Hi Guys,
Been a while since I've posted. Wife has cancer. Life has been challenging this last year or so. But we're hanging in there.
Anyway, I've been trying to get my hands dirty a bit. Lots of things that need to be done, plus it keeps me moderately sane. A year or so ago, based partly on the kind help of you folks, I chose a Bosch 4100-09 as my table saw for my small home shop. (I'm a former full time cabinet-maker/carpenter, but changed course professionally years ago and now it's just a hobby...but one that I love very much.)
I've added the outfeed extension and the left side extension. With a good blade, the saw is awesome. I'm constantly impressed with the engineering. It's a well designed tool.
But the one thing that I HATE about it is the top surface. What in the world were they thinking? What's wrong with just plain aluminum? I have found that this surface scratches very easily. It can't be smoothed or touched up. It has this dumb plastic-like coating that is just useless.
So, latest issue... I somehow got something sticky on the top today. And so I did what I always do when I get something sticky on something...I poured on the Goof-Off. Oh boy was that a mistake. I immediately noticed that it discolored the surface. Yikes. Tried to wipe it off right away, and lo and behold, the Goof-Off disolves the top coating. That's right, whatever it is Bosch puts on these tops, it's weak enough that simple Goof-Off takes it right up. Not totally, mind you. But it orange-peeled in places, came off altogether in places, and otherwise just make a big mess.
Freakin' nightmare.
I'm kinda wishing I had gone with the Jet.
Anybody else have a similar experience? Any suggestions? I'm tempted to take the top off and have it bead-blasted and honed smooth. It looks like simple aluminum under this plastic, and that has to be better.... But what a pain!
Ideas?
Mark