New SCM SC4E - blade change questions

[Ned Otter]

Hi everyone,

My new machines arrived yesterday, one of which is a SC4E slider. Don't have power to any of them yet, but am familiarizing myself with manuals and usage.

I have watched the following video about changing the blade, and it even looks like a 12" blade:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z3bBl8ZEdQ

However, with the blade and riving knife fully raised, my slider looks different, and the blade change can't be done that way.

My slider looks like this photo:

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There is a slot within a piece of metal, that is itself affixed to the slider with several bolts. There's no way you can raise the blade and riving knife to mount/unmount the blade, by placing it on the arbor, and moving it laterally into position.

That means you have to lower the blade quite a bit, but doing so forces you to have to tilt the bottom of the blade in, to avoid interference with the guard. But with a 12" blade, there is still interference, it's very, very tight.

Wondering how SC4E owners have addressed this issue.

Thanks in advance --

Ned

[Ned Otter]

Thinking that the answer may be to drop the blade in from above, but not sure there is enough play to do that. Will try that tomorrow.

[Lisa Starr]

I don't have that model of saw, but a sheet metal cover under the slider, next to the blade slides back to provide access to both the arbor and the riving knife. My manual has a section on the steps to change the blade.

[Ned Otter]

Thanks, Lisa

I tried again this morning, and can say with 100% confidence that there is no way for the blade to be mounted/unmounted via lowering it from above the slot, at least not with the arbor fully raised. I did have success moving it laterally on the arbor at just below that slotted piece of metal (clearing it vertically), raising the blade, then wiggling it off.

I'm guessing that your blade situation is the same/similar as mine, I've attached a photo of mine.

My manual also has a section on changing the blade, but to be honest, it seems to be missing some info.

[Erik Loza]

Ned, you have to remove the entire throatplate to perform a blade change on that machine. Hope this helps.

Erik

[Jim Becker]

Ned, you have to remove the entire throatplate to perform a blade change on that machine. Hope this helps.

Erik
^^ This. It only takes a few moments to do that, too...I recommend you keep a tee handle metric hex tool handy in your shop as it's more comfortable to use than the small, general purpose hex tool.

[Jeff Roltgen]

Ned,
I too, have been a little vexed by that on my new 315es. Exactly the same configuration. Have tried a number of tricks to no avail - must remove that throat plate.
= I'll be fashioning my own throat plate to ease the changeover.
(In my spare time, LOL!)
jeff

[Ned Otter]

Thanks everyone -- absolutely zero mention of removing the throat plate in the user manual.

I can actually remove a 12" blade without doing that, but not sure it's recommended in the long term.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, you can get it out with the throat plate installed, but it takes care and patience. There's not likely all the much time difference between that and removing/reinstalling the throat plate.

As an aside, since I pretty much ran the same blade 99% of the time, (12" Forest WW-II 48T), it generally was a rare thing to change a blade, anyway.

[Mark e Kessler]

I was going to suggest removing the material between the outside edge of the blade and the slider extrusion or make a new one but looks like where the blade is on yours it would leave too much space. Thats what i did with mine, the factory one is actually made that way but is not a ZCI, i had to redesign the mounts for it to work, here is a pic incase ypu need any ideas, not shown with the cutout i speak of because i did it later .


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[Erik Loza]

It's a quirk of the Italian machines. If it were my saw, I would do the following:

-Run a tap through those screw holes. I think they're M6x1.0 but better to verify. You'll have that throatplate on and off quite a bit and this will make it easier.
-Have some spare screws handy. "Just in case"
-Dress the interior faces of machined opening with a red/grey scotchbrite or tynex cup brush. The mills they use on that cast iron can leave very pronounced shoulders and edges. You want to kill any burrs or grain that would attract sawdust/chips or prevent the insert from laying flush. I would also dress the edges of the aluminum throatplate. Basically, make it smoother and easier to remove/replace.
-As Jim said, the T-handed allen wrench is your friend. I would probably attach a rare earth magnet to one and keep it stuck to the machine frame somewhere.

Just my thoughts,

Erik

[Jeff Roltgen]

the T-handed allen wrench is your friend. I would probably attach a rare earth magnet to one and keep it stuck to the machine

I've actually been keeping a spare Bosch driver with 4mm hex bit within reach!
However, long term wear is a mild concern, even on a soft torque setting, so extra screws are a good idea.

Thinking more along the lines of Mark's image, probably utilizing some ipe scrap. Should be able to find a sweet spot where blade can be lowered, yet still removed, with just enough notched out to allow top of blade to clear the insert. This should help minimize the opening size. Need to be mindful of blade-tilt chamfer on that edge as well.
A quick-release filler there seems ideal, if a person could engineer it properly.
Hmm....

[Dave Cav]

I use a home made ZCI made out of surplus laminate flooring. Yes, the throat plate/ZCI needs to come out to easily change a blade. No, you don't need to use all the bolts to put it back in place. At least I don't.

Dave

[Warren Lake]

Nice work Mark. Its different on the slider i have the original is like the old metal rattle cans on cabinet saws. Flop around not straight etc. Saw came with some wood ones and ill make thickner ones out of 3/4" baltic. I figured i have to ad mounting points, even on my cabinet saws there are tabs there so you can put set screws in and raise stuff up and down. So make the insert so it sits low then raise it to flush with the set screws. Have to figure out how to attach tabs. What did you do inside for those mounting tabs?

[Ned Otter]

Thanks for your reply, Erik --

Tapping = less threads, so less effort?

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for your reply, Erik --

Tapping = less threads, so less effort?
No...it just cleans the threads out so you can remove and reinstall the bolts/screws easier. You're not changing the threading. Further, you want to be careful with those screws as they "bed" into the insert with their large heads and chamfer on the back. Losing them isn't something you want to do. Erik mentioned having extras and that's a decent idea if you can get the correct size and format, including the chamfer angle. I don't believe they are unique, but you're not going to find them at your local hardware store.

[Ned Otter]

got it, thx much Jim

[Mark e Kessler]

Nice work Mark. Its different on the slider i have the original is like the old metal rattle cans on cabinet saws. Flop around not straight etc. Saw came with some wood ones and ill make thickner ones out of 3/4" baltic. I figured i have to ad mounting points, even on my cabinet saws there are tabs there so you can put set screws in and raise stuff up and down. So make the insert so it sits low then raise it to flush with the set screws. Have to figure out how to attach tabs. What did you do inside for those mounting tabs?

Thanks Warren, I reverse engineered the existing design which were 3 blocks of plastic (the gray) I first worked out the kinks by 3d printing them (3 iterations the black parts) then had them made in Aluminum, the LED scoring lights complicated things. These bolt to the side of the cast so totally different but the k700 that I had was more similar as it attaches to the top, see last pic was made in BB.

473573473574473575

Here is the one from the k700, note that it also had to removed to change the blade. You actually could change it by completely lowering it but it was a pain removing the zci was easier. Like others said i just had extra screws (because you do drop them and they disappear, kinda like the whole sock thing) and a tee handle hex stuck to a magnet

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[Mick Simon]

^^ Exactly what I've done with mine. Rare earth magnets for the lock bar, wrench and t-handle allen. I've seen some videos showing keeping the wrenches in the trough between the two guide rails under the carriage. Mine has a UHMW "sweeper" designed to keep that area free of sawdust, so that doesn't work.
At first I wondered what the small trough cast into the table behind the blade was for. I use it for holding the throat plate screws when changing a blade so they don't get lost.