bolting scroll saw to floor

[Paddy317]

There are a few folks in scroll saw community who strongly recommend that scroll saws should be bolted to the floor. This seems to minimize vibration. How many scrollers do bolt to floor and is there a substantial reduction in vibration?

Thanks

[Rockytime]

I would never bolt my saw to the floor.  Seems my butt would get sore after a short time of sitting on the floor to say nothing of the energy expended trying to get up.

[Rockytime]

Ok, you are asking a serious question. No I would not. I'm assuming you are referring to the saw mounted on a stand. Question is the floor. Is it wood, concrete or other. I would not as it makes it difficult to move the saw if needed. There are more efficient to prevent vibration. Perhaps if you give us more information like what kind of saw kind of stand, kind of floor, etc there are numerous persons who may be able to give you good advise. Also let us know who you are and a bit about yourself. We love helping friends.

[Roberta Moreton]

Things need to be moved. Tools shop be bolted to their stands, not the floors. 

[OCtoolguy]

I have 3 saws all mounted to stands of some sort. My shop has a plywood floor supported by 4x4's so it has a little bounce. I covered the floor with the gray foam floor matting that H/F sells. That seems to soak up the vibration from the saws. But, all scroll saws have vibrations and sweet spots. Not knowing what brand of saw you have, that's about all the help I can offer.

[TAIrving]

I have a Pegas sitting on a very sturdy wooden work table, not bolted down.  I have carefully adjusted the feet for balance.  The saw runs smooth at some/most speeds.  But I can find some speeds where it vibrates.  I think about bolting it to my workbench but have not yet done so.  

[Rolf]

None of my tools are bolted to the floor. I have no issues with vibration on either of my saws. Most saws to have some point in their speed range that they are not happy with. If I saw vibrates so much that it needs to be bolted down there is something not right. or it is a poorly manufactured saw.  I had a Craftsman (many) years ago that I should have put a leash on and walked it around the block. 

 

Edited July 3, 2021 by Rolf

[OCtoolguy]

5 hours ago, Algae said:

I have a Pegas sitting on a very sturdy wooden work table, not bolted down.  I have carefully adjusted the feet for balance.  The saw runs smooth at some/most speeds.  But I can find some speeds where it vibrates.  I think about bolting it to my workbench but have not yet done so.  

When I have set either of my EX's on my bench and ran them, I noticed a lot of vibration. If I clamped them down it pretty much went away. They do need to be firmly attached to a good heavy base. Both of my stands are heavy and sit on foam rubber mats. Zero vibration at most speeds.

[dgman]

A good way to dampen vibration is to use a bag of sand draped over a side support of the stand. You might build a box to hold the sand. I would not bolt the stand to the floor.

[Rockytime]

I guess Paddy317 isn't going to weigh in.

[LarryEA]

9 hours ago, Rockytime said:

I guess Paddy317 isn't going to weigh in.

Hey Rocky, who is Paddy317?

Oh and neither of my stands(saws) are bolted down

Edited July 4, 2021 by LarryEA

[OCtoolguy]

22 minutes ago, LarryEA said:

Hey Rocky, who is Paddy317?

Oh and neither of my stands(saws) are bolted down

He's the person who asked the question. But seems to have fled the scene.

[crupiea]

I rarely if ever crank mine up full speed as I normally just cut 1/8" bb.

Dont even have my saw attached to the work bench, just sort of floats free on a layer of sawdust.  probably would be an issue if I did thicker stuff and went faster, 

[OCtoolguy]

On 7/4/2021 at 1:00 PM, crupiea said:

I rarely if ever crank mine up full speed as I normally just cut 1/8" bb.

Dont even have my saw attached to the work bench, just sort of floats free on a layer of sawdust.  probably would be an issue if I did thicker stuff and went faster, 

Being as how you live alone with no one to nag you, why not just take 4 lag bolts and attach it to your dining room table? Lol.

[SCROLLERNATION]

Setting your stand up with the hardware finger tight and your saw to the stand tight then running it full speed with a number 12 blade for a while then tightening the stand and then running it the same way again until it finds its “SPOT” will keep it from walking on you without bolting it down and reduce vibration.  Simply mark where the feet are sitting on the ground with a sharpie if you decide to move it you can put it back exactly.  If you have a desire to mount it to the floor it is simple but requires a hammer drill capable of running a 3/8” bit and redhead wedge anchors. Once they are in they are in and to remove them you have to cut them and grind them flush or hammer them down. There are others that you can unscrew but you have to keep the holes clean. If you have a Hegner Polycut 3 then probably a good idea.  Or another simple way. Set your saw up level and run it starting from low to high and stop where it runs the most smooth. Simply keep it on the speed that runs the most smooth and enjoy

[Jim Finn]

I have my Hegner bolted to the concrete floor  which is covered with 3/4" plywood.   I have an old Jet saw (1988) that runs so smooth that I do not need to secure it in this way.