Shopsmith Forums

I have owned Shopsmith for the last 30 years but never owned a stand alone Scroll saw. Purchased one from individual recently and tried to use but the vibration makes it almost unuseable specialy on thin wood. Is this normal or can something be repaired or adjusted to get rid of most of the vibration. Appreciate any help.

lmccown wrote:I have owned Shopsmith for the last 30 years but never owned a stand alone Scroll saw. Purchased one from individual recently and tried to use but the vibration makes it almost unuseable specialy on thin wood. Is this normal or can something be repaired or adjusted to get rid of most of the vibration. Appreciate any help.

I would think there is something wrong. My stand alone scroll saw is very smooth and quiet.

My only thought concerning vibration in the scroll saw is the blade tension is not tight enough.

Try tightening the blade tension until a finger flip across the blade makes a High "C" sound. Kinda like tuning a guitar.

I would also ensure the stand is fully secured. A loose bond between stand and saw could cause issues, as well as a checking to ensure the table is solid and doesn't wiggle.

Belt set is also a potential problem.

Then there is the possibility of worn bushings in the arms and the connecting rod linkage hole.

I own three scroll saws. AMT 4600, RBI Hawk 220, and Excalibur EX21. Cheap to expensive. They all vibrate some. However the Excalibur passes the nickel test. The AMT vibrates the most but I can get smooth as glass cuts on it if I do my part,

Lets assume that the saw in not broken in anyway.

Do you have the blade installed correctly? If you install it upside down it will try to lift the wood off the table. Yes, people do this. I've done it more than once.

It the blade tensioned properly? It should be tight enough to emit a high pitched ting when plucked. Some people say it should be a high C. I've tried this with a guitar tuner. It works for my saws.

Are you trying to cut to fast or pushing the blade? Scroll Saws cut pretty slow. In general the slower you cut the smoother. You have to let the blade cut at its own pace. If you try to force it or push the blade to one side your going to have problems.

Is the blade a good match material you are cutting? Proper blade selection can make a big difference. I can cut toys out of a 2x4 with a #5 skip tooth but I've had a lot of practice.

Is your blade sharp? This is a big deal these blades do not last long. Thats why they sell them buy the gross.

Good quality blades cut better and last longer. Just like any other kind of saw that quality of the blade makes a large difference in the quality of the cut. I like the Flying Dutchman blades.

Hardwood, cut easier and smoother than softwood. It's pretty rare to get glassy smooth cuts out of a 2x4. Glassy smooth cuts in oak and poplar are pretty easy to come by. If you using construction lumber from the Big Box store you will find this much more difficult to work with. Good quality ply wood cuts well.

I own a Hegner (expensive), and a Sakura (Less expensive). You will find it's the nature of the beast to vibrate. More for some and less for some. The speed/strokes per minute you are trying to saw at has a lot to do with it. The faster the stroke the more the vibration. Any scroll saw is going to vibrate. It is very difficult not being at your saw to try to determine what is excessive. Use it and see if you get accustomed to it. If you can it's probably OK. If you just flat can't saw on the lines, there is probably something wrong.

Don G

dgreen810 wrote:I own a Hegner (expensive), and a Sakura (Less expensive). You will find it's the nature of the beast to vibrate. More for some and less for some. The speed/strokes per minute you are trying to saw at has a lot to do with it. The faster the stroke the more the vibration. Any scroll saw is going to vibrate. It is very difficult not being at your saw to try to determine what is excessive. Use it and see if you get accustomed to it. If you can it's probably OK. If you just flat can't saw on the lines, there is probably something wrong.

Don G

Absolutely great advice Don.

jsburger wrote:

dgreen810 wrote:I own a Hegner (expensive), and a Sakura (Less expensive). You will find it's the nature of the beast to vibrate. More for some and less for some. The speed/strokes per minute you are trying to saw at has a lot to do with it. The faster the stroke the more the vibration. Any scroll saw is going to vibrate. It is very difficult not being at your saw to try to determine what is excessive. Use it and see if you get accustomed to it. If you can it's probably OK. If you just flat can't saw on the lines, there is probably something wrong.

Don G

Absolutely great advice Don.

I said in the first post after the OP that my free standing scroll saw (Teal) is very smooth. It has no real vibration, none. The belt broke last week so I had the chance to delve into the inside to replace the belt. There are two rotating counter weights to presumably dampen the vibration. They are gear driven. You have to disengage the gears to replace the belt. If you don't align the counter weights (it is in the instructions for belt replacement) I suspect there would be lots of vibration. Particularly if you are 180 out.

My scroll saw will pass the nickel test I think although I have never tried. I bet it would pass the dime test. I know for sure my Powermatic PM2000 table saw passes the dime test.