Height of SMT

[alcarey]

on my BT, the SMT is ~1/16" above the surface of the table. Is there an adjustment for this?

Thanks,
Al

[leehljp]

Under the SMT table, where it sits and slides on the rails, is a plastic/nylon pad (at both ends of the SMT). This pad is about 1/32 thick and will lower the SMT by that much if you take it off. Some people do. I have on one of my BTs and it works just fine without the pad.

While some people don't like that the SMT is not level, it was designed to be just slightly higher than the saw table so that it would slide easier and prevent drag from the board sliding over it.

[steve-norrell]

Under the SMT table, where it sits and slides on the rails, is a plastic/nylon pad (at both ends of the SMT). This pad is about 1/32 thick and will lower the SMT by that much if you take it off. Some people do. I have on one of my BTs and it works just fine without the pad.

While some people don't like that the SMT is not level, it was designed to be just slightly higher than the saw table so that it would slide easier and prevent drag from the board sliding over it.

AH HA, that explains it! An answer to one question solves another.

I use the INCRA 1000-SE and it seems to drag just a little when moving across the table when the SMT is in place. A minor inconvenience that does not rise to the level of a minor annoyance. Now I know why.

I usually leave the SMT in place because it works great with the Ryobi miter fence (when I use it) and it sure helps when making miter cuts on long pieces.

Thanks for the clue. Regards, Steve

[LCHIEN]

Yes, Hank Lee is correct about this.
Most SMTs are probably less than 1/16th higher than the main table
I remember mine is about .025 which is around 1/32nd (.031") high...
the conjecture is that this keeps the SMT fence and the workpiece from dragging or even catching on the main table front edge when pushing a workpiece forward. The solution suggested has always been to remove the plastic slide strips on the SMT bottom if you want to have closer to zero.

I know the extra height maks it hard to do precise dados and tenon cuts.

[leehljp]

Another thing you can do is loosen the rails and make sure that they are level with each other. There have been a few instances in which the rails were not seated perfectly on the bosses and caused the raising of the SMT just a smidgen.

[alcarey]

Thanks!

Thanks for the tips guys. I didn't realize it was that way by design, maybe I'll live with it.

Al

[Skeezix]

What do folks do when using a fixed miter table with a miter gauge - let the workpiece drag on the saw table? Or are fixed tables also raised up a bit?

[leehljp]

What do folks do when using a fixed miter table with a miter gauge - let the workpiece drag on the saw table? Or are fixed tables also raised up a bit?

The Sliding miter table on the BT presents a slightly different dynamic than regular miter slots on cast iron or steel tables. Miter guages don't handle as large a pieces, in general, as do the SMT except without some difficulty. Yes, people do it all the time but it takes experience to handle large pieces like a 4 to 6 foot board with a miter guage set at 45°.

The tables on cast iron and steel are the same level, or at least - supposed to be the same level. Some people like the SMT being raised, some don't and some don't even realize that it is.