[cnester1]

Guys, First off i have really enjoyed reading and absorbing all the knowledge on this site. I am a weekend warrior, enjoy tinkering in the garage and have been in the market for a table saw for quite some time. I was strongly looking at a Rigid 4512, even had permission from the boss (wife). But I just couldnt bring myself to spend that much $$$ for weekend projects. So I took the advice of many and began watching CL. I picked up a craftsman 113.298762 for $60. It was a little rough but some tweaking and cleaning have it being good enough for me. A couple questions for you all:

1. The bolt that holds the motor in place was broke off. (the previous owner was wedging in a chunck of steel to hold the motor in place from bouncing around...yikes). I drilled the bolt and manged to get it turned out. How tight should this be? To reduce vibration it seems like it should be very tight. But, when I lock the motor down tight, when i raise the blade up it really pulls on the motor. Should this be free to move a little?

2. I am having trouble getting the blade to exactly 90%. The blade tilts left and when i go as far as i can its still a little left. Its really really close, but not quite there. On the bevel scale guage and am at about -5 degrees. Could I add some washers/spacers to the left side of the trunnion carriage to adjust it?

3. I still feel like there is plenty of vibration in the saw - i have read that a link belt may help with this. Thoughts?


I am really looking forward to this. I have a Delta T2 fence on the way. I have spent a long time using using my dads POS table saw with a fence that moves all over the place. I also just got a steal on a shopsmith pro planer at an auction - looking forward to a few winter projects!

 

[Phaedrus]

I am not sure about question 1, but with regards to 2 & 3, have you checked to see that the bolts holding the trunnions to the bottom of the table (there should be 6 I believe) are all tight? While you are at it, it is a good idea with any used tool to check every single fastener to be sure it is tight.

Something else to check would be to pop the belt off and raise the blade to full height. Check to see that there is no play in the arbor (side to side). Also check that the pulleys are in line with one another and that the arbor pulley is inboard far enough that it doesn't touch the supports on the bottom of the table when you raise the blade up.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk

 

[Joeb41]

First of all congratulations on buying the best piece of equipment for under 100 bucks you will find. I have two of them and they are great. As for question #1 the bolt must be loose to allow the motor to rise and fall as the blade goes up and down. The weight of the motor keeps the tension on the belt. #2 If you look at the tilt mechanism there is a stop on the threaded shaft that locks on with a setscrew and can be adjusted for a true 90. The scale on the saw is for reference only. Use a good quality square to set it to 90 degrees.
As for the vibration consider this upgrade from INLINE industries.

 

[cnester1]

Thanks Joeb41, those 90 and 45 adjustment screws were exactly what I was missing. Problem solved!

 

[toolguy1000]

i have two similar saws and don't use the stops at all. saw dust could impede their travel resulting in inaccurate settings and cuts.