Table saw question about adjustment

allen levine

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Location
new york city burbs
I have the ridgid 3660 TS.

I have to move it alot to park it when Im finished.
I know it has a mobile base and its not meant to roll around all the time, but I struggle with it over lumpy cement floors.
Could be one of the reasons.

Im having a tough time getting the saw to stop making alot of clanging type noise when I shut it off, sounds like two blades slapping together like cymbols, clanging, and sometimes after its running, it sounds like its grinding, or rubbing.
I spent 2 hours just now adjusting the motor each position, letting it in, aligning it, but eventually I still get the sounds. and I know there has to be something wrong. This machine was very smooth and quiet when I first got it, its still almost new.
Is it possible the belt is slipping?
I adjust it as the manual says, making sure I can pinch the belt in the center and the motor lifts in sync.....seems nothing other than I did originally, but there is that clanging noise that sometimes comes when its running, and the rubbing sound. I looked all around the well, the blade, under the table, I see nothing obstructing it, and Im pretty much lost here, ready to try to go get some help.

btw, with the machine off, and I spin the blade with my hand, I can hear the sllight clanging sound.
 
Maybe you could unplug it, lie under it on your back while your better half turns it by hand...maybe you can home in on the location of the sound that way, which could lead to a solution.

I'm a fan of the link belts. I don't have my Delta contractor saw anymore, but when I changed from the original solid belt to a linked one I noticed a difference in smoothness. I think it would be an improvement for your saw, but also think the probability is low that it's the source of the noise. But who knows.

Interested in hearing what you find out.

Cheers.
 
stop using a saw that makes metal to metal noises!
remove the belt and turn on the motor......if you hear noise then the motor has issues........no noise?
leaving the belt off spin the blade by hand.......hear noise? look and listen and let us know where the noise is comming from.
either way don`t use the saw untill you fix it!
 
...I'm a fan of the link belts. I don't have my Delta contractor saw anymore, but when I changed from the original solid belt to a linked one I noticed a difference in smoothness. I think it would be an improvement for your saw, but also think the probability is low that it's the source of the noise. But who knows.

Interested in hearing what you find out.

Cheers.
Ed, I'm a fan of link belts too, but the Ridgid saw uses a ribbed flat belt and machined pulleys, so a link belt wouldn't work without changing both pulleys, and I don't think it'd be an improvement over the flat belt.

Allen, are you using a zero clearance plate, or the orange factory throat plate? If you're using a zero clearance insert, I'd check to be sure the blade isn't rubbing on it as the blade is slowing down. Other than that, I'd suggest as Tod did...disconnect the belt and see if you can isolate where the noise is originating.
 
I waited for my son to come home from work.
He repairs computers on his down time, and has a bit more knowledge of things with motor and parts.
Before I turned it on, I spun the blade by hand and jerked it once or twice so he could hear the noise, he knew in 3 seconds what it was.
He walked over to the motor, looked at it, and saw the metal fan inside(actually, he said it might not be a fan, just part of the motor, but it looks like a fan and told me to spin the blade again, and said yep, the fan is either loose or damaged. He held it with his pinky while I spun the blade and no sound.I todl him great, lets open it up and fix it, and he told me forget about it. No way I should ever touch a motor of any machine. Just contact Ridgid and let them replace it or repair it. He says fan motors on computers have a similar problem sometimes.
As soon as I turned it on, the grinding noise was exactly how he said it will be, but explained to me that because of the high rpms, the fan might spin and sometimes I wouldnt hear it until it slowed down. Exactly the problem I was having. The clanging was loud when the motor was shutting down. Me, thinking it had something to do with the belt or the parts holding the belt.
Im glad he figured it out quickly. Hopefully Ill get it resolved quickly and smoothly.
 
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stop using a saw that makes metal to metal noises!
remove the belt and turn on the motor......if you hear noise then the motor has issues........no noise?
leaving the belt off spin the blade by hand.......hear noise? look and listen and let us know where the noise is comming from.
either way don`t use the saw untill you fix it!

