DW788 table out of square. Can you check yours? - Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts Message Board

harrisg · 12-15-2005, 04:48 AM

As mentioned on a previous post about my new DW788, I could square my blade on the right side of the table but not on left. I put a straight edge from right to left on the table and it was NOT flat. As you probably know, these tables are cast and then machined flat.

I went to exchange my table at Western Tool, the place I bought the saw from. However, the table they wanted to exchange had the same problem. It also was not flat. Fortunately, the Dewalt repair station was a short way down the road and when the tech checked the table with his straight edge, he saw that it had a crown of about 1/8". Thank goodness he agreed with me because I thought mabybe I was being too pickey. I had to leave the table there and of course their sending me a new one.

I have only been scrolling a short time and am already feeling withdrawals. What the heck, it'll give me some time to fix up a dust collector on my radial arm saw.

Now for the question. For those of you with a DW788, if you have the time would you please put a straight edge across your table, just in front of the blade opening and tell me what you find?

bearfretworks · 12-15-2005, 05:23 AM

I found that if I put a straight edge across my table that it touches one side, the center, and that there is a 1/16" gap between the opposite table edge and the straight edge.

So I checked my well used/thoroughly thrashed Delta 350 and found the table perfectly flat.

I then checked my table saw table - flat, drill press table - flat, and truck tires - inflated..........

I'll be curious to hear what others find. Please keep us posted on any news from Dewalt.

I haven't noticed any problems with cutting detailed fretwork. Just finished cutting some small flowers last night and the edges don't appear angled or skewed.......

I also noticed that I'm no longer a "Junior" member.......

jttheclockman · 12-15-2005, 04:40 PM

Mine is dead on flat. I will give you another detail to check if anyone is interested. It came up on another forum and I have a email into Dewalt but have not gotten any answer yet. Harris, when you go back to the place where you bought the saw ask the guy to check the relationship of the blade to the table front to back. In other words take a small square and place it on the back side of the blade. Make sure the blade is in the holders correctly. If they do not have a short square you can take the blade out and turn it around and check from the front with a larger square. But after the blade is in place and you have the square just touching the blade push the blade by hand through it's motion and observe the relationship of the blade to the square. It has been found that the blade is always leaning forward and the back of the table needs to be lifted. Now this does not come into play much with pieces up to 3/4" but when stack cutting and doing 3D work it just may because the bottom is overcutting more than the top.

If you have a Dewalt and would like to check that out and let us know it would be fine. Also if you do do it can you tell us where your saw was made if it is an older one it was made in Canada and the others are now made I think in Taiwain or somewhere. I have never seen this brought up before until recently.

JNewell · 12-29-2005, 12:41 AM

I just checked a brand new 788. The table is significantly dished, easily 1/16" or more, front to back and same side to side. I guess I will be making some telephone calls.

Didn't bother to check the tires on the truck. Seems like a saw that sells for the mid-$400s should have a flat table?

harrisg · 12-29-2005, 06:59 AM

I received a new replacement table in about a week and it's dead on flat. I agree with the last poster. For $400 plus, there should be better QC on the tables. Also, how much could it cost them to add something to hold the arm up when inserting the blade on inside cuts?

On the other side, I LOVE MY DEWALT.....

Harris

jttheclockman · 12-29-2005, 01:56 PM

Harris

This is what you get when these big companies try to save money and ship the work overseas. I agree the QC should be better and that is the case with anything. Just kep the production line moving we will fix it later is their motto. As far as the arm lift the reason it does not is that saw is designed to be a top feeding saw. That means you need to have the arm stay down while you insert the bottom part of the blade into the holder. People over the years have gotten creative to adapt it to a bottom feeding saw. In this case you want the arm to stay up and out of the way. Some people use a chunk of wood under it, some use a bungie cord and some use the device made for this purpose a "Jim Dandy" easy lift system which is easy to install. Part #T196 in Wildwood Designs.

One other thing that so far no one has bothered to check on their Dewalts is front to back blade travel. Does the blade travel at a 90 degrees up and down within specs. I along with many others have found that the older saws had the table tilted too high in the front and this would show up if stack cutting over 3/4" or doing 3D work. Just thought some would like to check their saws. Being you taking the time to look for flat table tops.

