Need help with new table saw

[Jeff Dunlap]

I recently bought the rigid TS 3660 table saw. i have it all together except for the belt. This is my first belt driven table saw so i am having a little trouble tensioning the belt. My bandsaw and jointer are both belt driven but grizzly's manual was better at the proper tension required. My question is do different tools require different tension, or all the same? Also i followed the manual and it said in the middle the belt should touch and the motor still move freely, i did this and the belt came off when i started the saw, so does anyone have any pointers on proper table saw belt tension?
Thanks for all the help

[Sonny Edmonds]

Jeff,
That's a contractor style saw, right?
So the weight of the motor is the tensioner for the belt. It will rise as the blade is raised on it's hinge.
What you need to do is to make absolutely sure the pulleys are aligned correctly.
Usually this is done at the motor with a straight edge. Any straight edge would work for this.
And make sure (by eyeball) the pulley isn't skued towards one side or the other, but "aimed" at the arbor's pulley.
You'll get it, just work with it a bit. ;)

[Fred Belknap]

Jeff you need to make sure that the pulleys are aligned. Put enough pressure on the belt that it deflect about 1/2" in the middle with moderate pressure form a finger. If it slips starting or under load (cutting something hard) tighten it up some more.

[Mike Parzych]

I've got a 3650 so I'm guessing it's basically the same set-up. Put more tension on the belt. The only time mine ever comes off is when the tension is too low. It's really pretty darn hard to get it TOO tight with the Ridgid.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I was going to say the same thing about ANY belt. I run mine tight on my old truck and never have a problem.

I had the grey [Emerson] Ridgid TS back in the day and ran the serp belt tighter than they said I had to. I also reverse engineered the next saw [Craftsman] with the same serp system with great results.

No such thing as too tight with belts on TS's.

[Ralph Connor]

You don't say what position your blade is in. When you set the initial tension it should be lowered all the way and when you raise the blade it will add some tension. The motor should not rest on the bracket either when all the way down, mine is about in the middle of its allowed travel.

Here is what the manual says:

 Lower the blade and set the bevel to 0˚.
 Place belt on saw pulley and motor pulley. Sight along
both pulleys checking that the belt is parallel to the edges
of both pulleys.
NOTE: If not parallel, use a hex key to loosen the set
screw on the motor pulley. Reposition the motor pulley
and securely tighten the set screw when finished.
 Place your hand around the belt halfway between the two
pulleys and squeeze the belt until the two sides of the belt
touch. The motor should move freely as you squeeze the
belt. If the motor does not move freely, the motor must
be repositioned.
 To reposition the motor, loosen the hex nuts on the
mounting brace and either push the motor in or pull it
out as needed. Check at maximum elevation also.
NOTE: Do not attempt to tighten the pivot screw as it
must move freely in the slot as the blade is raised or
lowered.
 Close the belt guard.
 Check the belt clearances on the guard by raising the
saw blade to full height using the blade height adjusting
handwheel.
 Check motor clearance by rotating the bevel adjusting
handwheel until the indicator is set at 45˚.

[David Moody]

As a practical matter, if you pull the motor out (in the lowered 0 degree position) as far as you can with your hands, and then tighten it, you will likely satisfy the tension requirement the directions give. That is what I did with my TS3660 and it seemed to work just fine.

Let's face it, the required tension isn't something you are measuring exactly with some sort of spring tension gauge. That is a pretty stout belt on those pulleys, so it only needs enough tension within a relevant range. It really ends up being what most people can hand tighten to the highest tension (unless you lift engine blocks for a living). You likely aren't going to be able to over tighten its tension unless you use some sort of expanding brace (which isn't what is asked for here and I wouldn't recommend doing).

You want it just tight enough that it maintains constant pressure on the pulleys in any blade position without binding, plus you want it aligned properly so it will never abrade against the belt guard.

[Jason White]

I have the same saw. I don't think tension is your problem. You don't need much.

It sounds like the 2 pulleys are not in alignment. Pretty easy to adjust.

Jason


I recently bought the rigid TS 3660 table saw. i have it all together except for the belt. This is my first belt driven table saw so i am having a little trouble tensioning the belt. My bandsaw and jointer are both belt driven but grizzly's manual was better at the proper tension required. My question is do different tools require different tension, or all the same? Also i followed the manual and it said in the middle the belt should touch and the motor still move freely, i did this and the belt came off when i started the saw, so does anyone have any pointers on proper table saw belt tension?
Thanks for all the help