Question(s) About My Unisaw

[Mike Goetzke]

(Yeh, I know - I'll post pictures after it's assembled. I'm waiting on the delivery of the mobile base.)

Took delivery of my new saw Friday afternoon. Everything seems to have come and in good condition. I Just cleaned up the saw top so I could apply some paste wax (I will perform dress the top properly when the wings are attached). Now that some of the excitement is over I noticed the following:


At the rear of the saw there is a mark that looks like someone took a center punch to it - not large but material is raised around the edges and I don't know how to take care of it without messing up the material surrounding it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/th_IMG_0316_1_1.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/IMG_0316_1_1.jpg)


I know, this one has nothing to do with function but this still bothers me for a $2000 TS. There's about a 1/4" gap between the Unisaw label and the cabinet.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/th_IMG_0326_2_1.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/IMG_0326_2_1.jpg)



Don't know how concerned I should be with this one - rust on the arbor and arbor flange. This photo was taken after I cleaned it up somewhat with a brass brush.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/th_IMG_0332_3_1.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/IMG_0332_3_1.jpg)



I'm sorta new to cast iron tops. Should I try to fix these issues myself (like my wife suggests) or call Delta CS. I don't want to make matters worse on the dimple. I can probably repair the name tag by drilling out the rivets, provide more clearance in the tag holes, and screw or re-rivet it back on.

I'm really excited to set-up my new saw but need some opinions on these concerns before I put it together.

Thanks,

Mike

[Jim Bell]

Call Delta ASAP
Jim

[Jamie Buxton]

Geez, a tool is a tool. What difference does the label placement make? What matters is how well it saws.

Now, the dimple from the center punch might be a real issue. If steel sticks up from the surface of the saw, it may scratch a workpiece. Fortunately, it takes about a minute to flatten it with a file. If it isn't very tall, you may even be able to get it with a sander. Incidentally, I find it useful to occasionally hit the tablesaw with a ROS. It knocks off dings and rust. After that, paste wax is good. It keeps rust away, and helps workpieces slide smoothly.

[Kermit Hodges]

How does it cut wood?? Thats what matters. :rolleyes:

[Frederick Rowe]

I've got to disagree with Kermit and Jamie. On principle alone, I'd call Delta Customer Service and complain. On a flagship product there is no excuse for such sloppy quality control. If this was used, then yeah, I'd let it slip. For 2 grand, let Delta know that if they want to advertise the following - which I copied from their web page:

Delta remains the most powerful name in high-quality woodworking equipment, and we are dedicating ourselves to growing our leadership position. We do this through a commitment of manufacturing state-of-the-art, innovative tools and highest quality woodworking tools. We're also maintaining the infrastructure necessary to not only meet customer and end-user expectations, but to exceed them. Through delivering the best support in the business, we're strengthening trust and relationships with our customers and partners.
. . . then they'd better deliver.

[Jim Becker]

While I do agree with the "it's a tool" statement, it certainly is disappointing when a brand new and expensive machine has such obvious manufacturing quality issues. The label certainly doesn't have any bearing on how the machine will cut. The dimple can be easily filed/sanded flush. The rust can easily be removed from the arbor washer. You can do all of these things. But you can (and should) also complain to Delta about needing to do this.

I suggest you check over everything thoroughly before you make that call just in case there are other issues that are less obvious, but possibly affective to performance. Obviously, the QC people were not very "chipper" the day that machine went off the end of the line... ;)