I just got a new Delta 14″ LE and am quite happy with it. I put the dial indicator all over it and found everyting to good tolerance. Got it tuned up and resawing just fine. Max runout on wheels, 0.014″, balance is good, blade stays put.
Just one problem — this thing is noisy and I can’t discover why. Looks like it should be quiet. Are bandsaws naturally noisy?
And, yes, the pulleys and belts are set up right. LIttle vibration.
I was particularly pleased that all the sheet metal parts had been deburred — no razor blade edges to get cut on.
Replies
A few checks, if you haven't yet performed them.
Run saw with no blade.
Run saw with a different blade.
Run motor alone.
Check bearings for heat.
You're right; bandsaw should be quiet - very quiet.
Jeff
Boatman -
Do you have a riser block installed? What width blade are you using? Are the wheels on a common plane?
Running the no-blade, motor only and working your way up as was suggested will help most of all, But I found that on my Delta with the riser block and 3/4" blade, the back of the blade was rubbing on the return blade guard. The cause was out of plane wheels. I shimmed the wheels so both rims, top & bottom of each wheel, were in a common plane. Now the blade, any blade, tracks in the center of the tire and the blade doesn't rub.
What sort of noise? Is you're the 1hp model or 3/4 with open metal stand?
Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
1-1/2 motor, no riser, closed stand, wheels are on plane. The noise is sort of like when your brakes are worn out -- minus the screetching. -- metal on metal type sound. Sounds easy to find but I can't.
The noise seems to be coming from the upper wheel bearing area and there is a shuddering sound when it shuts down and comes to a stop. The wheel diameter is in round, but I can see that the hub bore, while centered with the wheel, is not centered with the hub casting which rotates in an elipse. Even so, the wheel is in balance. I know that's hard to believe, but I tested it. No bearing hea, not even warm. Cripes, I can't figure it . . . .
So far, there's nothing wrong, I just hate machines that make a noise that causes you to always think there's something wrong with it. Maybe the source will reveal itself after more use.
Hello Boatman,
I have an open stand 14" Delta bandsaw. When new it also made a sound such as you describe. I found that the upper wheel was rubbing on the aluminum blade guard above the upper blade guides. I removed the offending metal with a hacksaw and file. No more metallic rubbing noise. I hope that this hint helps.
nolan
Boatman -
I can understand how frustrating this can be. It took me hours to isolate the source of the scraping noise on my bandsaw.
Assuming you've done the motor alone, motor with pulley, motor with blade running tests, can you make the machine make the noise by turning the wheels by hand (saw unplugged, of course)?. The only way I could find the noise in mine was to turn the wheels back & forth slowly listening closely to all areas of the blade path. My problem was perhaps a little easier to diagnose since I was using a 3/4" blade and it didn't seem to make any noise with thinner blades. That was the clue that lead me to blade-rubbing problems. Finding where took a little sleuthing, though.
With the blade off, does turning the wheel(s) produce the same noise? Now that you've run the saw a short while, take the blade off and examine the entire blade path for signs of abnormal wear marks.
Are you using ball bearing guides or the standard guides? I installed a set of Carter ball bearings on mine and I find that the least little bit of contact between the bearings and blade produces one helluva lot of noise from the bearing rotation.
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Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
Dennis -
It's the enclosed steel stand - is like an amplified loudspeaker. T he noise is all from the guide blocks/bearings. Removing the guides quiets it down a lot, though the motor still amplifies through the stand.
The mobile base probably makes it a lot worse. and would be quieter sitting on the floor. Bet if I set it down on plywood instead of concrete, it will be quieter still.
Thanks to all for your help.
I am having a similarly intractible problem. I've owned a Jet 14" bandsaw for about 15 years. It's always run very smooth and quiet. Lately, it's been making a horrible screetching noice whenever I cut wood. It even makes the noise when I've backed off all guards, bearings, etc. And it does it no matter what the size of the blade or the type of wood. It still cuts, it's just way too noisy so I know something is wrong.
