Vibration damper for power saws

Abstract

A noncontacting means for reducing vibration in, and noise radiation from a saw blade was first described at the San Diego Meeting of the Acoustical Society in November 1976. Some 15-dBAnoise reduction was demonstrated for a 10-inch radial-arm saw ripping a 1-in. thick maple board. The damper resembled a disk brake by its use of a caliper action to force damping elements toward opposite sides of the blade, but these elements are held out of contact by a thin film of pressurized air acting as a static air bearing, thus a negligible drag force acts on the moving saw blade. Improvements have been made and the application expanded to include metal and plastic cutting. The latest model is wholly contained within the saw guard so that it is substantially unnoticeable to the operator except that the operation is quieter. Arrangements are being considered for licensing agreements to manufacture and distribute commercial versions of this noise control device for various industrial sawing operations. Potentials and limitations for application of this damper to larger saw configurations will be discussed.