BS1400 Vibration issues

[Doug07]

Hello,

I have had the BS1400 bandsaw for about a year now, unfortunately I haven't used it very much and when I have I have not been very happy with the performance.

I had originally set it up with all the recommended modifications I read on this site. Example: Kreg fence, link belt, cool blocks, plywood added to base on both lower shelf and top, changed the blade and even used a thicker rubber under the motor mounts.
After all this I still have vibration issues.
Also I had not used the saw for about 4 months, went to use it, tightened the blade tensioner, turned the saw on and the blade came off, reinstalled the blade, centered it on the tires and again it came off.
Called Rigid and they said the tires were stretched and would send me a set.

I have not installed the new tires but I doubt my vibration issues are the tires.
I was wondering if it could be the wheels that are out on round and mentioned this to the customer rep, unfortunately I would have to haul this about 30 miles to an authorized repair center to look at it.

What is the easiest way to tell if the wheels are out of round and can I adjust or fix this myself?

I would appreciate any help.

Doug

[Ronald]

Hello Doug
I understand your frustration. Ridgid wanted me to lug my BS to my service center (60 miles one way) just so they could tell me the same thing Ialready know, THE WHEELS ARE OUT OT BALANCE! I got fed up with it and corrected it on my own. Yes, it is very time consuming but it worked for me. Here how I did it. Remove both wheels (upper and lower), a felt tip pen and arbors to fit the wheels. Mount the arbor for the corresponding wheel in a vise (make sure it is level as though it was on the BS) and mark a spot on the wheel, then see where it stops (if it stops on the same mark, then the wheel needs further balancing). To balance, use a 3/8 bit and SLOWLY remove little divits (you will see where Ridgid made a feeble attempt to do this) at a time and put back on arbor and continue the marking, drilling, spinning until the wheel stops at random points and not on one spot.
It was very time consuming for me and after hours , I finally got both fully balanced and smooth running.
Yes, I am sure the other mods you did are helpful, but until you get those wheels balanced, your saw will vibrate.
Would I buy another Ridgid BS, absolutely not, but these mods will at least let you use the saw with get frustrated each time you turn it on.
Hope you are successful. Ron

[Doug07]

Thanks Ron, I appreciate this info.

Doug

[Rafael]

I agree with Doug, Balance the wheels.
Since you have the wheels off you should put on Urethane tires.
I put a pair on my BS and it helped reduce the vibration.
Here is the pair I bought:
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=5838&sid=AFB81

[papadan]

You don't have to remove the wheels. Just remove the blade and the drive belt. Spin the wheels once and mark at top dead center. Spin again and see where the mark stops. If the mark always stops in the same place, drill your hole at the bottom center of the wheel. Continue untill it stops in random locations.

[Ronald]

I recommended removing the wheels on my post because it it easier and much more acurate to drill using a drill press than a hand drill. Ron

[Doug07]

I apologize for the duplication, I fairly new to this forum, I meant to place this inquiry here but by mistake placed it in the wrong subject heading. I guess it doesn’t matter, it will be found due to the subject. I’ll know better next time.

Thanks for all your help it's much appreciated.

Doug

[Doug07]

Hello,

Thanks Rafael

I hadn't seen this before, changing to Urethane tires. Is this something that is a common mod for this bandsaw and does it actual help the vibration or is this more for blade tracking?

Please give me any additional feedback,

Thanks,
Doug

[Rafael]

Urethane will last years longer than the stock rubber tire. I've never had a rubber tire last more than a year. Changing tires is a pain, the less often you have to do it the better.
I cant tell how much they effect vibration, some folks said it reduces vibration.
Tires will get grooves from the blade over time, this will effect tracking. I've had urethane tires on my current BS for about 3 years. They look new, there are no grooves from the blade. IMO, urethane tires are a cheap upgrade that adds more than it's cost to your saw.
Lots of people complain about the ridgiid BS. I've added a riser, urethane tires and tuned it well. The only complaint I have is it is underpowered. If I feed it slowly I dont even have any drift.

[Doug07]

Thanks for the info, this sounds like a upgrade worth the money.

Take care,
Doug

[Wood_Junkie]

So, I was another fairly unhappy BS1400 user up until tonight.

I replaced the tires a long time ago with urethane tires. And I tried my mightiest to get the wheels lined up and the blade centered. And I added a Kreg bandsaw fence. That was the extent of my efforts and frankly the results SUCKED. The "drift" was about 1" per foot sawed.. just terrible!

Well, I usually keep it in the corner and just run a few pen blanks through it to cut them to size.... I'd about given up on any resawing possibilities, or actually using it for anything 'real. But, I had to pull it out to cut out a shload of hardboard templates and what-not for my sister-in-law's architecture project.

Since it was out, I figured I'd finally install the new blade I got.. ohh, about a year ago... the cool blocks.. and actually align the wheels, as well as install the link belt I received a month ago. I also checked the wheel balance and it was off but so slightly I didn't bother fixing it (it always settled on the same spot, but it took a LONG time to settle in, even after it stopped making full rotations).

Well, wow. The different is like night and day. I installed a Viking 1/2" blade, the linkbelt, and actually got the wheels lined up perfectly coplaner (thankfully no shims needed) and it has ZERO drift. I mean it. The Kreg fence is lined up with the miter slit / table edge and it cuts a straight line perfectly parallel. My jaw just about dropped. I made a 2" fence-guided cut and measured the two ends with calipers. The trailing end was less than 1/64 different.

So then I put a 1x6 I had laying around through it to test resawing... it actually worked! The sawed face would need some cleanup, of course, but it resawed and it didn't totally suck!!!

My opinion of this bandsaw transformed tonight. For anyone else seeking improvement in their BS1400, here's the list I garnered from many other posts, and some of them I implemented:
- Link belt
- Urethane tires
- Quality blade (Timberwolf, Viking, etc)
- Wheel alignment
- Wheel balance
- Proper guide blocks and thrust bearing setup

I recently ordered a vibration mat that I planned to install under the bandsaw with 3/4" plywood... maybe more news on that someday..