Had the same problem, albeit with a new one. After two days of searching, I found the upper wheel hub was grinding agains the wheel guard. Can't see it because it's behind the hub, but when I took the wheel off, I could see the scrape marks.
This can happen when when you change the tracking adjuster too far one way or the other because there's so little clearance behind the hub.
Basically, when these things happen you gotta break it down and examine everything. With the saw running, put a stick in your hand against your ear using it like a stethescope and see if you can at least isolate the area where it's coming from. That will at least narrow it down,
I've always hear that band saws were cantankerous machines but now I'm finding out just how problematical they can be.
Unfortunately that's not what the problem is on my machine. After disassembling the reassembling the whole thing again last night, I think I see what's causing the noise, although I have no idea what's causing it to happen.
Again, my bandsaw runs beautifully until you start cutting. Then it cuts in a sort of herky-jerky way and makes a terrible shrieking sound.
With all guards removed, including the upper and lower wheel guards, I tensioned the blade and slowly turned the upper wheel. What I found is that there is a very definite "twist" when you look at the blade from straight on. As you rotate the wheel the front edge of the blade goes slowly from right to left and back, with the rear of the blade doing the opposite, as if someone had grabbed the blade with a pair of pliers and were twisting it back and forth.
I have no doubt the twist is what's causing the shrieking and the herky-jerky cutting. But I also have no idea what's causing the twist. I've changed the tires, but obviously something on the wheel is uneven from the front edge to the back edge of the wheel, causing the blade to be deflected over and over. What the heck is happening and why did this start suddenly? I'm going to call Jet on Monday - they've always been helpful.
Are you sure you didn't accidently damage the blade; it's easy to do. I'd try another blade first.
Everyone remarks what a simple machine the BS is, but there sure are a lot of things that can go wrong with it.
yeah they are simple machines mechanically, but there are ALOT of things to learn about them and how to tune them, or at least that's what my refurbishing saga with my 14" import was like. Runs like a charm now, but i spent a long time hunting down the "why's" when it was having problems.
JD
Right, all our machines are simple but that's not the point. A knife is simple, but if not sharpened right won't cut well.
It's a matter of tolerances and adjustment, blades and tensioning. I can see that it just takes time to get to know your machine.
No, it's not the blade. The same twisting back and forth happens with any blade, and no matter how high it's tensioned. Something in the mechanics of the wheels is pushing the blade back and forth.
Mark, I believe the top wheel is not in a straight plane with the bottom wheel.I am not speaking of the term coplanar but the wheel may be askew relevant to the bottom wheel.This will make the blade twist. See if there is play in the top wheel, try to move it by pushing and pulling one edge of the wheel. It could be the bottom wheel, if the motor has shifted and is pulling hard on the pulley and shaft assembly.
Mike
Good idea. I'll try it. I spoke with Jet today and they had no idea.
Right, check castor and cambre relative to the bottom wheel fully across the face of both wheels. I clamped a level to the bottom wheel while rotating the top, and vice versa, and then check against the back of the blade.
My 14" Delta (3/4hp open stand) has always been a little noisier than I'd like it to be. Setting it up in the new shop after the move, putting the pulleys back on the motor and the drive wheel shafts I noticed that the way I had them on initially they were badly aligned. Playing with the motor mount and the 'stance' of the saw on the stand, I managed to get the outter flanges aligned - in the same way one would align the wheels of the saw itself.
Tensioned the belt rather taught and bingo! the saw runs one heckuva lot quieter.
Probably nowhere near relavent to the present problem that initiated this thread but ....
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Dennis in Bellevue WA
[email protected]
For this sound id get a red wax crayon some red lipstick mark a section on your blade, about two inches long all sides. Give it one or two full rotations and then remove the blade and start seeking out your red marks that would give away metal to metal contact. Examine both the blade and the saw, the postive marks on the saw and the negative marks on the blade will quickly help locate the problem
Edited 7/7/2003 2:26:41 PM ET by WmP
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