# Steel City Table Saw alignment issues



## Specialkayme (Dec 8, 2012)

I went with my first real piece of equipment, a table saw. I went with Steel City's 35950 Granite 1.75 hp table saw. I ended up getting the 35951G (I guess they changed the models in the time I got it). I've spent quite some time setting it up, and trying to calibrate it, and I'm having some difficulties. Since it's my first saw, I don't know if it's me or if it's the machine. I'm wondering if anyone may be able to hear what I'm doing and tell me if what I'm doing is wrong.

So, the directions aren't great, and it has you put everything together first (put the wings on, assemble the fence, ect.). After assembling the whole thing, I found out the blade was up to 0.035" off from the miter slots. So, the directions tell you to loosen some bolts attaching the granite top to the table, then move it around. Well, I can't move it into alignment with the wings on it. And I can't move the wings with the fence on it. So I took it all apart again, then got it within 0.003" alignment. I put it all together, then the miter slots were too narrow to fit the miter gauge, so I had to use the dead blow a little to get the wings situated right. When I finished assembling everything, I checked the blade alignment one last time, and it's back to 0.035" out of alignment. My guess is that the pounding with the dead blow to get the wings right moved it out of alignment (even though it was screwed in tight).

Four hours later, I got frustrated and decided I needed to take a break.

So, am I doing something wrong? Or is it just a matter of persistence?

I really don't want to take those wings off a second time, and in stall them a third . . .


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Sounds like you are having a difficult time. All I can tell you is my Delta Unisaw went together in about 2 hours. Wings, Besimeyer fence and power cord. Alignment was good out of the box. Just had to play with the zero and 45 degrees to get them spot on.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

SpecialK,
I have a steel city saw, but not the granite top. Mine is cast iron, 3hp. I don't remember having any difficulty with the assembly. And the saw cuts straight. I just remember following the instructions and putting everything together. Maybe try going through the setup one more time and see if you can get it to work. If not, then try calling them.
Mike Hawkins


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## toolguy1000 (Oct 4, 2012)

there's apparently an issue with the wings on that saw. they are adjustable in some way that affects both the miter slot and, consequently, the alignment, since the main top/wing seam is located within the miter slot.

this lumberjock had a similar issue and here's his resolution:

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/35157

hope this helps.


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## Specialkayme (Dec 8, 2012)

Tool guy -

I'm actually having TWO alignment problems. The first is the blade alignment to the table, and the second is the binding in the miter slots. Your link provides an answer to the second (which over the course of 4 hours I had figured out what he did, lol), but the solution to the second causes a problem with the first.

If you aren't familiar with the Steel city granite table saws, there are three slabs of granite that make up the saw. The main section and two wings. The main section is installed at the factory, and the wings you install. The alignment of the main section determines the blade alignment. But the alignment of the wings determines the miter alignment (because the miter slots are between the main section and the wings). So, when you get the table and the main section is attached, you can't tell if the blade is aligned to the miter slots. Only until you construct the table with the wings can you tell if the blade is out of alignment. If it is, you have to take off the wings (not too easy by yourself) and play with the alignment of the blade.

All of which I was able to figure out. Except when it came to putting the wings back on afterwords. In order to align the wings so the miter guage doesn't bind, you have to tap it with a dead blow to get it right. Well the tapping of the dead blow to fix the miter slots knocks the blade alignment out (at least, that's the best I can guess). I guess the only thing I can do is just keep at it until I can get it to work. I just didn't know if I was doing something wrong or not.


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## Specialkayme (Dec 8, 2012)

Well, I worked on it for another 3 hours, and almost threw out my back, but I think I got it close enough. The blade is within 0.003" of alignment with the miter slot, and the fence is within 0.001". After LOTS of tweaking, the miter gauge won't bind in the slots. But, the only way to get it like that is to have a little extra play in the slots in the left front and right back. But it should be good enough for what I need it to do.

But, I don't think I'll be getting any more steel city equipment. I was looking for a dust collector, a jointer, and a drill press, but after all the work I had to do to get this one to work, I think I'll pass on steel city in the future and go with something else.

Thanks for the help everyone.