William Young (SE BC) · 12-29-2005, 03:14 PM

Quote;;....This is what you get when these big companies try to save money and ship the work overseas . . . Quote;;...

Actually them now being made overseas has nothing to do with the bad tables on those saws. Before I upgraded from a DeWalt saw, mine had a severe dip from the center hole to the front but I didn't check it until after it was out of warranty so they wouldn't replace it.
It was a common problem with those saws from day one even when they were made in Canada. It is just a lack of quality control.
I have heard that some people took their table to a machine shop where they plane cylinder heads for cars and get them planed dead flat.
Hope this tip helps some DeWalt owners because I have never seen it mentioned on any of the sites before.
W.Y.

PS. Is there a proper way of pasting a quote in this site instead of the way I did it. I would imagine it would be one of the icons above when typing a message but they don't say what they are when I hover my pointer over them.
Thanks

Woodbutcher68 · 12-29-2005, 03:26 PM

Quote:

PS. Is there a proper way of pasting a quote in this site instead of the way I did it. I would imagine it would be one of the icons above when typing a message but they don't say what they are when I hover my pointer over them.
Thanks

It's the yellow box that looks like a thought balloon used in cartoons.

CanadianScroller · 12-29-2005, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Young (SE BC)

Quote;;....This is what you get when these big companies try to save money and ship the work overseas . . . Quote;;...

PS. Is there a proper way of pasting a quote in this site instead of the way I did it. I would imagine it would be one of the icons above when typing a message but they don't say what they are when I hover my pointer over them.
Thanks

Click on the quote button in the bottom of the window. You can highlite the stuff you don't want to quote and then delete it.

CanadianScroller · 12-29-2005, 03:30 PM

Well woodbutcher, you learn something new every day. I didnt see that one

I usually just click on the quote down below. Someday I will look at all the features this board has to offer.

12-15-2005, 04:48 AM	#1
harrisg Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kalama, WA Posts: 126	DW788 table out of square. Can you check yours? As mentioned on a previous post about my new DW788, I could square my blade on the right side of the table but not on left. I put a straight edge from right to left on the table and it was NOT flat. As you probably know, these tables are cast and then machined flat. I went to exchange my table at Western Tool, the place I bought the saw from. However, the table they wanted to exchange had the same problem. It also was not flat. Fortunately, the Dewalt repair station was a short way down the road and when the tech checked the table with his straight edge, he saw that it had a crown of about 1/8". Thank goodness he agreed with me because I thought mabybe I was being too pickey. I had to leave the table there and of course their sending me a new one. I have only been scrolling a short time and am already feeling withdrawals. What the heck, it'll give me some time to fix up a dust collector on my radial arm saw. Now for the question. For those of you with a DW788, if you have the time would you please put a straight edge across your table, just in front of the blade opening and tell me what you find? Last edited by harrisg; 12-15-2005 at 04:51 AM.

12-15-2005, 05:23 AM	#2
bearfretworks Retired Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Buse Township, MN Posts: 1,367	I found that if I put a straight edge across my table that it touches one side, the center, and that there is a 1/16" gap between the opposite table edge and the straight edge. So I checked my well used/thoroughly thrashed Delta 350 and found the table perfectly flat. I then checked my table saw table - flat, drill press table - flat, and truck tires - inflated.......... I'll be curious to hear what others find. Please keep us posted on any news from Dewalt. I haven't noticed any problems with cutting detailed fretwork. Just finished cutting some small flowers last night and the edges don't appear angled or skewed....... I also noticed that I'm no longer a "Junior" member....... __________________ I love the smell of burnt gunpowder.....it reminds me of a full freezer Last edited by bearfretworks; 12-15-2005 at 05:25 AM.

12-15-2005, 04:40 PM	#3
jttheclockman Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 743	Mine is dead on flat. I will give you another detail to check if anyone is interested. It came up on another forum and I have a email into Dewalt but have not gotten any answer yet. Harris, when you go back to the place where you bought the saw ask the guy to check the relationship of the blade to the table front to back. In other words take a small square and place it on the back side of the blade. Make sure the blade is in the holders correctly. If they do not have a short square you can take the blade out and turn it around and check from the front with a larger square. But after the blade is in place and you have the square just touching the blade push the blade by hand through it's motion and observe the relationship of the blade to the square. It has been found that the blade is always leaning forward and the back of the table needs to be lifted. Now this does not come into play much with pieces up to 3/4" but when stack cutting and doing 3D work it just may because the bottom is overcutting more than the top. If you have a Dewalt and would like to check that out and let us know it would be fine. Also if you do do it can you tell us where your saw was made if it is an older one it was made in Canada and the others are now made I think in Taiwain or somewhere. I have never seen this brought up before until recently. __________________ John T.

