How flat should my new grizzly tabl saw table be?

[Dave Rosner]

Hi - got my very first table saw - griz 1023rl - and started to put it together today. I bought a 36inch straight edge just for this occasion so I could make sure the saw was setup properly. So I got the extension wings on and worked for about two hours using different thickness tape to shim and going back and forth to get it as flat as possible.

So so my question for the seasoned pros out there...should I be sweating some places where I'm not perfectly flat? I've got a feeler gauge out and in some places I'm can just fit a .06inch feeler gauge under the straightedge. I've done some internet searching and people are talking about .001 is the proper tolerance.

Any my guidance as to what is good enough? Btw - the individual parts of the table are all perfectly flat as far as I can tell. It's just the flatness across 2 side extensions and the center section where I'm not perfect.

[Matt Day]

A quick Google search of some past threads and it appears to be .0175" ± .0025. You should call Grizzlybto confirm.

[Marc Burt]

I just assembled the same saw yesterday. I didn't bother with feeler gauges but I got mine to where I couldn't see any light under the straight edge. My right wing was perfect, no shimming required. On the left wing I used a piece of duct tape on the bottom to bring the outside up to flush.

Where are you putting the gauges, is that gap at the outside of the table (extension drooping)? Or closer to the middle (extension too high)?

[Bruce Page]

.001 is absolutely not a realistic expectation - a piece of notebook paper is 4X thicker than that. .060 would not be acceptable to me but a lot depends on how you are measuring/checking it. I would be happy with .025 - .030.
It's been years since I checked my Unisaw but IIRC it was less than .020. Remember, it is wood that is being cut.

[John Lankers]

Forget the feeler gauges and the straight edge, the proof is in the pudding.
As long as your cuts are straight and square with no odd burnmarks or binding during the cut that's all you can ask for. When you're working from the left side of the blade all you need is a flat spot right in front and to the left of the blade that's all.
However, 0.06" (1.5mm) is excessive.

[Gerry Grzadzinski]

I was thinking that .06" was a typo, as I've never seen a 1/16" thick feeler gauge.

[Dave Rosner]

Sorry I'm using .006 in or .152mm - so if that is my max gauge I can fit under the straight edge then sounds like I'm good

[John Lankers]

Man your golden, start making sawdust and post a pic of your new saw

[Erik Loza]

.001 is absolutely not a realistic expectation... Remember, it is wood that is being cut.

Forget the feeler gauges and the straight edge, the proof is in the pudding...

+1 ^^^...

I'll add that you can make all the adjustments you want to this or that fence or to the level of the cast iron table and once winter gets here or there is a major temperature swing, all those adjustments you made probably will change. Best of luck with everything.

Erik

[Rich Riddle]

Six Thousandths is more than adequate for woodworking needs.

[Bruce Page]

Man your golden, start making sawdust and post a pic of your new saw

+1
.006 is excellent, way better than average.

[glenn bradley]

I'm in the .006" camp. I strive for .001" on most things but, across wide surfaces of nominally cured cast iron, .006" is great. Back when Orion was making the zipcode saws, they quoted .005 between any two points on the surface.

[mark mcfarlane]

... I bought a 36inch straight edge just for this occasion so I could make sure the saw was setup properly. ...

Hi Dave. FWIW, no straight edge is 'perfectly' straight, so if you really want to be concerned about thousandths of an inch you need to know how accurate your reference is, which begs the question: What kind of straight edge did you use?

Or just ignore the question, lots of great furniture has been made with hand saws, chisels, and hand planes and maybe a story stick.