Supermax Rattle .... is this normal?


Curtis

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1 minute ago, Tpt life said:

That is not normal then. Bearings are a concern. Checking set screws on keyed pulleys seems to be wise after a few other machines on the forums seem to have missed the threadlock. 

Okay, thanks.  Ill check the set screws but I definitely just sent off the vid to Supermax (ahem Laguna).  

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I'd say there's a playing card stuck in your spokes.  Seriously.  The older guys on here will know what I'm talking about.  There's a piece of sandpaper or a thin sliver of wood or something else that's rubbing up against a rotating part, probably a gear, and it's just stiff enough to make that ratcheting sound.  That sound doesn't make me go straight to bearings.  Bears are more of a rub or a screech than a click.

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18 minutes ago, Byrdie said:

I'd say there's a playing card stuck in your spokes.  Seriously.  The older guys on here will know what I'm talking about.  There's a piece of sandpaper or a thin sliver of wood or something else that's rubbing up against a rotating part, probably a gear, and it's just stiff enough to make that ratcheting sound.  That sound doesn't make me go straight to bearings.  Bears are more of a rub or a screech than a click.

 

4 minutes ago, Tpt life said:

Unless one ball or roller is gone. Then the rest clack. Not guessing. I have heard it a lot. Just hard to diagnose from compressed phone audio. Same clatter happens if the races that are supposed to hold the rollers or balls have too much slop. 

Which is why I asked if it made the same sound under load.  If there were something stuck in it somewhere, it would make the same sound under load.  If it were a bearing issue, it would be a different sound or perhaps no sound at all.

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2 hours ago, gee-dub said:

My 19-38 is spooky quiet.  The transport belt motor is louder than the drum.

I'm guessing the drum is out of balance?. I noticed inside the drum there are small black weights stuck in there which I'm guessing were used to balance the drum?  Does yours have much vibrattion when running ?  Mine doesn't pass the nickel test.  I can't hear the belt conveyor motor until I shut off the drum motor    

 

It does continue to rattle under load.  

 

And I am def old enough to have had a topps baseball card in my spokes :)  

 

Thanks everyone  

 

 

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The plastic playing cards worked better or at least lasted longer in my spokes.... :D

There is something wrong not sure what it is but if it's new i'd make sure to follow up with Supermax (laguna) or the company you bought it from. If it id it out of the box i'd be taking it back for an immediate exchange imo. I have no tolerance to buy a tool never get to use it and be stuck navigating warranty work.

I'll add to the list of people that say their sander is spooky quiet. DC off i can't hear it through ear plugs.

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16 hours ago, Gary Beasley said:

Check the alignment of the motor to the drum. It has a union between them that will make a racket if misaligned or worn. If thats good my bet is on a bad bearing.

This is my bet. I have tightened everything they asked me to tighten and it does it with paper on or off. 

My biggest concern is that the noise also comes with a wobbles which obviously would affect accuracy and consistency.  

 

17 hours ago, Chestnut said:

The plastic playing cards worked better or at least lasted longer in my spokes.... :D

There is something wrong not sure what it is but if it's new i'd make sure to follow up with Supermax (laguna) or the company you bought it from. If it id it out of the box i'd be taking it back for an immediate exchange imo. I have no tolerance to buy a tool never get to use it and be stuck navigating warranty work.

I'll add to the list of people that say their sander is spooky quiet. DC off i can't hear it through ear plugs.

Agreed, I want a new one. Guy from Suoermax on the phone wants me to try all these fixes, seriously....I have put 8 board feet through this. 

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My 16-32 had a misaligned motor and drum, but it did not make this noise.  The misalignment was bad enough to break the motor drive shaft.

It took me too long to get Supermax/Laguna to fix it.   Filing the initial claim and all communication was easy, but I had to get mean to get them to ship the needed parts.  It took a couple weeks IIRC to get them to ship.

We all love our Supermax sanders and Laguna bandsaws, but their customer service sucks.  It is the biggest reason I chose a Rikon bandsaw last year.

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1 hour ago, Curtis said:

Agreed, I want a new one. Guy from Suoermax on the phone wants me to try all these fixes, seriously....I have put 8 board feet through this. 

When I buy something like a Grizzly jointer, I expect to have to fiddle about a bit with some adjustment or even a possible replacement part like my fence that was out of spec.  I am paying 40% or more below the price of the competition.  It would be silly of me to expect a top-shelf product at a discount price.  That is not a viable business model.

The Supermax sanders are not a discount line.  They should arrive ready or darn-near-ready to go.  It is our responsibility as consumers to hold sellers accountable.  They should just ship you a new machine and let you get on with your life.  I did cringe a bit when I read about the Laguna sale.  Laguna has a long running history of wide swings in their customer service quality. 

They have swung from "walks on water" to "can't get anyone to answer the phone" over the years.  Maybe they are at a low point in their customer service biorhythm.  This is not your problem, it is their problem.  Unfortunately, getting them to respond properly is being made into your problem. Please keep us in the loop so that others can factor their performance in to their future purchasing decisions.

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What that sounds to me like is the shroud on the motor hitting the fan. It doesn't take much of a bump to shift is enough to just touch the blades. Doesn't sound like a bearing at all to me.

If it's just the shroud, it's an easy fix. Anything more than that & I'd want a different machine

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I guess I made a leap. I assumed visual inspection had already been completed. Shrouds being hit will show impact marks and wear. I agree the sound is not a bearing wear noise. It could be an improperly set or assembled bearing though. The idea of internally set balance weights on that drum also has merit if the visual inspection I assume was already done turned nothing up. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just wanted to update everyone.  Ended up being ball bearing issue and since it was practically new, Supermax (ahem Laguna) is giving me a brand new one.  Im glad I bought it from my local woodcraft as I went in, inspected inspected one on the floor , showed them a few videos and they were helpful in making sure the unit was replaced.  So now just have to get this sucker up my basement steps and into the car and exchange it. 

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