this sucks.

[momo]

Ok first of all I am never buying a Macallister (B&Q special) table saw again, after a while of turning out out of square timber and continously resetting the blade I decided to do a check on the table that I don't normaly try, so I ran a straight edge over it, I could give this thing to alton towers for their next scary ride.

So then I phoned the council about my long overdue reply to my request too build a garage in the garden, seems no one decided to tell me the guy was off sick who deals with it. So him telling me yes no prob let me just put it in writing tomorrow before you start laying bricks a week or so ago ended up with me just looking at the garden whistfully, and the wife doing the same to her new dining room as will be.

Then, I went back to trying to fix the table, it is concave from one corner to the other, and convex the opposite way, then when I slid a straight edge over the blade throat it hit the other side and went no further, so it seems that it has a problem there too. Ok I thought, open it up and take a look inside, so I did, then I found that the screws that hold the table to its base werent even fully screwed in, no wonder the table rocked slightly, so I tightened them up, long story short, no table saw, no work output, just as well I dont rely on it for income.

Wondered why all the timber I cut for a cabinet looked like a bad night on lager.

 

[Lee Brubaker]

Well Momo your twisted table sounds like the manufacturer is using "green" castings instead of allowing them time to "cure" before machining them. Some of the rubbish we see here in North America that has been made in China sometimes has the same problem. Mostly, I admit with regard to both the in & outfeed tables & fence on what we call a jointer.

Lee

 

[Anonymous]

Momo, they are very cheap and one cannot expect super accuracy

I would say you have two choices. Replace it with a better quality saw which is likely to cost you around £300-600 or try to make a false top for it that sits on the surface of the table. I have seen someone fix such a saw in this way using an MDF false top


personally, I sold my B&Q saw when I reached the point at which it no longer performed well enough for my needs.

 

[momo]

I guess I will be checking my jointer now too!.

I don't expect mircles from a cheap saw, but I do expect the top to be flat otherwise its pointless them making them. As for buying a new one round 3-400 right now I couldn't afford £3. I could try making a top to go over it but then I lose a lot of depth,especially once the jigs sit on it too. I have considered building a new lower cage out of heavy steel to then re-bolt the top too, if I weld up some box section so it fully supports the top it may sort it out, I dont know. I did toy with the idea of welding up a box frame then welding some steel panel to it to make a new top and bolting the saw to that, till I found out the price of steel when I went to get some to build a besi type fence ( thats what started this off).

 

[dickm]

If you have time, what about the scrapyards for steel? You practically have to pay them to take it away when you have any . And if you are lucky, you might even find a dead bench saw with a flat top while visiting a yard?

 

[momo]

Never thought of that, then again it would probably cost me a fortune in petrol going to all them scrappies, I like visiting that kind of place, amazing what you find in them. Thanks.