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## toolguy1000 (Oct 4, 2012)

what did SC say when you contacted them about this issue? if they haven't been contacted, that would be a call i'd make on monday. whenever i've contacted them, i've found them to at least attempt to be helpful. they'd probably rather have you as a satisfied, rather than a disgruntled, customer.

btw, if you have a 6-8' length of 2x4 and some one hand clamps, they can be used to clamp each wing to the table so you're not trying to hold the wing and attach bolts at the same time.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodworking-tips/techniques/sawing-solutions/adding-wings-to-your-tablesaw/?catref=cat7580003&page=2

see step two.

sounds like assembling and aligning the saw took quite a bit of effort. in my shop, that usually means i'm doing something wrong.


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## Specialkayme (Dec 8, 2012)

toolguy1000 said:


> what did SC say when you contacted them about this issue?


I haven't yet. I noticed the problem yesterday at 5 pm. Their customer service closes at 4 pm central time. I know because I tried to call them in a different issue (discussed below). I'm not sure if I _will_ contact them about the issue though. There isn't anything they can do now. I got it together, it just took me 7 hours of work.



toolguy1000 said:


> they'd probably rather have you as a satisfied, rather than a disgruntled, customer.


My decision not to go with SC in the future is due _in part_ to the alignment issues. I wasn't going to go into the rest of it, because I thought it was beyond the point of the thread, but here goes.

I actually had a hard time finding a place to order the saw from. I heard Sears carried them, but mine just gave me a puzzled look and brought me over to the contractor Craftsman saws they had. SC's website talks about "authorized retailers", and the only places I could find online (other than HD and Lowes that would give me as much as, if not more, of a confused look than Sears) was ToolKing and Amazon. I went with Amazon because of their history of customer service. I ordered December 27th, 2012. It arrived a week and a half ago. The whole time (over three months) I'd ask where it was, Amazon would tell me it was coming straight from SC and they had no control over it, and SC said they didn't know what I was talking about because there was no order. All of which was probably Amazon's issue, at least I believe.

But when it arrived, the center granite top piece was broken. It was after hours on SC, so I waited till the next day. SC customer service told me I was out of luck, since I ordered from Amazon. Amazon said they would have to get the part from SC, but SC wouldn't let Amazon place the order for the part (no clue why). So instead, SC made me order the part from them, then request a refund from Amazon for the cost. Not a big deal, but I don't understand why that was so difficult to deal with. But, I got my spare part.

Because the part that was broken was the one that was "calibrated at the factory" and it had to be replaced, I was on my own on calibrating it. I didn't know that. I figured they would have told me something about that when I talked to them, but no.

When I was putting it together, there were way more plastic parts than I thought there would be. Not a big deal, but I just thought it would be a little more rigid than it is. Not that it's bad or anything. I was also under the impression that it was made in America. It doesn't say anything about where it's made on it's site, but the flyers have an atypical american flag in the corners, usually meaning "made here." All of the parts were stamped "Made in China" and customer service called me back from Canada, but shipped the part to me from Illinois. I don't know, but just not what I expected.

The instructions were also not helpful at all. Literally at one point it said "assemble the wheel. look at the picture." That was the extent of the instructions on assembling it. Some of the sentences were broken english, and someone LITERALLY took a sharpie marker to the instructions and crossed out one of the steps. 

But hey, who knows, maybe it will end up working flawlessly, and I'll eat my words. But right up until I had calibration issues, I was not impressed. The difficulties in spending 7 hours assembling a table saw that should have taken me 2 max only exacerbated things.

Phew. Alright, enough of that.



toolguy1000 said:


> sounds like assembling and aligning the saw took quite a bit of effort. in my shop, that usually means i'm doing something wrong.


Agreed, hence the thread.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

It sounds to me like you have some legitimate gripes. I'd send a link to this thread to their Customer Services manager, and ask that it be forwarded on to the execs who can do something fix these issues....especially those that are beyond the scope of a potential shipping mishap.


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## qpthigpen (May 18, 2013)

I have spent the day assembling the cast iron model. Most of the same issues apply to it as well. I have not been able to get the fence aligned. I am very disappointed with this saw so far. When I read about the manual being bad, I did not realize how bad. This has got to be the worst, most confusing manual I have ever seen. As long as Steel City has been around they should have addressed this issue if nothing else. My experience with this product is enough to make me avoid any future steel city purchase.


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