Well, spent a few days with the table saw and almost got quite friendly but sorry to say we fell out again today.
The fence problem turned out to be another example of the thing not being properly assembled. The 4 pan head screws that hold the fence plate on were barely tight and although it didn't feel loose it was moving slightly as it locked or was moved. Tightened them properly and re-set the fence parallel and the fence now locks repeatedly with very little error.
Found an interesting fault with the blade that wobbled - it is cracked from the centre hole about half way out towards the cutting tips - so went straight into the rubbish bag. I have fitted a new blade and the saw cuts very well indeed, 60 tooth so cutting plywood with very little breakout and (for me) excellent finish.
Found several other items that were not fitted correctly or just loose, it has had a new motor at some time so I think that it was just thrown back together again waiting for a mug like me to come along. Anyway, fixed all of those and fitted some of the missing items with the help of Dodge off of this forum, thanks very much Rog. The saw runs very quietly and now cuts accurately so I thought I was on the home straight.
The top was very dirty and stained when I bought it so having got it running OK I thought a good clean up was deserved. Scraped off the muck and gave it the once over with WD40 and steel wool, disaster, under the rubbish there are some quite deep areas where it has apparently been attacked with a grinding disk to remove some areas of rust by the looks of it. One of the areas on the main table to the right of the blade is 0.4mm deep over about 5sq cm. So next question is, should I be worried at my early stage of the hobby or is it OK to ignore and carry on with?
Keith