Replies

1. 
   WayneL5 | Jun 29, 2004 02:13am | #1

   If it's the standard arrangement of the belt being held in tension by the weight of the motor, it's normal for the motor to bounce a wee bit.  But it shouldn't shake the saw.  You may have something unbalanced, out of adjustment, or loose. 

   Some things to check:

   • blade installed tight against the inner face of the arbor and the washer and nut are tight
   • blade hole is the right one for your arbor diameter
   • setscrews on your belt pulleys are tight and the keys are in place
   • belt pulleys are aligned straight to each other, so that the belt is not angled to one side or the other
   • belt and pulleys not rubbing on the machine or belt guard
   • if motor puts belt tension on by weight, it can slide up and down on its pivot freely
   • saw legs are adjusted and all four sit solidly on the floor without the saw rocking
   • everything you assembled that's supposed to be tight, is

   If this doesn't help, try posting on Knots.  There are a lot more people who read postings there.

2. 
   BArnold | Jun 29, 2004 03:33am | #2

   Even after you have everything else setup perfectly, get a Link Belt.

   http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_details.cfm?sku=6040&filter=link%20belt

   I had a Craftsman contractors saw that worked fine, but had a vibration even after the belt had warmed a bit from running.  Replacing the original belt with a link belt made startup and running as smoothe as silk.  I even tried the test of placing a nickle on the saw table before and after replacing the belt.  No way it would stay still under any circumstances with the original belt.  With the link belt in place, the nickle didn't move even when first starting the saw.

   Bill Arnold

   B&B Woodworking

1. 
   Kruberg | Jun 30, 2004 02:19am | #4

   That did it!

   Thanks!

   k

3. 
   milanuk | Jun 30, 2004 01:41am | #3

   A year or two ago I kind of 'inherited' a 10" Craftsman contractor saw. Ran fine, other than vibrating all over the place. It had lot of other problems, such as bolts loose or busted off connecting the top to the cabinet, the cabinet housing was damaged and not structurally sound, etc. (the saw had been badly abused by previous users). Once I had all *that* fixed, it still vibrated a lot. A little less than before, but not much. I put on a Link-Belt like one fellow here already mentioned, and it helped some more. What really did the trick though, was to get some machined pulleys. The stock pulleys are cast iron w/ little to no truing performed, so the holes aren't always centered. The machine pulleys run much truer w/ very little vibration. You can probably find a set to fit your saw at someplace like WoodCraft.

   HTH,

   Monte

4. 
   Piffin | Jul 25, 2004 07:51pm | #5

   "V"

   Change the name on the saw from "craftsman" to almost anything else

    

    

   Welcome to the
   Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
    where ...
   Excellence is its own reward!