Frustration with Table Saw

[Dave Aronson]

I have had my 715p for over a year (i.e. out of warranty) and it is driving me crazy. I haven't used my saw much as I have been caught up in life so I know that it isn't worth calling Grizzly now. But my saw stalls just cutting 3/4" material, Could this be a sign of the blade being out of alignment? or is it a sign of something else?

[Mac Cambra]

You didn't mention if there are any other symptoms, i.e. burning of the wood, saw attempts to kickback, only happens when ripping and not cross cutting?

Suggestions:

Check the belt tension, could be slipping. Does the saw squeal when it appears to stall?
Check saw blade sharpness, could have a dull blade.
Feed rate, can you prevent stalling by slowing down the feed rate.

I am sure there are other things you can check but this is what I thought of off the top of my head.

[david brum]

You might also be getting inadequate power. If you're using an extension cord, especially on 110v, that could be (part of) your problem.

[Dave Aronson]

You didn't mention if there are any other symptoms, i.e. burning of the wood, saw attempts to kickback, only happens when ripping and not cross cutting?

Suggestions:

Check the belt tension, could be slipping. Does the saw squeal when it appears to stall?
Check saw blade sharpness, could have a dull blade.
Feed rate, can you prevent stalling by slowing down the feed rate.

I am sure there are other things you can check but this is what I thought of off the top of my head.

I haven't noticed any burning. I can feel/see the blade slowing down to a stop then I hear squealing If I back the wood back it spins back up again. I notice is mainly when doing rip cuts, that is why I think that maybe the blade is out of alignment. I haven't noticed any kickback sensations but it does have a riving knife.

I felt the belt and it feels tight, would it be best to swap the belt with a link belt? I'm not sure how to properly test the belt tension.

The blade is pretty new, but I'll try swapping it out for another to see if that makes a difference but I have my doubts on that one.

The feed rate is pretty slow and it still happens.

I appreciate any help, I'd love to get the saw up and running like it is supposed to run.

[Dave Aronson]

You might also be getting inadequate power. If you're using an extension cord, especially on 110v, that could be (part of) your problem.

It is running at 220v

[Stephen Cherry]

I can feel/see the blade slowing down to a stop then I hear squealing If I back the wood back it spins back up again. I'm not sure how to properly test the belt tension.

The.

I'd start with the tension. I'd tighten it up a little. If the motor was running out of juice, I don't think it would be squealing.

Also, it seems to me that part of setting up a new machine would be going through all of the alignment, etc. I would not assume that it's all OK, why would it be? The guy over in china is just trying to get it close. He wouldn't have all day to fine tune it,

[Guy Belleman]

Agree with checking the tension. I see the manual says there is only one belt and that it will stretch during the first 16 hours of use. Good luck.

[scott spencer]

If the other simple things like belt and alignment don't fix it, check the 220v. I had one leg of the 220v into the house go down a few years ago. A bad run capacitor is another possibility that should be fairly easy to check.

[Dave Aronson]

I'll give it a shot today, hopefully adjusting the tension is in the manual.

FYI; I did go through the alignment steps when setting it up but I don't have a dial indicator so potentially my measuring is off. I'm going to go purchase one of those today to double check.

[glenn bradley]

All the high spots have been hit. Let's list 'em out:


Belt tension - your manual explains this on page 71

The belt is rubbed so I do not believe a link belt is in your future


Blade condition and appropriateness for the type of cut

24 teeth max foir ripping stock of any decent thickness


Material being cut is well milled and square to the table top and fence so as not to cause binding
RK is in play

so grabbing after the cut is probably not your issue


Good power between legs and from each leg to ground

220v is not enough, it has to be good 220v ;-)


Proper provisioning as to breaker, wire gauge, etc.

I assume you would have noticed problems before if your components were the problem



I have a similar saw (the Craftsman 22124 zipcode saw built by Orion, 1-3/4HP, ribbed belt, hybrid format). I run it on a dedicated 110v circuit but have run it on 220v in the past. I see no difference (watts is watts) in use and so it happened to end up on 110v after a reorg. I routinely rip 2" thick hardwoods using a thin kerf 24 tooth Freud blade without issue. I have lost capacitors on other machines and their symptoms vary by type of failure. If the saw runs well enough to saw at all I doubt the run cap but, I'm no motor specialist.

With the saw disconnected from power I would start at the wall outlet and confirm every physical attachment point in the power path:



Wall wiring to outlet
Plug on the machine's cord
Cord entrance and exit to the switch
Cord termination at the motor


Temperature change can cause terminations to loosen and your symptoms sound like a motor starved for power more than an alignment or dull blade issue to me. Again, I'm no expert but, I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night and I make a lot of sawdust. :D Please keep us in the loop as to your progress.

[phil harold]

Dave
if these other fixes or checks do not work

1.75 hp is questionable if that is actually the real rating I used to believe 13 amps/125 equaled 1hp
people may argue that but,
the solution is to put in an 8" blade which should perform better
Thin kerf blades are good too
I have in my small tablesaw decking blades, they are coated with an anti- friction compound
just when using thinner blades make sure your riving knife is not wider than the kerf




Thela Hun Ginjeet
The King!

[Ronald Blue]

Whether it is 1.75 or 2 hp 3/4" stock shouldn't stall it easily. I think verifying the power supply is the first step. If the belt is slipping immediately after you have used it and it has stalled kill the power and feel the belt. If it's slipping it will be hot as will the motor and probably arbor pulley. It is possible it has never been tight enough but you just never used it enough to notice before. It does have tensioning the belt in the manual on page 71 by the way. Sounds pretty simple. Good luck and let us know what you find.

[Dave Aronson]

OK, well it seems to be working better now after adding more tension to the belt. I noticed the alignment of the blade was slightly off by like 2 hundreths so I think the tension was the culprit. I was able to cut through 1.5" thick walnut and it didn't complain. I'm going to test it more but it seems like it is better now.

It is surprising the tension could affect it that much. It was right on the borderline for the manual for deflection maybe 3/8 - 1/2" deflection instead of 1/4".

[Ronald Blue]

Glad that it's working better. That's actually pretty loose for a v-belt. Consider that the sides are what transfer the power and that centrifugal force tries to lift the belt from the pulley. A slight amount of looseness allows that to happen. In some instances that looseness woudn't matter but obviously in yours it is critical. Either way you have it sounds solved the problem and that's all that matters.

[Dave Aronson]

Update to this.

I got a call from Grizzly without me ever mentioning it to them. Thumbs up to them for calling and the person that contacted them. The technician told me that the tension of the belt for that saw is critical and explained to me how often I should check it. I am super pleased about this and wanted to pass the positive customer service along. I am happy that I own two large pieces of iron from them and will certainly look at their tools when I look for my next purchase.

Now, if I can get the same service from my pool company..... grrr

[Lee Schierer]

OK, well it seems to be working better now after adding more tension to the belt. I noticed the alignment of the blade was slightly off by like 2 hundreths so I think the tension was the culprit.

If your saw is off 2 hundredths (0.02") that is a lot. A saw alignment definitely needs to be in your very near future.

[Dave Aronson]

If your saw is off 2 hundredths (0.02") that is a lot. A saw alignment definitely needs to be in your very near future.

It was mm not inches. I guess I should have mentioned that.... :-)

[Jim Andrew]

Glad you got your saw working. The creek is a great place for advice.