12-29-2005, 01:56 PM	#6
jttheclockman Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: New Jersey Posts: 743	Harris This is what you get when these big companies try to save money and ship the work overseas. I agree the QC should be better and that is the case with anything. Just kep the production line moving we will fix it later is their motto. As far as the arm lift the reason it does not is that saw is designed to be a top feeding saw. That means you need to have the arm stay down while you insert the bottom part of the blade into the holder. People over the years have gotten creative to adapt it to a bottom feeding saw. In this case you want the arm to stay up and out of the way. Some people use a chunk of wood under it, some use a bungie cord and some use the device made for this purpose a "Jim Dandy" easy lift system which is easy to install. Part #T196 in Wildwood Designs. One other thing that so far no one has bothered to check on their Dewalts is front to back blade travel. Does the blade travel at a 90 degrees up and down within specs. I along with many others have found that the older saws had the table tilted too high in the front and this would show up if stack cutting over 3/4" or doing 3D work. Just thought some would like to check their saws. Being you taking the time to look for flat table tops. __________________ John T.

12-29-2005, 03:14 PM	#7
William Young (SE BC) Scroller/Turner Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Wynndel, British Columbia Canada Posts: 710	Quote;;....This is what you get when these big companies try to save money and ship the work overseas . . . Quote;;... Actually them now being made overseas has nothing to do with the bad tables on those saws. Before I upgraded from a DeWalt saw, mine had a severe dip from the center hole to the front but I didn't check it until after it was out of warranty so they wouldn't replace it. It was a common problem with those saws from day one even when they were made in Canada. It is just a lack of quality control. I have heard that some people took their table to a machine shop where they plane cylinder heads for cars and get them planed dead flat. Hope this tip helps some DeWalt owners because I have never seen it mentioned on any of the sites before. W.Y. PS. Is there a proper way of pasting a quote in this site instead of the way I did it. I would imagine it would be one of the icons above when typing a message but they don't say what they are when I hover my pointer over them. Thanks __________________ http://www.picturetrail.com/willyswoodcrafting The task ahead of us is never as great as the power behind us Delta P-20 Scroll Saw, 14" x 43" Craftex Wood Lathe and Jet 10" Mini Lathe .

12-29-2005, 12:41 AM	#4
JNewell Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 3	I just checked a brand new 788. The table is significantly dished, easily 1/16" or more, front to back and same side to side. I guess I will be making some telephone calls. Didn't bother to check the tires on the truck. Seems like a saw that sells for the mid-$400s should have a flat table?

12-29-2005, 06:59 AM	#5
harrisg Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Kalama, WA Posts: 126	I received a new replacement table in about a week and it's dead on flat. I agree with the last poster. For $400 plus, there should be better QC on the tables. Also, how much could it cost them to add something to hold the arm up when inserting the blade on inside cuts? On the other side, I LOVE MY DEWALT..... Harris

12-29-2005, 03:30 PM	#10
CanadianScroller Moderator CUT IT OUT Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chilliwack British Columbia, Canada Posts: 3,937 Blog Entries: 12	Well woodbutcher, you learn something new every day. I didnt see that one I usually just click on the quote down below. Someday I will look at all the features this board has to offer. __________________ CAЯL HIRD-RUTTEЯ "proud member of the best scroll sawing forum on the net." Ryobi SC180VS scroll saw EX21 Last edited by CanadianScroller; 12-29-2005 at 03:38 PM.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Spell Check	minowevie	Off Topic	29	04-03-2007 09:40 PM
Dewalt DW788 Table hole issue.	BirdOasis	Tools and Blades	2	12-18-2006 03:03 AM
Check This Out	Old Mooner	Off Topic	5	09-21-2005 09:58 PM
Check out these old carvings	whittlinwit	Caricature	3	10-29-2004 07:07 PM
check these out	AlArchie	General Carving	4	09-06-2003 01:52 PM