Vibration

[antifoul2020]

Would putting a carpet cut on my table top help dampen the vibration
I have my scroll saw bolted to the table but it does sit on the wooden
Floor which I am sure is raised of the ground
Whilst standing on the floor I do feel a slight vibration

 

[scrimper]

The jury is out on this on whether to use damping such as rubber mounts, mats and things to reduce vibration, with some saying it helps others that it does not.
I can only relate my experiences on the subject. When I bought my first powered fretsaw about 38 yrs ago the vibration was dreadful especially on fast speeds, I still have the machine in use and you can watch my video on the machine on Youtube if you are interested.
The saw is a British made Diamond a well made machine not a cheap one, I tried various things to ease the vibration including using mats and special rubber mounts which did not help.
In desperation I phoned the manufacturer who was also the inventor of the machine, he told me not to use mounts but to mount the saw on a heavily built stand and to bolt the stand to the saw, in other words make it as as secure and rigid as possible.

Obviously a concrete floor is the best and (I am no expert) but I would imagine that your wooden floor might make the vibration worse.
Once I made the whole set-up as rigid as possible and bolted the diamond to the floor it was a lot better although it has never been a very smooth running machine.

You could try a metal stand, again I am not an expert on this but I was told by a scrollsaw manufacturer that metal stands produce far less vibration than wooden ones due to the frequency of the oscillation of the saw or some complicated science. This is why many makers sell bespoke metal stands.

The vibration does depend on the machine and this is not necessarily down to the price, some expensive saws can vibrate a lot and some cheap saws may be quite smooth.
23 yrs ago I bought myself a Hegner to use alongside the Diamond and I must say that I was astounded at how smooth and vibration free the machine was, at slower speeds you could actually use it on a bench not bolted down, it's now mounted on a table on caster wheels (not bolted down to the floor) and it is perfect. Although I have to say I have read of some who have found Hegners vibrate.

I can only suggest making your stand as heavy and sturdy as possible but I think your wooden floor might be causing problems even with a sturdy stand.

 

[antifoul2020]

Thanks for the quick reply
Ive hopefully added a video showing the table I have it bolted to
I shall see
if the fire bricks are better on the table rather than underneath
The legs
Could you possibly let me know where the air line that you can twist
To any shape
Also is my tension to tight
Sorry video not going to upload

 

[antifoul2020]

Some pics

 

[AES]

Vibration is "funny stuff"!!! And just as suggested above, it doesn't "just" depend on the machine (good quality or cheapo) but also CAN be changed with:

- A different "bench/table" (i.e.wooden instead of metal, OR vice versa)! ;
- Different machine feet (rubber; carpet; none);
- Bolted down/not bolted down;
- Type of floor the bench/table is standing on, AND/OR the type of feet it has;
- Weighting down the bench/table (e.g. sandbag on a low "shelf").

In short, "it all depends"! The science behind it is VERY complex (and I do NOT pretend to understand it) so, IMHO, the only real way is to keep changing things (from the list above) until you find a solution that's acceptable to you.

Foe example, I have an EXC 21 which are generally reckoned to be one of the best in terms of little/no vibration. It's bolted to a thick ply top which is screwed to a small sheet metal "typists desk", and that in turn is mounted on 4 old-fashion "rubber" castors (you know, the round ball type). On this my machine vibrates "quite a bit" and I guessed those rubber balls were the trouble. So I took them off. Guess what? It got WORSE!

So I put them back on (I need the mobility in my shop). Guess what? It got BETTER than it was originally (and 'onest, the only thing I did was remove - slip off - then replace - slip back on again) those castors! (They just slide into the square tubular steel legs).

I certainly cannot explain that, so as above, I'd suggest just try changing - one thing at a time (and obviously start with the simplest/quickest/cheapest) and stop when you're satisfied.

For you flexible air hose query, one source I do know is Arc Eurotrade, somewhere in/around Leicester. They actually sell them as drip feed lub/coolant feeds for lathes and mills (metalworking) but work very well as stiff but flexible air lines. Google, or I THINK their contact details are still in a sticky in the Metal Working section here.

HTH

 

[antifoul2020]

Got it weighed down now and the bellows working good
Ordered a hold down arm £109

 

[niall Y]

Every time I read this thread I get Beach Boy's 'earworms' circulating in my head.

On a slightly different note, ( pun not intended) I saw on another, recent thread, someone using a glass of water to demonstrate the excessive vibrations on his bandsaw. I'm not sure how you calibrate this. In fact, if I put a glass of water on any of my machines, and the water didn't shake, I would think I hadn't switched them on.

 

[Yojevol]

I had the Axminster equivalent saw which bounced around terribly when standing on my sidebench. I didn't want to bolt it down so I mounted it onto a baseboard with the intention of clamping it down when required. As it turned out, the base, made of 32mm MDF, was sufficient to damp out all vibration without the need of clamps.
Brian

 

[user 42626]

Would putting a carpet cut on my table top help dampen the vibration
I have my scroll saw bolted to the table but it does sit on the wooden
Floor which I am sure is raised of the ground
Whilst standing on the floor I do feel a slight vibration

It's worth checking the feet on tables especially if they have nylon capped feet. They tend to wear away and can sometimes be down to the metal touching the floor, reducing the damping effect.
Also worth checking the con rod link between the motor and bottom arm, I refurbish a lot of Hegners and the bearings wear and seize a little causing harshness. Once these bearings begin to have play they end up breaking the plastic link.

 

[antifoul2020]

Pity you weren’t a little bit closer
I would happily pay you to have a look at it

 

[user 42626]

Pity you weren’t a little bit closer
I would happily pay you to have a look at it

 

[user 42626]

I'm Carlisle based, how far up into Scotland are you?

 

[antifoul2020]

Two miles from forth bridges
KY11 1DU

 

[user 42626]

Aye small trek but been there many times

 

[antifoul2020]

To far for you

 

[user 42626]

Aye small trek but been there many times

This con rod link can cause vibration issues, it has a reputation for breaking but normally because it's bearings are seizing or worn out. The bearings are almost moulded into the plastic. They can be pressed out and replaced although the plastic rim will be removed in doing so. Bearings are cheap but not from Hegner.
If you remove the square plate for access and remove the 2 bolts you can remove it and inspect the bearings properly and feel with your finger tips for roughness and play

 

[user 42626]

To far for you

A little bit but if I'm up that way I'll give you a shout. Also of note is your saw is an M2 with alloy base and Alloy rear upright "C" bracket.
More resonance than the later cast iron ones.
If the saw never used to vibrate as much, hasn't been moved around or had anything drop on it then it must surely be wear.

 

[antifoul2020]

OK fella
Thanks for the help
Not going to strip it guaranteed something will get lost
If you are ever up this way give me a shout
Bernard

 

[antifoul2020]

Maybe found the cause

 

[user 42626]

Maybe found the cause

Ironically I'm inspecting a 1986 M2 variable speed and just checked the con rod link, all ok for this one, it's best to remove them and feel the bearings for any roughness.