Mounting/Vibration/Carpet Question

[Ann]

Hi Friends,

I mounted my Dremel 1680 on the 16500 stand it came bundled with. It is perfectly level, blade square, etc, and is doing a good job. Living in an apartment means I've turned my second bedroom into the project room, so the scroll saw and stand are simply on the carpet. I think the scroll saw had less vibration when it sat on a thin rubber mat on my kitchen worktop, but the kitchen's too little to leave it there -- very impractical!

I put carpet padding between the saw and the steel when I mounted it to the stand. Which of the following scenarios might be the best?

1. Leave the saw and stand as they are, sitting on medium-pile regular carpet.

2. Do number 1, except put the stand on a sheet of 3/4" MDF which then is between the stand and the carpet.

3. Build a sturdy workstation out of 3/4" MDF, and bolt the saw on top. The workstation would rest on the carpet.

4. Do number 3, but put a sheet of 3/4" MDF under the entire workstation, again making a layer between station and carpet.

5. Take any of the above and add a bag of sand somewhere -- your suggestions as to location of sand bag very welcome!

Any other advice/suggestions most appreciated! Once the saw is cutting it goes well, but the vibration means sometimes it's hard to see my blade clearly and get it right on the line, which is important for small/intricate cuts where there's little room for error.

Many thanks, friends!

Ann

[Gill]

Hi Ann

The greater a saw's mass, the less it will tend to vibrate. Separating a saw from its surrounds, such as by placing a barrier between the saw and the stand, will actually reduce its mass and lead to greater vibration.

You need to create as firm a footing for the saw and stand as possible. Use 3/4" plywood (rather than MDF - plywood is more durable) to create a footing plinth and build a plywood sandbox which can be sandwiched between your saw and the stand. Make sure that both the saw and the stand are bolted securely to the box and that the bolts can be tightened further. After using the sand box for a little while, the bolts will probably seem to have loosened and need tightening; actually, all that will have happened is that the sand will have compacted, but the bolts will still need to be tightened.

Someone here sent me the plans to make a sandbox and I'm sure it'd be okay for me to pass them on to you, if you like. Just PM me your details.

Gill

[Ann]

Thanks much, Gill - see your PM's.

Ann

[CanadianScroller]

I agree with Gill.

As for the vibration of the blade, is it front to back vibration or side to side motion.

Sometimes the blade clamps are not quite aligned and that can lead to a blurry blade.
It may just be a build up of sawdust in the blade clamps, or it may be more of an alignment issue

[Ann]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll see about making the sandbox soon.

I cleaned out the blade clamps and put in a new blade and it seems a little easier to see the blade. I'm sure some of this, too, is just beginner scroller learning issues.

Thanks again!

Ann

[jttheclockman]

Ann

Two things are happening. The isolation of the carpet pad between the saw and the table is a good one and it will deaden some vibration. But the idea of the saw table on a carpet is not a good one. The table needs to be on flat stable ground. You can try the plywood thing as suggested. The idea of the sandbox has ben talked about before good luck with that.

[SharonW0111]

Ann I have my saw bolted down to on a old end table _bolted down is a good way to keep it stable but the carpet on the floor won't make a diff. I have carpet and love it when I'm barefooted - which is always..but use a good vac to keep the sawdust to a min.
Sharon

[Thomp]

ann
I too have the same modle of scrollsaw, with stand, although i found the stand too tall for me to set comfortably i made another shorter cabinet for it.
and put my belt sander on the stand.

my saw did develop some loud noise and vibration and i did the maintence of cleaning the saw cavitys out and then pulling the rubber 4 plugs on the arm and filling them with oil as outlined in the operators manual after 50 hours runtime. oil 2 at a time. let them soak overnight before oiling the otherside,

[jttheclockman]

Thomp2 brings up a very good point. This goes for all makes of saws and all tools in general. Read the instructins for matainence of the item. If it calls for oil do so but here again use the right oil also. If you are using the 3in1 oil use the blue can. This is made for motor bearings and has no detergent in it. Tools will last longer if you do a cleanup on them accasionally to get the dust out of the pivoting points and around motors and switches. It will pay off in a long run. If this vibration problem just happened and you did nothing different like moving from one place to another then a quick matainence overhaul maybe just the ticket. But if the vibration is due to moving to a new location then this needs to be addressed. Let us know how you make out.

[Thomp]

jttheclockman,

i used the old sewing machiene 3 in 1 oil, but will get some of the stuff in the blue can, i only oiled the arm bushings not the motor bearings,

dose the stuff in the blue can smell better, the becuse the old 3 in 1 triggers my asthma for a couple days, and would love to find a better subsitute especally if the blue smells the same..
i thought of marvle mystory oil, it works on compressed air tools very well, the saw manual just says 20 weight oil i think,

i was thinking slick50 or some of the superstuff...?

[jttheclockman]

Gee I can not answer the smell question. I do not find it offensive. I would say it is on par with sewing machine oil. You can use any oil that is made for motor bearings but does not have detergents in it. 3in 1 sells different oils for different uses. Black can and red can are for like stuck locks and things. 20w oil is good but not car oil.

[Ann]

Thanks, friends, for all the welcome care and advice.

1. The carpet is covered with plastic 9x12 tent tarp. So this is also between the Dremel 1680's stand and the carpet.

2. The increased vibration is due to change of location. It was sitting on the very solid kitchen worktop but that had to change once Christmas projects were done. I moved it to the second bedroom, mounted it to the stand as described above (carpet padding between saw and stand, stand sitting on the tent tarp with the carpet and floor under the tarp.

3. The ideal, I think, would have been to bolt it onto the kitchen worktop -- a VERY solid surface. But, my landlord would have been none too happy about bolts through the worktop!

4. I sometimes stand at my saw, and sometimes sit on a barstool. A regular chair wouldn't be high enough. Sometimes standing, though, the ol' back gets tired if I need to bend a lot.

5. My manual says the 1680 needs SAE30 motor oil, so that's what I put into it, following the directions for laying it on its side and oiling it over 2 consecutive nights. I don't think there's any problem there, as I'm maintaining it according to the manual and logging my hours pretty accurately so I'll know when to oil it again.

I think just the change in location and surfaces is the sole reason for the increase in vibration, therefore was asking about the vibration in relationship to the carpet, the stand, whether to put a thick sheet of plywood underneath, etc.

I'm still not real clear from all the combined answers whether it's best to just go with the carpet (covered with tent tarp) or put it on a thick sheet of plywood?

Thanks very much for all your patience and kind help!

My "Krazy Klock" is coming along, by the way!

Ann