Table Saw Tune-Up Idea

[Douglas Robinson]

I amin the process of tuning up my table saw. Since my move to NC last year I have known that the fence and rails needed realignment. I also noticed that the wheels were getting stiff to turn.

I too the rails off then the extention wing, and then the top. The last taking some time as I had to reach around the trunions and motor with a ratchet wrench to get to the bolts.

Last night I blew out what I hope is the last of the dust. I then cleaned the worm gears and the trunions and sprayed dry lubricant.

I called it a night before reassembly as I am not looking forward to struggling to get the bolts in place.

So does anyone have any helpful hints?

I had this thought: Is it feasible to put the top upside down on a safe surface and then flip the saw upside down onto the top? My idea is that it might be easier to reassemble this way. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Doug

 

[MikeH]

Doug I'm not much help, but I'll be curious to hear what everyone has to say.

 

[Travis Porter]

If you have a true cabinet saw, the trunion assembly mounts to the cabinet, so I would not flip the saw upside down. Plus, then you have to stand it back upright and it will not be lightweight. On my saw, there are 3 bolts to hold the top on and those are what you use to align/tighten the top. One suggestion is if you have zero clearance inserts already, use them to get the top close to where it was so you don't have to get new ones.
While the top is off, shift your belts and ensure they are tight (seems to have been the cause of my arbor nut coming loose).

Once you get the top back on and aligned, get your 0 degree and 45 degree stops set and adjusted correctly so you know when you are at zero and 45.

For aligning the blade, mark one tooth with a sharpie and rotate the blade back and forth by the belt and keep moving the top until you get it aligned with the miter slot. You can use a dial indicator for this, but personally, I have found a good rule with 32's or 64ths to work just as well for this part.
Be sure to measure from the same tooth in case the blade is not perfectly flat.

Then I would start on putting the wings on and getting them aligned and leveled. Aluminum foil works as shim material to get any sag out if you have any.

Then comes the fence alignment. Since the blade is aligned to the miter slot, I normally align the fence to the miter slot. Also, check to see that the fence is square to the table. I found mine was off by over a 1/16" last time I did this and it had a positive effect on my cutting tenons when I corrected it.

 

[scott hamm]

i rebuilt my 1970 craftsman professional 12" saw a few years ago.
i found the easiest way to replace the top is turn the top upside down on a good surface abd slighty tighten the bolts.
then after uprighting the unit i set the blade to the tracks and slot.
mt .02 worth if it's worth that.
scott

 

[Douglas Robinson]

The trunions in my Jet saw attach to the top with 2 bolts each, not the cabinet. I had to take these bolts off to get the top off. There are therefore 8 bolts to insert.

While weight is an issue (a big one). it just seems easier to alighn the bolts with the saw flipped. The front right trunion bolt is very hard to get at. Scotts idea of hand tightening while flipped and then tightening when upright was what I was thinking of.

Doug

 

[DavidF]

For aligning the blade, mark one tooth with a sharpie and rotate the blade back and forth by the belt and keep moving the top until you get it aligned with the miter slot. You can use a dial indicator for this, but personally, I have found a good rule with 32's or 64ths to work just as well for this part.
Be sure to measure from the same tooth in case the blade is not perfectly flat.

.

Rather than measure, I just use the mitre gauge and a short piece of 1 x 1 or similar and butt the end up against the marked tooth and as Travis says, rotate the same tooth to the back and adjust the motor trunions until the blade just scrapes the wood at each end. By listening for the same amount of "scrape" you can get it very accurate without any tools.

 

[Travis Porter]

If that is the case, then I agree on doing it the way you suggest. My trunnion mounts to the frame and the bolts are easily accessible.

 

[junquecol]

If you want to make your life easier, get a copy of John White's book "Care and Repair of Shop Machines" ($19.95), a HF $6.99 dial indicator, and a set of "Pals" from Woodcraft. These three items will last a lifetime and save you about a half of a lifetime.:eusa_clap

 

[Douglas Robinson]

I did the cleaning two nights ago, and that was the easiest part so far. Honestly, the TS looks as good as new inside.

Now the hard part reassembly. I honestly think that aligning this tool will be easier than reassembling. Last night I had the unit upright and managed to reattach the top to the cabinet. I only got one trunion attached and could not get thinks lined up correctly.:BangHead:

I read the manual...nothing there. I called the Jet and the best they could do was to tell me that my idea of reassembling the TS upside would be easier. So wish me luck tonight.:eusa_pray

Doug

 

[Douglas Robinson]

Frustration!

I still haven't finished. I put the TS top on a towel on the floor and flipped the cabinet onto it. I got the cabinet bolted to the top without too much difficulty. But getting the front and rear trunion brackets to line up with their respective trunions is a PITA!:BangHead:

I tried propping the internal assembly with 2x4 under the connecting rods and that helped a little. I had another idea on the way into worjk this AM, I might take some 2x4 pieces cut to a height such that they support the connecting rods and make "V" notches in the tops of them. I can do the same to support the blade guard post outside the cabinet.

This might support the inner workings with enough stability to allow me to mate the trunions and their respective brackets. Actually once I get one pair mated the other should be a lot easier.:eusa_pray

Anyone have any helpful ideas?

Doug

 

[Douglas Robinson]

It is together!!!!

I kept trying to reassemble this saw and had no luck. The motor did pivot down on my hand like a seldge hammer once!!8-O So tonight I tried again. I managed to get one trunion bracket and trunion together and attached to the top, but the other one kept slipping out. Then I had an idea...take the motor out!!! Without the weight of the motor the assembly went together in minutes. I remounted the motor, added the belts, flipped it right side up, Attached the cast iron wing, and put the dust collection door back on! Viola it it as good as new. All the mechanisms run smooth as silk!:-D

I am cleaning the top now. Next I will attach the original rails and extension wing and then align the fence. After that it is time to sell it to make room for the PM 2000 I am going to order.:eusa_danc

I will be selling it with an HTC mobile base (the long one)

Doug