Replies

1. 
   Knotscott | Nov 17, 2007 01:35am | #1

   What you've got is pretty darn flat, and should never cause you any issues. Blade alignment is better off in the "decimal dust", but table flatness doesn't need to be at that level.

2. 
   JohnWW | Nov 17, 2007 01:57am | #2

   That is better than most and well within reasonable tolerance.  Castings warp and move quite a bit unless they are very carefully handled, and Asian saw makers probably don't knock themselves out to get the tables to be stable.  If a magazine review or two found they had better than average table flatness they were just lucky.

   John White, Yestermorrow School

1. 
   ClaudeTx | Nov 17, 2007 10:02am | #7

   Thanks.  I appreciate your reply and it was very helpful.

3. 
   RickL | Nov 17, 2007 03:05am | #3

   0.015" would be the norm for most manufacturers I'm betting. At least for Powermatic table saws I know for a fact. Far too picky. Most wood will move more than that with a humid breeze on it. The old Oliver allowed 0.010" as max tolerance on their 16" jointer tables. Woodworking machinery has much more allowable tolerances than metalworking machinery. You wouldn't want to pay the cost to make woodmachinery within 0.001" .

4. 
   sykesville | Nov 17, 2007 03:18am | #4

   That's better than my Powermatic PM2000 by a lot, and I don't have to use a thingamajig. I found out when I bought a dead flat zero-clearance insert...

1. 
   ClaudeTx | Nov 17, 2007 09:59am | #6

   Thanks - I appreciate your reply.  Makes me feel better! 

5. 
   rwjiudice | Nov 17, 2007 04:02am | #5

   Try measuring the "flatness" of the piece of plywood you'll be cutting!!!!!

   You'll probably find that the flattest table in world won't make any difference!!

   We're WOOD workers, not machinists...

   Kinda like :

   1) Measure with a micrometer

   2) Mark with a piece of chalk

   3) Cut with an ax

   
   

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   Edited 11/16/2007 8:04 pm ET by rwjiudice

6. 
   popawheelie | Nov 18, 2007 05:07am | #8

   I bought an old powermatic and the throat area was very low from wear. If anything you want the throat area to be a little high so the board is tight against the table right where it is being cut. But not to high or it throws aff all you angles from side to side.

   I flattened it with a grinder and a beltsander. I took a lot of time and patience.

7. 
   ricky | Nov 18, 2007 05:20am | #9

   Where I used to work, we'd check tablesaws before they go out the door and anything under .010" was acceptable and under .005" was considered good.