Before attaching Unisaw table top, anti-vibration washers or such?

I wouldn’t do anything to it other than put it back the way it was.

Cheers,
Brad

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable

I agree. Put it back the way it was, and then try the nickel test again! All that heavy cast iron will surely help.

-- still trying to think of a clever signature......

Is it sitting level on the floor where it can’t move at all?

A Unisaw should not be vibrating when running without a blade on it.

-- Gerry, http://www.thecncwoodworker.com/index.html http://www.jointcam.com

Dont do that. It could make the table unlevel to the trunion. This matters when you are cutting anything that is not 90 degrees. If the table is lower in the back the blade will not make a true cut is you are cutting on 45 degrees, for example.

-- Don't blame me, I voted for no one.

As others have stated, don’t do it. If it’s vibrating, first take the belts off then try it again to eliminate the motor as a culprit. If it’s vibrating with the belts and no blade and doesn’t vibrate without them, the belts have most likely taken a set and the saw just needs to be run more often. Fire it up and let it run for ten to fifteen minutes and see if it’s smoother after the belts have a little heat in them.

-- "Lack of effort will result in failure with amazing predictability" - Me

One more time: put it back the way it was.

-- Our village hasn't lost it's idiot, he was elected to congress.

Not only “don’t do that”, but I hope you kept track of where the shims were located so you can put them back in the same places. When these saws were built they inserted shims between the cabinet and the table to level that table to that base. No two Unisaws had the shims the same thickness or in the same places. If you didn’t keep track of them you are going to spend a whole lot of time getting the table bolted down tight and flat again.
The cast iron top will make a big difference in reducing vibration. Link belts will also help. V belts take a set when not used becoming ovals instead of circles. The link belts don’t do this.

Charley

I had to shift the factory set in my belts 120 degrees apart and run it a bit

Does it run smooth without the belts on?

-- Shooting down the walls of heartache. Bang bang. I am. The warrior.

OK. No anti vibration washers. I’ll be assembling the top this Wed or Thurs and see how, if any, vibration exists then troubleshoot the cause. L

-- The Carpenter Bee is derived from the Ancient Greek word wood-cutter "xylokopos/ξυλοκὀπος"

It wouldn’t pass the nickel test because it jumps on startup or vibration after startup?

-- Shooting down the walls of heartache. Bang bang. I am. The warrior.

I disagree with the link belt comment. The existence of the links makes each time a link passes over the pulley a place for it to bump. They have also shown to wear the pulley more than a belt that fits the V of the pulley. A segmented V belt is a good option. Or just a V belt. Once run in it should not pose any problems.

Not only “don t do that”, but I hope you kept track of where the shims were located so you can put them back in the same places. When these saws were built they inserted shims between the cabinet and the table to level that table to that base. No two Unisaws had the shims the same thickness or in the same places. If you didn t keep track of them you are going to spend a whole lot of time getting the table bolted down tight and flat again.
The cast iron top will make a big difference in reducing vibration. Link belts will also help. V belts take a set when not used becoming ovals instead of circles. The link belts don t do this.

Charley

- CharleyL

-- Don't blame me, I voted for no one.

It wouldn t pass the nickel test because it jumps on startup or vibration after startup?

- TheFridge

I was gonna ask the same thing!

-- still trying to think of a clever signature......

Agree with those who say “put it back the way it was” hopefully you keep track of which washers were on which bolts on the table top. They need to go back exactly where they were.

-- Alaskan's for Global warming!

Belts often take a set if the tool sits for a bit.

My old saw, a General 650 often took a good 15-20 minutes of running to get smooth again if I didn’t use it for a week or two. As the others said, the top will help and don’t fix something that isn’t broken by adding parts.

Check your belt tension. They need to be set a lot looser than you might think. Too much tension (or too little tension) will let the belts slap a bit, creating a slight vibration if bad enough. Put the top on and see how it runs and watch the belts. I found the easiest way to get that ‘sweet spot’ is to adjust the belt tension with the machine running, so you can watch the belts in action.

Cheers,
Brad

PS: Don’t waste your money on link belts – they don’t give you any benefit on a multi-belt setup. And on the older Unisaws, they will actually damage the pulleys.

-- Brad in FL - In Dog I trust... everything else is questionable