Leveling a table saw

[glenn bradley]

The XACTA doesn't have leveling feet??? I'll be darned, the manual doesn't show any. That is awfully optimistic of the manufacturer. With a broad enough surface you can support quite a bit of weight on wood shims, plastic shims, etc.

My workbench is about 300lbs and has a regular ole door shim under a rear foot. I thought I would replace it pretty much right away but it's still there and still in one piece(?).

Don't stress. Close your eyes. Think of your saw. Ahhhh, there you go.

[Gordon Harner]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is whether leveling a machine has an effect on the alignment. It seems to me that if the cabinet/legs are not level the trunnions or mounts to the base may become twisted and could throw the alignment out or cause the controls to bind. On my TS I leveled it as the starting point for all of the adjustments. Leveling also reduces vibration from my experience.

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for the great advice. I'll look for some shims at my local borg and will try to restrain my obsessive/compulsive disorder!

Don't feel too anal. We've got a large collection of obsessive folks here (including me). Leveling you saw (or what it sits on) is not obsessive, you can rack the cabinet of a 300 pound-plus machine. Gravity is amazingly persuasive at those weights.

[Bob Feeser]

Bob, does that come under the heading of "do as I say not as I do"? LOL!

Thanks again to all. I appreciate you taking time out to help a beginner just starting out.

It comes under flat out mud in my eye category. I looked back over it after I wrote it, and thought, why don't I delete it, then I saw a few points in there worth mentioning. So I took the bullet and let it stand. Target practice anybody?

[Bob Feeser]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned here is whether leveling a machine has an effect on the alignment. It seems to me that if the cabinet/legs are not level the trunnions or mounts to the base may become twisted and could throw the alignment out or cause the controls to bind. On my TS I leveled it as the starting point for all of the adjustments. Leveling also reduces vibration from my experience.

Yeah but who cares if your tablesaw rocks back and forth while you are trying to cut a board? Just kidding of course. You have brought up a couple of very good points here.

[Roger Warford]

I'm amazed at the depth and breadth of knowledge at the Creek! Seems more like a mighty river to me.

Very good points in all of the posts. Gordon, thanks for the moral support!

Based on the feedback here, I will definitely work to the level the saw.

The comment on rust is a good one. I found a screw from a cheap (nearly worthless!) pair of metal saw horses on the cement floor today that had apparently been laying there for a few weeks (but not months). It's twins were still on the saw horses safely off the cement floor. The bolt from the floor was completely rusted, the "twins" had no rust at all.