Tables saw table flatness question...

[Patrick Walsh]

I purchased a new to me industrial SawStop a few months ago. I just now was able to get it into my shop due to all the snow. Anyway i purchased it in pieces for a smoking deal. It had a problem with the blade not wanting to raise or lower but that was a easy fix.

Anyway i got into my shop and setup today and all went well except one small detail. The main table is flat as can be as are the two cast iron side extension tables on their own. However after putting the extension tables on the top has some dish with the low spot being at the blade. A four foot level spanning the width of the table indicates about a 1/16 gap at the blade that peters out to nothing by the end of the two extension tables. The gap actually goes away about half way through the extension tables on either side.

On another forum i posted this same topic. It was suggested even very very expensive machines require shimming. From what i can figure if i shimmed the saw in a manner to resolve the issue i would put a shim between the the main table and extension tables left and right. My best figuring this would mean a substantial gap on the top of my table either side of the primary table.

thoughts?

is this like a deal breaker or will the saw function fine?

Oh and how do I post pictures?

[scott spencer]

Before doing anything, I'd try some test cuts first. Most deviations in the table top don't amount to a hill of beans where the rubber hits the road....if that's the case here, you're fine. If the cuts aren't square, then I would try shimming the wings....it's a very common adjustment on a new saw.

[Patrick Walsh]

So what just a shim at each bolt on the upside of the table. My guess is I'm gonna have some pretty ugly gaps to collect dust.

[Ethan Melad]

If I'm reading it right, this would indicate that the edges of either the main table or the extensions are not square to the top. i'd figure out where the issue lies, and then it may be a relatively inexpensive job for a metal/machine shop to square whichever edges need squaring up.
At the same time, a sawdust filled gap caused by shimming doesn't sound like a big deal to me.

[Phil Thien]

You don't need uber-thick shims to have a pronounced effect.

Loosen the bolts and slip some playing cards between the extensions and the main table, snug-up those bolts, and give that straight edge another try.

Once you determine the required thickness, you can make a continuous shim from masking tape. Multiple thicknesses may be required. But probably not so much that you'll ever notice it is there.

[Rich Riddle]

The honest question is, "does this mechanical deviation limit your abilities?" In other words is your work usually more out of tolerance than the machine is currently out of tolerance. If your work is never better than that deviation, then it doesn't matter. If your work is incredibly accurate, it might.

[Patrick Walsh]

For what i payed for the saw some playing cards or masking tape are no problem so long as i can get good cuts.

A machine shop is also a viable idea.

I know SawStop sells the tables. I think they are not that expensive. Still if i buy all three pieces to assure a flat top it could get expensive. One extension able not so bad. All of them well....

I did not run anything through the saw to see what I'm getting for cuts yet as the plug end is not the same as my 220 30amp outlet.

looks like i have more fun ahead for me next weekend!

[Patrick Walsh]

Yes my work tends to be pretty precise.

I figured this would be a problem and my intuition told me shims would be the answer.

Just bummed the saw is not perfect. What did i expect for $1600 and a machine made in 2005.

i just hope i dint have this problem with the new Felder jointer planer i purchased. Now or in ten years. Ill be pissed!

The honest question is, "does this mechanical deviation limit your abilities?" In other words is your work usually more out of tolerance than the machine is currently out of tolerance. If your work is never better than that deviation, then it doesn't matter. If your work is incredibly accurate, it might.

[scott spencer]

Shimming is very common...almost normal setup really. Again, if it's not affecting the cut, there's no reason to fret about it. Measure the cut first, measure the table later only if the cuts aren't good.

[Phil Thien]

Don't bother machining the edges.

Look at a good combination square, the machining required (and the cost).

Now ask yourself if you're going to find someone that can turn your table tops and edges into precise right angles, for a reasonable price.

Just shim the thing.

[glenn bradley]

I use the thin foil hvac tape as a shim. It stays put, can be run in a continuous strip, double layered if required and has worked for me on a few saws.

[Art Mann]

I owned a table saw that required shimming between the table and the wings to make the work surface flat. It was an old Craftsman contractor saw. The instructions that came with the saw told how to do it. If you buy new wings from Sawstop, you may very well see the same discrepancy. After all, these aren't machine tools but rather woodworking tools. 1/16 seems a little bit much but I doubt if you could measure the difference in cutting accuracy. If I were you, I would do some test cuts on various lengths of lumber to see if the dip makes a measurable difference before taking any corrective action.

[Joe Jensen]

Before doing anything, I'd try some test cuts first. Most deviations in the table top don't amount to a hill of beans where the rubber hits the road....if that's the case here, you're fine. If the cuts aren't square, then I would try shimming the wings....it's a very common adjustment on a new saw.

The geometry would suggest pretty thin shims. If it's 1/16" out in the middle of say 36", that's .125" over 36 inches or about .042" per ft. The edge where the wings bolt is about 1.5" tall. Thats 1/8 of a foot. So it should take 1/8 of the .042" or .006" shim. Super thin shim.

Try .005 and .006 feeler gauges as shims to see.

[Larry Frank]

Call SawStop and ask them the same question...the customer service is very good

[John Schweikert]

Have you attached the fence angle steel and backside angle steel? With the bolts that hold those two steel lengths not fully tightened, you can easily use a rubber mallet and manipulate any small deviations. Then tighten those bolts. The angle iron is very strong and will hold the cast iron tops flat. I did that with my PCS.