Heather,
I was interested in hearing about the arbor setting being adjustable. But in addition to that, I have a philosophy that applies here. The saw is engineered on paper to the max. Whether it is assembling a wrecked car, or readjusting a table saw, the best method I have found is to correct the problem where it exists, rather than make a modification outside of the standard someplace else to make up for it.
If the top plate that welds to the cabinet, that has the slots the mounting bolts to the cast iron top slide through is designed to be mounted perfectly centered on the cabinet. On mine it was not only off center, it wasn't even squared to the base. In plain words it was like they threw it on there, and welded away. It was so far off you could see it in a room with the lights off. So I reamed the slots to get it right. I did have to redo it a little bit when I set up the position so it would bevel to a 45 and not touch the factory insert. So to me, it is better to get the top right if it is off, rather than adjusting the arbor. In all fairness I am totaly unfamiliar with the arbor being adjustable, and therefore am not qualified to know if it would affect the performance of the saw or not. I was told by PM to stay away form the arbor adjustments, although this may not be classified as an adjustment, or maybe it is.
Just some more food for thought. I think you reaming the slots to get the top on right is the proper move. By the way, you want to protect the reamed metal from rust, with a light coating of grease. You could fresh sand, prime and paint the area as well, but that is rough, and trying to mount the bolts through without breaking the surface on an edge is tough to determine.
Originally Posted by
Heather Thompson
Mike,
I downloaded the manual, read it through, did not see anything about being able to adjust the arbor shaft, wish I would have
"Fine is the artist who loves his tools as well as his work."