Craftsman Model 21829 TS Table Leveling

[maxxie]

Hello,

Has anyone had problems with the table on this saw being level? Does anyone know if there are accepted tolerances. I have this saw and discovered, while doing a recent tune up, that the sliding miter table is approximately 0.014 inches higher than the center table and that the router table is approximately 0.011 lower. The descripencies are at the seams between tables. There doesn't appear to be any way to adjust the table for leveling and the manual doesn't address it. I'd like to see what others say before I go through the trouble of shipping it to the Sears repair center.

Thanks!

[LCHIEN]

The height of the SMT has always been higher than the main table back to the original BT3000s. Some say its a design that allows the items on the SMT to pass over the main table without dragging or catching as you slide it.

The amount, I'll talk about in a second, but there are some plastic slide pads on the SMT (on the BT3s at least) that ride on the rail. THese can be removed to make the SMT a touch lower and close to level.

As for the amount, used to be that the SMT was about .020 or so higher. Once you get below .020, the height of the SMT AND the Aux table can be affected by the slop in the rail mounting, I think. If you loosen both the rail mounting levers, I'll bet you can grab the end of the rails and effect enough change to overcome that .011 significantly. IN normal everyday use I don't think .011 difference in the Aux table will be very critical. You can also shim it by placing small shims where it contacts the rails, I imagine, if you need it to be closer, after, of course, you bottom out any play in the rails.

these quirks and about 101 other things are discussed in my BT3 FAQ, see my sig line below.

[maxxie]

LCHIEN,

Thanks for the tutorial on how to deal with the differences. I had called Craftsman, after remounting the rails (not pulling them up though) and they told me they should be flush (at least that is what their model in the shop was like) during a return call after telling me they had some difference during my first call. Anyway, I figured I didn't have a unique problem given the expense of the saw and certainly don't want to deal with sending it into their shop if I can avoid it. All-in-all I like the saw, but didn't feel so good about having an uneven saw. Placed doubt in my mind about the accuracy of my cuts.



Best regards,

Maxxie

[dkerfoot]

Maxxie,

I think the more you use the saw, the more you will like it. I have found the tiny bit of elevation on the SMT (sliding miter table) has no negative effect. The piece being cut should be held or clamped tight to the SMT fence, and will remain parallel to the table. In the case of very thin or bendy material, when you figure in the geometry of the tiny angle produced, the error is very minor. Certainly less than that produced by my technique!

In addition to all the wonderful stuff about the BT3s that has been true for years, there are a number of additional advantages to the 21829:

• The folding stand is simply amazing - easily worth $150 alone.
• The rails are several inches longer.
• The SMT has both the standard BT3 position for the fence but also a 2nd deeper position as well. A modification many BT3ers made themselves.
• The router kit is included.
• A couple other minor differences that I can't remember right now.

The router table is not considered a great solution, but it is better than not having a table at all. It has one advantage - because of the long rails, you can route rabbets & dados into much wider panels than you can on pretty much any other router table, regardless of the size. To make an immediate improvement, remove the wood from the two-piece fence brackets and instead attach an appropriately sized piece of MDF or flat plywood. You now have an instant sacrificial fence!

If you don't already own a router table, be sure to give the 21829 a fair try. You could actually easily create a "real" fence using the brackets, with dust collection and everything. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have done that instead of the large stand-alone router table/cabinet I currently have.