Why does nobody talk about how long it takes to dial in a cheap table saw

Picked up a used Delta off Craigslist for $150, thought I was getting a steal. Spent a full Saturday just trying to get the blade parallel to the miter slot, kept chasing my tail. Turns out the trunnion was loose and the whole thing flexed every time I tightened it. Three weekends later and a trip to the hardware store for shims, I finally got it cutting straight. Anyone else waste way more time than expected on a "quick fix" like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

felixb2518d ago

Oh man, you just described my entire first year of woodworking in one post. I bought a job site saw from a big box store thinking I was saving money, and I spent more time adjusting it than actually cutting wood. I ended up buying a set of feeler gauges and a machinist square just to figure out why my cuts were always off by a hair. Three weekends sounds about right for something I thought would take an hour. Makes me wonder how many hobbies I've given up on because of cheap tools that shouldn't have been sold in the first place.

claire_campbell18d ago

Feeler gauges are actually for spark plugs, not fence adjustments.