This tool is maintained by the wood tech team and people they have specifically trained. Do not do any of the following tasks without talking to a woodtech first.
This wiki defines maintenance for the SCM SI12 table saw. It is based on the manufacturer’s handbook and established practice. The weekly and monthly manual tasks are aligned with the blue and green tasks.
The maintenance consists of a monthly inspection and cleaning and a bi-annual maintenance. The saw will also be cleaned and checked by members when they change the blades in general use.
For general notes on wood shop maintenance see here.
Warnings
- This task requires the removal of safety interlocks. Turning the tool on while maintaining it could result in life-changing injury or death. Lock out machine prior to use.
- This task involves the removal of machine parts – set to one side in a safe place and don’t lose them.
- The saw blade is held on with a left-hand thread: do not over-tighten.
- Wear RPE and goggles as required.
- This task deals with sharp blades – handle with care.
Tools Required
- Lock Out/Tag Out kit.
- Air-line & hoover.
- Torque spanner and screwdriver from wall set by table saw.
- Methylated spirits/solvent wood cleaner.
Prep
- Check area is clear of projects and storage.
- Turn off saw at the wall and lock out as required.
- Raise guard clear of saw blade and lock in place.
- Undo two nuts on the left hand side of the saw and remove the safety stop/bumper bar and set aside. Roll sliding table to the back of the saw to expose blade and extraction.
- Lock spindle by dropping the screwdriver through the hold in the tabletop and rotate blade until screwdriver drops into hole in spindle.
- Remove saw blade using torque spanner – retain blade, arbour and shim from the centre of the blade. Set aside.
Blue Exam - Inspect and Clean
This exam is done once every two months.
- Remove any offcuts from under the blade and clean up sawdust.
- Pull out sliding drawer from under machine and empty sawdust. Use airline and hoover as required to clean out nooks of machine.
- Inspect the insides: does anything look obviously wrong? Is the extraction still in place and unblocked, are there splits in the hose?
If completing a Green Exam, refer to instructions below at this point and then come back here.
- Inspect saw blade and the others in the blade storage on the wall. Is it blunt? Are there any chipped or missing teeth? Set aside damaged blades.
- Refit saw blade and tighten anticlockwise until torque spanner clicks. Remove screwdriver and check blade rotates freely.
- Check position and alignment of riving knife: there should be a min. 2mm gap between the teeth and the riving knife. When viewed from the front, the riving knife should only be visible over the top of the saw blade – not the sides. Adjust as required and make sure the nuts are properly tightened.
- Inspect the side table and ensure it moves smoothly and all the way to the end of its range.
- Roll the side table back into position and refit the interlock and two nuts. Lower the guard so it covers the blade. Remove the lockout tags and lock.
The saw is now live - take all usual precautions.
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Test the three emergency stops on the machine by starting it and then using the stop: one next to the start button, one under the sliding side table, and one on the floor.
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Check that the extraction comes on automatically when the tool is used and the switch on the relevant unit is set to “auto”. You may need to stop and restart the saw.
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Check side wing table where it hangs on the wall – are all the fixings present?
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Check other tooling and fixtures on wall – are any missing parts or otherwise broken?
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Fill out the Kanban card (next exam due in two months) and Record Sheet. Remember to note which exam you’ve done.
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Clean up. Sweep up any leftover dust and return tools to storage.
Green Exam: Oil and lubricate
This exam is done once every six months.
Start by doing the blue exam above. A green exam is just a blue exam with extra tasks.
- Disconnect the extraction hose from the back of the saw using the spring clamp. Using a 5/32nd allen key, remove the two fixings holding the upper panel in place, and remove the panel. Set it on top of the saw and put the screws and allen key in a safe place.
- Hoover out the insides of the tablesaw and inspect the arbour and motor mount mechanism, paying particular attention to the worm and gear which are used to tilt the blade.
- Check the action of the tilt mechanism using the handwheel on the side of the table. If it is stiff, apply no more than a pea sized bit of grease to the worm part of the gear and use the handwheel to tilt the blade back and forth to distribute it. Applying too much can cause problems. Wipe off any excess with a clean rag.
- Looking at the carriage from the top now, inspect the ways and wipe them down with a clean rag. Apply a very light smear of grease to the ways, tilt the arbour back and forwards with the handwheel, and then wipe off any excess with a clean rag.
- Look at where the arbour meets the carriage. Clean the machined surface and apply a light smear of grease.
- Set the blade angle to around 32 degrees with the blade at full height: this will expose part of the height adjustment screw. Apply a pea sized amount of grease to the exposed screw.
- Raise and lower the arbour to distribute the grease using the other handwheel, and wipe off any excess from the screw and machined surfaces. Reset the blade to 90 degrees.
- Refit the access panel to the back of the saw, tightening the two screws carefully. Refit the extraction hose.
- Refer back to the Blue Exam above to complete maintenance.
END