Replies

1. 
   RickL | Apr 05, 2005 02:22am | #1

   I'd call Delta for faster results. Depending on your location they might be able to authorize a repair person to come to your shop providing there is one near by. Have you tried contacting the dealer you bought it from?
   I'd be surprised if it was a bearing. Someone recently posted a problem with the cutter hitting the table. Turned out it was damaged in shipping. Spin the head by hand and listen to find the noise and isolate the problem. The more you can tell the techs the easier they can diagnose the problem and suggest corrective action.

   
   

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   Edited 4/4/2005 7:34 pm ET by rick3ddd

1. 
   TomB | Apr 05, 2005 02:42am | #4

   Wow that was fast. No I have not called the dealer and no one around has the same model of jointer. I did check for play in the bearings and found nothing unusual. The noise seems to get louder after it is run for about 3 seconds and stays there even when u shut off the power. It does not make a warring sound like a table saw blade. You can easily imagine in your head a bearing turning in its race. I have not tried to run any wood through it yet as I am a very cautious person and don't want to damage the machine.

   Thanks for your fast replies Tom Brown

2. 
   mike4244 | Apr 05, 2005 02:28am | #2

   A jointer running without a load should sound like a whirring sound. Unplug the machine, wear heavy gloves, see if you have any lateral or up and down play in the cutterhead . Be careful the knives are sharp. If there is play the bearings are bad. You are right to be concerned, is there a friend or neighbor that is familiar with a jointer ? Do not run the machine until you are satisfied that the bearings are okay.

   mike

3. 
   Jellyrug | Apr 05, 2005 02:30am | #3

   Difficult to give advice, without better diagnostics. From what you post, it sounds as if you know what a bad bearing sounds like, but this may very well sound different on a jointer. Is the sound at full speed, or, can you hear it as the jointer slows down after shut down?

   If your V-belt pulley is not tight on the shaft, allen grub screws, this will normally account for the noise from a jointer head.

4. 
   MBL | Apr 05, 2005 03:30am | #5

   Dear Tom,

   For a 3 weeks old machine as such, the bearings would be the last suspect.

   Since you say the noise started after you made some minor changes and the noise started as soon as you placed the belt onto the cutter head, would say it may relate to the belt or pulley(s) loose.

   Would check motor bolts, motor support panel, pulleys, and belt for adequate tightness and alignment, or something rubbing.

   If the belt vibrates a lot, it'd probably be one of those.

   Also, if that happens when cutting, it might relate to too heavy a cut. Then try much lesser cuts.

   Good luck.

   -mbl-

5. 
   PeteBradley | Apr 05, 2005 07:25pm | #6

   A bad automitive wheel bearing will rumble, and I'm assuming this is the noise you're referring to, true? A bad machine bearing might result in a lot of noises, but I guess I'd expect a scream rather than a rumble.

   You won't necessarily find play until a bearing has really broken down, but you can try to figure out whether everything turns smoothly and quietly. As others have suggested, start turning stuff by hand to isolate the cause. I'd be looking for something with loose bolts that can vibrate a little, or a belt rubbing on something, or belts that are loose and "flapping" when they run, too tight, etc.

   Given that this is a new machine, it seems likely that the cause is a minor assembly problem, although a defective part isn't out of the question.

   Pete

6. 
   joinerswork | Apr 06, 2005 08:29pm | #7

   Tom,

   A slighty loose pulley will make some funny noises as it rattles around on the shaft. Locketa-locketa- whirr.

   Edit: Didn't read Jellyrug's post-- what he said!

   Regards,

   Ray

   
   

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   Edited 4/6/2005 1:31 pm ET by joinerswork

1. 
   TomB | Apr 12, 2005 04:03am | #8

   Well I ran my jointer on Sunday, and at first the bearings were noisy. But as I let it run for approx 15 minutes without putting any wood through it, it seemed to quiet down. I feel stupid that I didn't let it run for a while at first before asking for help. Maybe the bearings warmed up or just had to wear in. Not sure and don't care as it works great now. Thanks to all who replied. Tom Brown

   ps Delta never e-mailed me back as to the so called problem. Hope that this is not an omen for the future.

   Edited 4/11/2005 9:04 pm ET by Tom B

1. 
   BarryO | Apr 12, 2005 09:26am | #9

   I'm beginning not to attach much significance to "I emailed them, but they never responded."

   So many outfits have anti-spam filters on their systems now.  And apparently none of them are perfect at filtering the good from the bad.  I've had people complain to me that they've sent perfectly legitimate email to me, which I never received, and the sender sometimes gets a message saying our system rejected the message as possible spam.

   Sad to say, but email is losing effectiveness as a reliable communications medium.  If you want to ensure someone gets to someone, pick up the phone. 

2. 
   Pondfish | Apr 12, 2005 05:29pm | #10

   Some sealed bearings do indeed have a break-in period, especially those with a solid "lubricant."  I don't think this should happen, however, with shielded bearings.  You can check your bearings to see what kind you have (sealed are usually better than shielded, but not for all applications).

3. 
   forestgirl | Apr 12, 2005 07:13pm | #11

   Tom, great to hear everything's fine now.  As to the email thing, IMHO a phone call is the way to go when you need tech support.  An email is way too likely to fall to the bottom of the heap.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)