Is my tablesaw getting old? -Black and Decker

[Tibur Waltson]

I am trying to make a nice square cut from my old tablesaw. I like to make a flat square cut from a piece of

1 x 6 foot board as flat as possible. I'm cutting the 1 foot end. But what I'm getting is wobbly curve looking from a perspective view. Don't know how to describe it but the 1 foot cut resembles an airplane propeller blade and makes joining wood with biscuits impossible.

If this is normal for table saw, then I don't mind getting an edge planer. If the cause is my old tablesaw, I'll just upgrade. Question: Do all table saw do this, or just only the cheap ones?

TIA, Tibur

[Steve]

There are numerous things that can/will cause non-square cutting on any table saw of any age (and of any price range as well).

From the sound of your description, though, I'm wondering if the blade that's installed on your saw is sort of looking like that old proverbial potato chip and perhaps (also?) suffering from too many visits from the tooth fairy :-)

Are your fence and blade in alignment? Is the arbor suffering from excessive runout? (Does a new flat blade wobble on it?). Is the blade parallel to the miter slots? (etc etc etc -- along with so on and so forth :-) )

Oh, and you might want to watch that word "cheap". I've seen some pretty costly wood working machinery that was shabby enough in quality to be "cheap". I've also seen plenty of inexpensive tools and machinery that can (and do!) out-perform far costlier "good stuff" by other manufacturers (and make theirs look "cheap" in comparison). Your old B&D might well be both inexpensivc and cheap -- on the other hand (if it's old enough) it might well just be suffering from neglect.

-- Steve Penury is the Mother of Invention

Mesa, AZ

[Bob Davis]

A table saw should cut wood like it was machined. Is your blade true and sharp?

Bob

[Anthony Diodati]

Jack, I get the impression he is ripping, Tony D.

You trying to cut freehand? Or, are you using the saw mitre guage?

JOAT It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

- Pete Maccarrone

Life just ain't life without good music. - JOAT Web Page Update 3 Feb 2004. Some tunes I like.

[GTO69RA4]

A decent table saw cut should be straight as an arrow. I'm usually the last one to tell people to replace old tools, but B&D never made a useful stationary tool as far as I know. Time for a saw upgrade.

GTO(John)

[Lawrence A. Ramsey]

Gotta agree. My experience with B&D table saws is something I would rather forget. They like to make "homeowner" stuff- not suitabl;e for anyone other than a once a year owner.

[Ricky Spartacus]

Hello, this is Tib0r again.

Here's a drawing of my twist formed from the cut.

can't figure out why it twists at the ends in the drawing. I need help from those who have abilities to think in three dimensions.

My blades are true and sharp and appear less like a proverbial potato chip. My miter gauge is align with the blade. I feed the wood slowly. The blade is just a days old and doesn't wobble on it. I've use a cheap 7-1/4" thin blade. I should've gotten the thick 10" name brand ones.

The arbor is kind of a bit suffering from runout, but I've seen worse at Sears. Is it because the blade is 7-1/4", but this should reduce the effects of arbor runouts?

Off subject: A friend gave me an industrial 20 lb., 20-years old

7-1/4" circular saw with what looks like thicker carbide blades. It's brand and model name plaque is rip out 6 years ago. It's dropped hundreds of times and created lots pits and craters on the concrete pavement. I don't understand it, but this circular saw cuts with SUPER fine precision.

What is a practical way to find out if the new table saw will not have future arbor runouts?

Thanks in advance, TW

[George]

Poplar, as in Populus sp versus what's sold out east as poplar which is L tulipifera, will twist, turn, squirm and burn when ripping, sometimes without obvious signs in the piece.

However - if you can see areas of smooth, silky surface interspersed with areas of roughness, or the surface of the wood changes reflectivity as you change your point of view, you're much more likely to have problems.

If you have the heart of the wood very close, or in the piece, you're much more likely to have problems.

If you look at the end and see annual rings closely spaced on part of the board and more generous on the other, you might have "reaction" wood.

Get thee to a library and R Bruce Hoadley's _Understanding Wood_ for some interesting observations on what happens to kilned wood.

NB:Don't use the miter gage to rip.

[Nail Bender]

My question is: where's your fence? Probably a little tough ripping a board with a mitre gauge? If the twist appears after the cut, I would have to ask: is the board rising off the table the last couple of inches of travel?

NB