Acceptable Tolerance?

[Richard Alexander]

I just put the router table extension on my new Grizzly. Just by looking I can see that the router table has an arch to it which peaks at about 1/32" inch or 1/64" inch in the middle. I've confirmed this with a straight edge. At least the table saw table is flat.

Is this something I should return the table for or should I just accept it as is?

Richard

[Brandon Shew]

1/32 is way too much. Definitely a return item IMO.

[Norman Hitt]

Depending on how thick and/or sturdy the RT is, they may have made it that way so that when you hang your 3 1/4 hp router in it, it will become flat after the router has hung in it for a while. I'd suggest hanging your router in it and then check it in about a week before you send it back.

On the other hand, if your router is mounted to a good quality plate or lift and that plate is flat, the arch will not matter anyhow, since you will be holding the material tight against the plate and fence. If, however, the table had a sag in it, it would affect the cut because the higher ends of the table would not allow the piece to be cut to ride down flush on the router plate, which would not allow the router bit's profile to be reproduced accurately.

[Ken Shoemaker]

Send it back....

[Bill Ragland]

Send it back....

I agree unless it has a phenolic insert plate then most of those are built that way and flatten out when a router is installed. If its cast iron, unsat. You'll never cut a good dovetail with it, that I can verify. I had a phenolic plate that was not flat and ruined a bunch of wood trying to cut them.

[Lee Schierer]

I agree with the bow if it is phenolic. Mine is and my Freud FT-2000 brings it back to flat when it is hanging under the table.

[glenn bradley]

You should be measuring without your insert in to be sure it is the wing. That being said, .004" is about my comfortable limit. Many manufacturers spec out at .01" but you're way over that. Bear in mind that cast iron is very flexible compared to what you expect. How many bolts? If you've got four bolts I wouldn't be surprised if you could true it up at one end and work your way across to improve it substantially. Might be worth 30 minutes of effort to find out. If that doesn't pan out, return it by all means.

[Ed Beers]

Am I correct in understanding the this in the router table/extension and not the cast iron saw table/wings?

What is it made of? I suspect MDF but it could be lots of materials.

If it is MDF, you can't expect it to be as flat as ground cast iron. What is the distance you are measuring over? 1/32" could be significant over a couple of inches but wouldn't be much over a couple of feet. Are you sure that your straight edge is accurate enough to measure 1/32" over a couple of feet? Many aren't.

If it is MDF with a slight crown then I wouldn't worry about it. In time, it will tend to sag a little anyway.

Ed

[Richard Alexander]

Thanks for all the replies. The table is cast iron. Glenn hit the nail on the head. After seeing from a couple of responses that I wasn't being unreasonble, I called Grizzly expecting to have to deal with sending the thing back. They recommmended using a rubber mallet in the center to level it out. Like Glenn said, there is more flexibility to the cast iron than I would have imagined. With a few whacks and some loosening and tightening of the bolts I was able to get the table flat.

I'm happy with it now and even happier that I can finish putting the saw together without waiting for a replacement.

Richard

[glenn bradley]

Thanks for all the replies. The table is cast iron. Glenn hit the nail on the head. After seeing from a couple of responses that I wasn't being unreasonble, I called Grizzly expecting to have to deal with sending the thing back. They recommmended using a rubber mallet in the center to level it out. Like Glenn said, there is more flexibility to the cast iron than I would have imagined. With a few whacks and some loosening and tightening of the bolts I was able to get the table flat.

I'm happy with it now and even happier that I can finish putting the saw together without waiting for a replacement.

Richard

Excellent. Unfortunately I cannot claim any magical wisdom. I've just been down that road. Glad it paid off. Much better than waiting for a replacement.