I called a mechanic friend of mine, he told me the the exact same thing earlier today, about taking the belt off, spinning it.....

some people just understand machinery.
 
Thanks Vaughn. Saved me from promulgating bad advice.
No worries, Ed. :) On 99% of the contractor saws out there, your advice was spot on. Ridgid promotes the flat belt and machined pulleys on the TS3560 as a feature the competition doesn't have.
 
Ed, I'm a fan of link belts too, but the Ridgid saw uses a ribbed flat belt and machined pulleys, so a link belt wouldn't work without changing both pulleys, and I don't think it'd be an improvement over the flat belt.

Allen, are you using a zero clearance plate, or the orange factory throat plate? If you're using a zero clearance insert, I'd check to be sure the blade isn't rubbing on it as the blade is slowing down. Other than that, I'd suggest as Tod did...disconnect the belt and see if you can isolate where the noise is originating.

when the noise started, even though it was clanging, it wasnt constant, so the first thing I did do was check the insert, figuring its rubbing.
I then checked the blade well to make sure nothing was stuck in it.
I took off the blade, inspected every inch, looked underneath the table, took out the instruction bookilet and reread how to set the belt, re did that, and then from where I was standing, it sounded like it was coming from somewhere near the pulley.
I hope this is something that is easily repaired. Im shut out of working without the TS.
 
Allen,
I'm not familiar with your motor, but I bought a motor with a similar problem. This particular motor had a sheet metal cover over the "fan". The cover had been bumped or bashed and the fan began to scrape. I was able to take it off and readjust it.

Just a thought, good luck.

Wes
 
No worries, Ed. :) On 99% of the contractor saws out there, your advice was spot on. Ridgid promotes the flat belt and machined pulleys on the TS3560 as a feature the competition doesn't have.

Vaughn the Craftsman Cabinet Hybrid saw that several guys have including me, has a similar belt. I wonde whether it is the same one. I think the machine was made by Orion. Do you think Rigid had them make the machine and use the same belt?
 
allen i know where your coming from but just fer grins look and see if its just a bent cover.. no need to have to make a return shipment that may come back still wrong.. or find out you arent covered anyway.. how long have you owned the saw? most places dont cover them very long:huh:
 
no shipping, its only 40 minutes from me, but Im not here this coming week and hes not around on saturday.
so it will have to sit for a at least another week, and I was told expect 2 weeks to wait for new part.
I can see the piece spinning inside, its either broken, or fell off its mount.
theres no mistaking the sound, it clangs against the motor.
Im not qualified to touch it, and besides, its under a 3 year warranty with ridgid.Im not that happy that 2 months after a purchase I have to drag this thing in for repairs. doesnt build my confidence in this company at all.but things happen, and it is only a machine, so I cant hold them responsible for a part that may have malfunctioned.
 
overall I have to say Im just plain disgusted with the deal.
I purposely buy machines from people who will deliver them, since I dont want to have to transport heavy machinery myself.
they dump a box with 50 parts on your driveway, and if something doesnt work, you have to find a way to deliver it back to them, at your expense.

this is not something I like nor will get used too.

another reason to buy from a local tool dealer, a top brand, pay a few bucks more, let them assemble it and check it out ,cause he will pick it up and repair it in the same place.

I learned another valuable lesson today in the woodworking hobby.

Maybe I should take them up on their 90 day guarantee if for any reason I dont like thier product I can return it.
 
Allen -- I presume that you purchased the TS at THE HOME DEPOT. Ours here in Denton is great about returns. I wouldn't hesitate to return it if it were mine; but we live in pickup country, I have three in the driveway; I bet you might have transportation problems. Go to the store ask to see a manager and tell him they either need to pick it up for return or for motor replacement -- make it his choice.

Allen do U feel comfortable changing the motor out; if you do, make that an option with the store manager. In any case let their customer relations know about your problem.

Ray Gerdes in dreay TEXAS
 
HD never had one in stock near me. I think it would be a shorter wait to let Ridgid replace the motor then wait for HD to get it in stock.
Ridgid guarantees their motors for 3 years.
 
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