New Dewalt 788 Potential Problems

[gtmac]

Last weekend I upgraded from a Hitachi CW40 to a Dewalt 788. In using the saw a couple of hours I found a couple of "anomalies." Checking the table top with a square, I find a very, very slight crown in the middle of the table. It's not much of a crown but I was a little surprised that the table was not perfectly flat. Second, the frame part that contains the pin which holds the back of the table is just a hair taller than the table. This means that when I rotate a long piece, it will "catch" a bit on the frame. However, I think one could remove the table and sand or grind down the frame so that it is lower than the table. I don't know if that would weaken the frame or not.

Tomorrow I'll be talking to the woodcraft store where I purchased the saw. Before I talk to the store I want to ask the "experts." So, a couple of questions:
1) Should the table be perfectly flat? The crown is very slight and I think I could live with it, but if it should be flat, I could ask for another table.
2) Is the frame/pin situation highly unusual or something that occurs on occasion? Should I go ahead and grind the frame down or ask for another saw?
3) Are there other ways to resolve these issues?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Regards,
Tom

[lucky788scroller]

1) A perfectly flat table would be awesome. On 2 of my 3 dewalts (I havent checked the third one) they both have a very slight crown to them.It hasnt caused me any problems and Ive stack cut some fairly intricate parts without any noticeable variances in them.
2)I havent heard of the problem you mentioned there on that pin. Be sure the pin is fully seated in the hole, there should be a rubber o ring on there that fits into the hole. Maybe your o ring isnt there, that may cause the table to hang a smidgen lower than that little mount, or if the pin isnt fully seated in the hole, so do chect that out. You are correct in not wanting anything to stick above the table height, that would cause all sorts of cussing.
You chose a pretty darn good saw there, I hope everything gets squared away so you can really enjoy it, Ive had mine for years and really love them.

[gtmac]

I checked on the pin and there is about a 3/64" gap between the back of the table and the frame that contains the pin. I remember the black o-ring on the pin. I can actually get the back of the table flush with the frame but when I put the final "hurt" on the bolts holding down the table, it moves forward just a tad. Does the back of the table need to be flush with the frame containing the pin? If so, I suppose I could not tighten the bolts so tight and see if the back of the table stayed flush. My thinking was that with the vibration of the saw, you'd want those bolts pretty tight.

After carefully looking at it again, the frame may not actually be higher than the table but the same height. However, since the frame is rough and the table is smooth, the wood still catches on the frame when the wood is rotated.

Tom

[lucky788scroller]

Hi Tom, as for the bolts, yes, they should be tight.How tight I cant really say, but tight is right (if that makes any sense).My tabletops are above that little piece, theres not a lot of height difference there, but certainlt enough that wood wont catch on it.Its not much though,I just checked it a little closer, the height difference is about the thickness of two or three sheets of paper.If just a little bit of sanding is all thats required to get it under the table height, Im sure that wont affect the strength of that piece, as youll be mainly removing paint.

[gtmac]

Dale,

You are exactly right. I had decided removing some material from that "arch" would do the trick but I wanted the folks at Woodcraft where I bought the saw to concur and make sure I didn't void any warranty. They used one of their grinders to remove a little of the top (actually, a little more than I would have). So, I'm good to go. I just need to find some yellow paint (epoxy, maybe?) to cover the bare spot.

I went ahead and kept the table bolts tight. I can live with a tiny gap between the arch and the back of the table.

Thanks for your input, Dale.

I just finished all the cutting on my Dad's plaque. It's a gift for his 90th birthday. Unfortunately, I haven't done any scroll saw work for 8-10 years (and even then I was a rank amateur) plus I decided to do "lettering" where even small missteps glare at you. Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?

Tom

[lucky788scroller]

Well, im glad it worked out. As for the small missteps on the letters.... if dad points em out, remind him that his eyes might be getting old and not seeing as well as they did years ago, and that those are perfectly cut letters!!! Tell him Happy Birthday from me too!!!!!!