Help Me Figure Out How to Do This

I've been tweaking up my new-to-me table saw (see recent gloat), going through all the adjustments and making sure everything in on spec, straight, square, parallel and all that.

The cast iron top is in three pieces. The main piece with the saw blade hole, and a wing each on the left and right. There are 3 bolts holding each wing to the make section.

When I check with a straight edge (yes, it's straight), the right wing is in line and coplanar with the center section. When I check the left wing, it is a little higher on it's outside than where it meets the center section. see diagram:

formatting link
gap in the diagram is exaggerated. It's a bit less than two business cards. This may be perfectly acceptable for most circumstances, but I'm a bit anal and would like it to be perfect.

Do they make shims for this purpose? What would you suggest?

Off the top of my head, I have a couple ideas...

1) sand the bottom of the edge of the wing, until it pulls in enough to be coplanar. B) shim the top of the edge of the wing with paper, until it pushes out enough to be coplanar.
Reply to
-MIKE-
Loading thread data ...

Pick B above, shim the top and use masking tape. It works and stays put.

Reply to
Leon

I shimmed mine.

Paper is about 3 thou. May be too thick. Tinfoil works and is thinner. Silver foil tape (the real stuff to use when taping ducts) is thinner than masking tape and will stay in place better than tinfoil.

Chris

Reply to
Chris Friesen

Not uncommon, and Leon's solution is the best fix ...

Reply to
Swingman

Glad to hear. ... and glad I was on the right track.

I have good masking tape and the metal HVAC tape that Chris suggested.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Masking tape was the shim suggested by Grizzly for leveling the tables. I had to do it on one side and it worked well.

RonB

Reply to
RonB

Or, you could simply bend it down a bit.

John Martin

Reply to
jmartin957

Bend cast iron, John? :-)

Reply to
-MIKE-

Go with Leon's solution.

Oh, and you still suck..... :-)

Reply to
Joe

It is not hard. You just need to heat it hot enough first. A big can of propane and a flamethrower torch and you are in business! LOL

Reply to
Lee Michaels

You forgot the sledge hammer to bend it when it's hot and then the crazy glue to reattach the piece that you broke off with the sledge hammer.

Reply to
Upscale

Thanks Joe, I'm still excited about it.

The arbor is perfectly perpendicular to the miter slots, within .001 inch. Once I shim that wing, the top will be perfect. I wired the motor to 240 and ran a dedicated circuit over to it. It's very quite... especially compared to my horrible Ryobi direct drive. I'm also surprised and pleased with how quickly the blade stops when turned of. It doesn't have a brake, I'm guessing it's the drag from the belt.

I added a big-ass 20 amp paddle switch from Grizzly, to replace the light switch the previous owner had on it. He had burned up the original and two replacement switches, direct from Delta. I've heard that Delta has had switch problem in the past. I wanted the safety of the paddle switch, so I spent the 20 bucks for something that could handle the amps.

Reply to
-MIKE-

Shim the top edge of the wing. "Care and Repair of Shop Machines" by John White recommends using pieces cut from aluminum cans for shim stock for this application. Put the shims above the bolts. Cut the shims flush with a chisel after you get the table flat. (This technique worked for me.)

Dan

Reply to
Dan Coby

By loosening the wing bolts slightly. I'd use masking tape.

Reply to
dadiOH

Smart moves . Sounds like you're on the right track. Have fun!

Damn, you went from a ryobi dd to that???

Reply to
Joe

Yeah! I'm thinking I'm going to have a cordless drill moment, the first time I run a sheet of plywood through it... ""How did I ever survive without this!?" :-)

Problem is, I think I have to sell the radial arm saw just to have room. But I figure, with the room, this thing will do whatever the RAS did.

Reply to
-MIKE-

I used a RAS to build half the furniture in my home from 1979 to 1983. Then I got a TS and the RAS sat for 4 years before I garage saled it.

Reply to
Leon

Cross-cutting 12' long, 8" wide, 8/4 boards is no fun on the table saw.

Reply to
Steve Turner

When you're in a single-car garage, and the footprint of a RAS is about

5x5, unless you're cutting those every day, it's not worth it to give up the space, when a decent dross-cutting jig can do it.
Reply to
-MIKE-

That is why I would do it with a circular saw and a straight edge. Yes you can hardly tell that it was not cut by a much better saw.

Reply to
Leon

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.