9A Sound Proofing ?? / Noisy Belt

Hi all,

Sound Proofing

Has anyone undertaken a 'sound proofing' project on a SB-9A with a sheet metal cabinet??

When running mine I think it is rather noisy compared with a Boxford of a friend of mine. The Boxford seems to have havier gauge sheet used in its cabinet so it doe not act so much as a resonator as the SB does. Anyones experience such as materials used etc. would be highly appreciated.

Noisy Belt

Another anoying sound comes from the belt. Each and every time the link passes the pulley it thumps. Are there any other belts I can use that minimize the noise?? What should be the max width of the belt?? Mine is a little wider than the pulley which seems wrong to me.

Thanking you in advance,

Piet Butter

You can do a glued belt which will be quieter than the pined. I don't recall off the top of my head the exact size, but I think the belt should be either 1/8" or 1/4" smaller than the pulley step.

Ted

Hi There,

What kind of motor are you using (solid base or resilient mount)? A resilient mount motor will run quieter.

Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb

Some folks like that clackity-clack noise
from the belt clips. I never did so I glued
mine up.

Photos in another post, I won't beat that horse
anymore....

The belt must be noticeably smaller in width
than the pulley step. Otherwise you will have
trouble making it track nicely.

Jim

I believe that South Bend specified a 3/4" wide belt for the 9A, but many people use 1" width(including me, for now). The 1" wide belt can be difficult to track on the largest and smallest steps of the spindle cone pulley without rubbing the edges of the backgear guards.

I used to have a 10k on a factory mounted UMD cabinet, and I never found it to be noisy, especially compared to a geared-head lathe. Shops are supposed to be somewhat noisy.

Paula

L & G's

thank you all for your response.

I must admit that the noise never really anoid me until I heard the Boxford running so much quiter.

The motor is a resilient mount one.

And yes shops supposed to be noisy, execpt than fo the clackety-clack sound o much appreciated by Jim. So I think I will replace the belt first with a 'glue on' one and see how I like that.

Paula, while here I would like to say that I have followed your restoration on your lathe with great joy. Truly a great job.

I've done mine over last winter but does not look as nice as yours. Altough I took mine apart to the very last nut and bolt I did not bother to fill the castings to make them super smooth. Wish I had now, but hey in the end the thing has to cut metal.

If to anyones interest please use the following link and scroll past the Arboga mill pictures wich I am currently working on and did use some filler here and there.: web page

Best regards,


Piet

Hi There,

If the noise is the cabinet resonating or "booming," you could try using a rubberized undercoat on the inside (yuck). Auto manufactures do this to reduce "body boom" noise. There are also stick-on sound absorbing panels you could get. These are a sticky based compound with a paper backing that are applied to the noisy panels to absorb vibration.

Another though I have is whether the motor is at fault. Even though it is a resilient mount motor, it still could be the source of vibration and noise. First, the resilient rubber rings get hard with age and don't absorb vibration as well. Second, the motor's windings could have insulation breakdown and a partial shorting of the windings across themselves, throwing the magnetic field out of balance. This will create a vibration and noise.

Then again, I haven't examined a Boxford and maybe their cabinet bases are just that much better than the old SBL cabinet.


I hope this helps. Good Luck!
-Blue Chips-
Webb

Hi Piet,

I did not bother to fill the castings to make them super smooth. Wish I had now, but hey in the end the thing has to cut metal.

Click to expand...

I would say that your lathe looks very nice. I briefly considered using a filler on my 9A, but finally decided that it wasn't worth the effort. After all, as you say, the main requirement is that it cut metal. I'm not going for some kind of museum piece. (Maybe it will be used to make some museum-quality models!)

BTW, the Arboga mill is a very interesting machine, and it looks like you're doing a very thorough job with it.

Paula

Some folks can put paint on a machine and make
it *look* like they used filler.

Me, I put paint on a machine and folks say,
"what'd ya do, *spray* the rust on it?"

sigh.

Me and paint. We just don't git-along.

Jim

L&G's

I think I am going to stick my head into the drive cabinet and listen where the noise (apart from the Belt of course) comes from. The resilient rubbers were OK when I checked them before putting the motor back in so it won't be those. Maybe it is the motor, winding or bearing that is causing it. Will check under load and non-load conditions. Or alternatively, it is 'between my ears' after all.

Paula, great paint skilss you have. Thought you had it all filled and sanded. I painted mine with a brush as well but it was a winter project and I do not have heating in the garage so things were a little cold a damp at times so the paint did not 'flow' as it should have done.

On the Arboga project there is a post under the following link: web page fore those interested. Had quite a bit more troubles with this one than on the old SB.

best regards,


Piet Butter

Piet, for tracking down the source of a noise (sounds travel all over the place through metal making the source difficult to identify) try putting the handle of a long screwdriver to your ear, and touch the other end to the suspect part. Acts like a stethescope. I do this all the time working on cars to find a bad bearing, etc in a belt system w/ numerous pulleys driven by one belt and find it very helpful. Also, as Webb said, some stick on insulation could help w/ the resonating cabinet; Benz uses these strips on the inside of doors and roofs to dampen sound, and they work. Without them, if you slam the door it sounds like you're in a bass drum! Don't have to cover the whole thing, just a strip on each panel. Could buy these at a dealer easily enough (they're not much $, even from MB)

Hey,

that sounds like good idea too. As far as the screwdriver stethoscope is concerned, I'll think I spend a few bucks and get one from the tool shop. The anti resonating mats or strips would be a perfect solution as to insulating the entire cabinet.

Think I know what I be doing over the weekend.

Regards,

Piet