How to Install a Table Saw
- 1). Set up the basic saw. Most table saws come partly assembled, but you willl have to install some components. Check your owner's manual, as specifics vary by manufacturer. These directions will apply to most saws. Before starting to install your table saw, check the contents of the shipping carton with the contents in the owner's manual and get any needed replacement parts.
- 2). Mount the legs, the blade tilt pointer and the adjusting screws. Turn the table over and put the legs on; most will attach with screws or bolts and nuts. Turn the saw upright and check to make sure the table is level. A perfectly level table will be key to other adjustments. Then install a blade-tilt pointer on the front; this will indicate how the blade is tilted. Next put on the hand wheels, which raise and lower the blade and adjust the angle of tilt. These generally will come with a locking knob or nut to fasten them to shafts in the saw cabinet.
- 3). Add extension wings, front and rear rails and fence. The extension wings go on the side of the saw table and must be exactly level with the table. They help support boards during sawing. The rails or miter slots parallel the blade and the fence is the guide along which boards will go as they are pushed through the saw.
- 4). Install the saw blade and splitter. Raise the saw arbor fully using the handwheels and tighten the lock knob on the wheel to lock it. Press the arbor lock button and rotate the arbor until it locks. Use the wrenches that came with your saw to remove the arbor nut and flange; put the blade on, with teeth pointing to the front of the saw, then secure with the flange and arbor nut. Check to make sure it is square with the table top. Then align the blade and splitter with a straight edge, using adjusting nuts to move the splitter right or left or tilt it until it is perfectly aligned with the blade.
- 5). Calibrate the miter gauge. Loosen the miter gauge lock nut and turn it to the desired angle. Pins are inserted to stop at precise 90 degrees, +45 degrees or -45 degrees. Test to make sure these stops are exact; you can adjust angles with adjustment screws on the bottom of the miter-gauge face.
- 6). Wax your table. As a final step in installation of your table saw, wax the table, preferably with a good floor wax. This will protect the table surface from rust or other corrosion and will help wood slide smoothly through the saw. Always use a non-silicone wax.