Oscillating Spindle Sander question

[Janette]

Hi everyone. I've just been out using my oscillating spindle sander and it seems to have developed a weird noise. It sounds like it's in the motor -or at least that general area -but what do I know!

Do they have belts that might loosen? It's not that old- maybe 2 yrs- Jet brand. It's not a grating, kind of a cross between a squeal and a rattlish. It's tone changes as the spindle goes up and down. I'm not sure if I'll do more damage using it or not.

Any suggestions?

[CanadianScroller]

Sounds like it could be a bearing, I am not sure how that one works but that would be my first susspicion

[workin for wood]

How about removing the screws and taking a look inside?

My only other suggestion would be to take it in to a repair shop. I have had mine and used it for many years now non stop with no problems. Mine is Jet too, and it's totally worth repairing. You never know what you'll find when you take the back off. Perhaps something really obvious will be seen, like something that just vibrated loose and is now rubbing. I would not keep using it until the problem is fixed. What if it is something simple like something vibrated loose and is rubbing on a moving part inside and because of that it causes a jam that overheats the motor and then you end up needing even more repairs?

[Janette]

You're probably right Jeff, I'll so some "exploratory surgery" tonite!!
(working on another Ragdoll cat at the moment and I'm knee deep in itty bitty pieces of face- I think you know what that's like!)

[knothead]

Pull off the sanding spindle and put you air hose inside the machine and blow the heck out of it. Spray a bunch of wd-40 around the shaft and surrounding areas inside. Blow the heck out of it again and I bet it goes away. Worked on mine.
Saves taking the thing apart. Good luck.

Tom

[Janette]

Originally Posted by knothead

Pull off the sanding spindle and put you air hose inside the machine and blow the heck out of it. Spray a bunch of wd-40 around the shaft and surrounding areas inside. Blow the heck out of it again and I bet it goes away. Worked on mine.
Saves taking the thing apart. Good luck.

Tom

Thanks Tom- I'll definitely do that ...now where did I put that WD40??

[workin for wood]

Maybe that works, but I would like to suggest not using WD 40. I suggest something silicone free. If any wd-40 gets on your table top or somehow sprays up onto your wood, it will affect your finish big time. Keep the wd40 in the garage, not in the wood shop. I use some sort of airplane turbine oil in a tiny bottle that has a spout. Perfect for lubricating your saw joints or whatever and silicone free. I hope his suggestion of lubricating the shaft works though. Maybe I should put some oil in mine too.

[workin for wood]

Here's two pictures, front and back of the bottle of oil which has an extending spout on it. This is silicone free and does not gum up like many oils do. I've been using this product for years and find it to be top notch. I assume it's called zoom spout, but either way, you can see all the info on the label if anyone is interested in finding it.

[Janette]

I have some silicone free stuff- I'll have a read on the back to see what it says. So far today it hasn't made the noise although I only turned it on a couple of times. One of those intermittent things that only does it when no one's around to show (kind of like when your car does something and it's fine when you get it to the garage!)
BTW- my shop IS the garage - then where do I put WD40?!

[workin for wood]

simple, just toss it in the trash can. Or...how about toss it in the trunk of your car. It's more of an automotive product than a woodworking one.