Hi
I've worked on several Arduino projects involving accelerometers including a quadrotor. I am confident of handling the requirements of this project. I propose using the RMS value of the acceleration as a parameter. When there is little to no vibration, the RMS will remain zero, but as it increases, it will increase with it. It will be a scalar value so it will be easy to work with, and you'll be able to control the threshold using a potentiometer.
I will also be able to extend help to you in terms of putting together the hardware.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Chaitanya.