Would you consider this a serious blemish?

[Doug Richardson]

Greetings all!

I recently purchased a new cabinet saw. While the packaging was flawless, and the assembly was uneventful, I immediately noticed the following blemish in the right miter guide:


2012-06-10_21-06-09_427.jpg2012-06-10_21-05-54_474.jpg


I would appear to be defect in the casting that was exposed in the milling process. While shopping for saws, I did check the fit of the miters in their guides, but don't particularly recall examining the finish or the mill work of the guides. Would you consider this a serious defect, or just a "character trait" of the table. Have any of you seen this before? Opinions? Thank's in advance.....

[Ray Newman]

I would call the manufaturer/importer/dealer and ask for a new top or a new saw.

You do not know how deep this "blemish" extends further down into the metal, or if it will eventually start to crack as a result of the vibrations from running the saw.

[Todd Burch]

Depending on the quality of saw you purchased, this one might be one of the better ones.

Everything is relative.

[Bruce Page]

Doug, it wouldn’t motivate me enough to go through the hassle of replacing it. It will have no effect on functionality.

[Carl Beckett]

Everybody feels differently about these things.

Given my (from a relative standpoint) limited understanding of cast iron, and casting processes in general - I would not consider this a 'serious' defect. (and yes I understand stress/crack propagation, residual stress, fatigue, have designed investment castings in SST, etc etc.... but am not an expert on low cost offshore cast iron casting methods)

$.02

[Doug Richardson]

To give you a general idea without revealing the maunfacturer (for the purpose of relativity) ;-) , The saw retails (including delivery) for more than $2000, and is not manufactured in mainland China.....

[Paul McGaha]

Welcome to Sawmill Creek Doug,

It dosent seem serious to me. But I dont know. I suppose if I were you I would send the pictures to the manufacturer and ask for their thoughts on it, with the main question is it going to get any worse? And if it might, I would want a new saw.

Sorry your 1st post on the creek pertained to a problem on a new tool.

Edit-The more I think about it, The manufacturer may not have any idea if it's going to get any worse. Maybe you could get the manufacturer to agree to replace the saw if it got any worse. That way Doug wont be out the inconvienence of the replacement of the saw.

PHM

[John Cooper2]

For that kind of $$ I would not be a happy camper.

[Sid Matheny]

I can't tell a lot from the picture but it looks like sand casting holes and I would worry about how many others are unseen in the casting and how far down they go. For that price I would ask for a replacement!

Sid

[Erik Loza]

Seen a lot worse. Doubtful that would affect the structural integrity of the table but you did pay for a new machine. If it were me, I would see if the vendor would pro-rate me some type of discount or possibly comp me some tooling for this. Machine will probably operate just fine and is not worth returning if that is the only issue, IMHO. Best of luck with it.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Paul M Miller]

It appears to be what is known as a "shrink" defect. It is cause when the outer surfaces of the casting cool and solidify while the inside is still molten. As liquid iron cools it shrinks in size, and since the outside surface is already hard and can not move, a void is created. It is considered a major flaw in critical parts such as truck axles (which are x-rayed before leaving the foundry), but I doubt it will ever cause a problem in a tablesaw top.


Paul

[Lee Schierer]

It appears to be what is known as a "shrink" defect. It is cause when the outer surfaces of the casting cool and solidify while the inside is still molten. As liquid iron cools it shrinks in size, and since the outside surface is already hard and can not move, a void is created. It is considered a major flaw in critical parts such as truck axles (which are x-rayed before leaving the foundry), but I doubt it will ever cause a problem in a tablesaw top.


Paul

I concur with the shrink porosity analysis. There is probably a significantly thicker area under the table right at that spot that was still molten when the outside cooled too fast. Most likely it will not cause a problem. You can easily fill it with some epoxy to keep out sawdust. I would recommend speaking with the manufacturer if it bothers you, but it does not appear to be large ehnough to be structurally significant.

[Jeff Duncan]

I agree that this is a personal decision and you'll have to be happy with it especially as it's a new purchase. I can tell you I have an industrial shaper with similar, well actually worse, casting imperfections in the top, (not the bottom of the miter slot). As mentioned they do not affect performance in any way.....but I bought mine used so I wasn't nearly as concerned with appearance. I will say I believe there's a LOT more concern with appearances of machines now than there may have been in the past. I'm sure I could find similar or worse defects in just about any of my machines. It's just these days guys seem to expect something close to perfection, and are more concerned with these types of things.

So in short I guess I'd call it a manufacturing defect....whether or not it's worth the hassle of replacing.....totally your call

good luck,
JeffD

[Don Jarvie]

Call and see if you can get a new top. The defect isn't going to hurt the performace of the saw, but you expect better when paying for top of the line.

Keep in mind if you want a new saw you have to pack up the old one and arrange to have it shipped back.

[Richard Hutchings]

I would stop thinking about it and start enjoying that perfectly operational machine. It does work perfectly right? I don't think it could ever be worth the hassle of returning it. YMMV
Thats just me.