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table saw wobble

Redhead

Plastic
Joined
Jan 27, 2018
hello all,

i have a quick question, i have an older table that was given to me and it develops a wobble about 5 inchs into a cut. arbor seems to be straight, i've sanded the lock nut flat, i've changed blades as well as slowed my feed rate and nothing helps.

please send me some ideas or if i should just buy a new saw!!! lol

thank you

Redhead
 
Some saw blade wobble, has this happened on more than one blade?
Is the shaft not having end play?
Is the flange and the nut side washer straight/flat as in not having a dish?
Is it running at a correct RPM?
Is the arbor assembly tight and secure in the machine?
 
Some saw blade wobble, has this happened on more than one blade?
Is the shaft not having end play?
Is the flange and the nut side washer straight/flat as in not having a dish?
Is it running at a correct RPM?
Is the arbor assembly tight and secure in the machine?

no end play, flange is cupped, as per rpm, its a direct drive on the arbor.

this is why i am confused about the issue
 
You note that it is a direct drive saw, so I am picturing a classic old dinosaur with a 16"+ blade diameter?

Saw plates over about 12" can sometimes be sensitive to what is referred to as "tensioning". Basically the saw plate is hammered or rolled so that at rest the rim is tighter than the center (slightly dished, on really large saws, faintly floppy). AT rpm, everything stretches into shape and the saw runs straight. If a saw has been crashed, or run to long while overheated, it can lose the correct shape and run erratically.

Have you tried other, or a new blade? Is the blade you are using an older all steel saw, or a carbide tooth saw? Dull, all steel older saws will overheat, warp and run out almost as fast as the description you posted.

Need more info, and pictures would help. But it sounds to me like a sawblade issue.

smt
 
haha. not at 16 inch blade, but a delta 10 inch one. It looks like an older jobsite table saw! i have tried new blades, i have tried with / without carbide, i have tried higher end dewalt blades as well as the cheapy exchange blades. if i turn the blade by hand, it runs true. on start up, it still runs straight, but after i start cutting and about 5 inches into the cut is when it develops the wobble. if i push it through, it stops for a bit then starts again. gotta love the mechanical gremlins!!!
 
Direct drive table saws are usually less than optimum brands and usually have less than optimum hardware.

We suspect the bearing system is worn out combined with old dried out grease that makes runout harder to feel by hand.

best plan is to remove motor assembly from table and tear it down then clean and inspect it.

It may just need a new bearing or the gears may be trashed.

Given shop classes are almost gone from high school and for many years culture has changed there are not so many folks interested in real machines meaning the good stuff like delta or uni - saws or the older craftsman stuff can be had for a song.

Older craftsman RAS in almost new condition for less than 10 bucks at a recent estate sale.

Passed on craftsman decent shape table saws for 2p bucks since we have our Delta.

Suggest looking for a better unit...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 
I have had this happen exactly once on a skill saw, never on a table saw. If the blade isn't the issue then:

Saw
- Check the fence for warpage and that it is locking parallel to the blade (which might be different from the miter groove).
- Check that the fence isn't moving on you as you cut.
- Check that the motor/arbor assembly isn't moving on you.
- Are the flanges correct for that saw.

Stock
- Is the stock/cut too big/too hard for one pass?
- Is the wood reasonably flat?
- Is it reaction wood?


On saws most issues arise from not enough power getting to the blade (too small a motor, slipping belts, wrong rpm) or dull blades. You can get good results from a cheap saw as long as everything that needs to be is tight and/or sharp and you use common sense.

Consider using larger blade flanges which are sold to get a more accurate cut. As a last resort buy better table saw. A good table saw is a joy to use and it doesn't have to be new or expensive.

Good luck,

Dave
 
Could be the blade is canted from a concave or convex dish perhaps caused by the flatness of the hub , out of balance because of design, warppage, or a poor sharpening... and so....-> is/may not beginning to wobble 5" into the cut..but is straightening out 5" into the cut.

Hand strike a good straight edge to the hub when not running to see it is flat and having no bugs..then check the arbor washer.

See that that arbor hub runs true with not a wobble. If that then the wobble may be at start and straighten out with getting into the cut.

A bent or warped blade will/may straighten out when into the cut.

A one side favored sharpening will/can cause a blade to wonder off (right or left) and seem like a wobble, then straighten out later into the cut.

Test does a board or a pencil rubbed/held to the side of a running wheel seen to wobble? yes only do this if you are safe doing so.
 
Direct drive with a universal motor? Motor with brushes? Blade slows down in the cut and you can hear the rpms drop? Yup, blade running below its tension rpm. Unless it is out of whack a very slow feed should cut straight with a SHARP blade. Dull blade will overheat and cause same problem.
Thickness of wood, type of wood, hp, 42 jacket size 2 hat stock pusher, etc. All are variables.
 
Redhead, lots of good suggestions by others. Is the saw new to you or has it just started to act up? What kind of cut are you doing (rip, crosscut, miter, bevel)? Does it still wobble cross cutting without the fence? And again what wood are you trying to cut?

Over the years I've had several saws, most of them well used and not perfect. On some the trunion/arbor assembly was loose and/or no longer parallel to the miter slot. On some the flange/arbor had some run out so I cut a slight dado. On some the fence would shift when cutting larger sheet stock/longer boards due to the leverage so you ditch the fence and clamp a board as a fence tight enough that it doesn't move. None of this is the perfect way to cut wood but you use what you have and again if everything is tight, sharp and aligned/adjusted as close as you can it is not a big deal.

Try a smaller diameter blade and/or one with a smaller kerf.

It all comes down to a wobbling blade is neither fun nor safe. Not knowing your saw, my worst fear would be that you now have a very cheap under powered table saw that flexes under load and cannot do the types of cuts you are trying to do. If you can't determine a cause/solution you are in the land of Kijji and should have lots of choice in a good used table saw that will suite your needs.

Dave
 
thank you everyone for the info! I believe that i will in the market for a newer saw as this one was bought back in the 1980's!! looking at the replies, i think that maybe the motor is starting to get week and as per the replies about the fence moving, i've been clamping a board to the table since i got it because the fence wasn't the best.

thanks again! i think i'll have more questions in the future. now to work on my beaver wood lathe! lol
 
I drilled a coupe bolt holes in my table top and have slotted bump boards to touch my fence to hold it straight. Cant beat the good old heavy machines. Agree some new saws have better fence design..but are costly.
 
Make sure all the adjustments are locked down and that when you lock them down they really are locked. Sounds like something is moving around when you feed wood into the saw. If you are testing by ripping, be sure to have a splitter properly positioned behind the cut.
 
Blade running true until it's a ways in the cut is a sign that the blade is heating up. Causes are typically the blade is dull, has inadequate side clearance (carbide blades with BIG, deep carbides are bad for this) or the work is not being fed through in line with the blade. The main cause of this is the fence is not parallel to the blade; having the far end tighter is worst. Many people try to align the fence with the miter gauge slot or some other landmark on the table - don't consider the arbor may no longer be perpendicular to the table slots.

To investigate this, WITH THE POWER DISCONNECTED AND LOCKED OUT, fully raise the blade so there is maximum distance between the near and far tooth that's right at the surface of the table, and use something as a gauge block between the fence and near tooth, and compare that to the distance between the fence and far tooth. Ideally the distance should be the same, or just slightly looser on the outfeed end. Adjust the fence until it is, then see how it cuts. You should do this at several points along the travel of the fence, it's not unknown to have the fence rails bent on an old saw.

Dennis
 








 
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