise these belts will reduce vibration. I have one on one of my machines and it seems to work fine. Good luck!

[Richard Butler]

Just put together my W1741 8" P-bed jointer tonight. Beautiful machine. But.....it is vibrating pretty bad (it will vibrate off a rubber push block in about 10 seconds). Any diagnosis recommendations? Please help!

Start by loosening the belt a bit and then running the jointer. If the vibration goes away or is reduced significantly, you likely have found your problem. Overtightening belts is a common mistake.

Make sure your sheaves are tight on the shaft, that the alignment is correct, etc. Also check the sheave grooves for excess paint and runs, etc. If necessary clean the sheaves with some lacquer thinner and a scotchbrite pad.

[Tyler Howell]

linked belt was a great help to my other PTs.
I automaticly put them on new toyls when they come in the shop

[Al Killian]

Make sure the motor is tight. Link belts are just over priced belts.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Next try to isolate the motor from the cutterhead. If it is belt-drive, remove the drive belt and fire up the motor. If the problem goes away, then you have isolated it to the cutter.

Or the belt or a pulley ~!! Cheap cast pulleys are never balanced and belts can be nothing but trouble if they are overly stiff or poorly made.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Aaron, before you try to put a link belt on that machine see my message from an earlier post:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=540104#poststop

Due to the tight clearance of the belt shroud and the washers/bolts a link belt, with its thicker profile, rubs in some places (or it did for me). The vibration I get is only on shutdown (and I get belt slap on start-up). But it runs very smoothly so I can't help beyond that.