Used TS delivered today....now what?

[Chris Leacock]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post to the forums and I'll warn you up front that I'm an extreme novice. I've made one tiny table for my 3yr old and that's it. So if I ask stupid questions hopefully you'll be gentle. :D

Anyway, I just bought my first cabinet saw ('89 Powermatic 66) off of ebay and had it delivered today. My question is, before I use it what should I do to make sure it performs as well as it possibly can? Clean it? Wax the table? Check this or that? Etc...

As I said, I'm really new so I'd like to hear about it all!

Thanks in advance for all your help!

Chris

[scott spencer]

...Clean it? Wax the table? Check this or that? Etc...

...

Congrats Chris! Nice saw! Do the above, wax the fence rail, clean and lubricate the elevation and bevel gears with candle wax or white lithium grease (something that doesn't attract sawdust), check the blade to miter slot alignment, align the fence to the miter slot, check the belt tension, get yourself a good blade or three, and a zero clearance insert. You might also need some featherboards and push sticks. A TS book is a good idea too....Jim Tolpin's or Kelly Mehler's are popular.

[Lee Schierer]

I agree completely. You'll be much more satisfied with your saw if you take the time now to do a really good alignment. For about $20 you can get a dial indicator from Harbor Freight that will make this job considerably easier and more accurate than most other methods. You can mount the dial indicator to a block of wood with a wood screw and clamp the block to your miter gauge. This will let you align both the blade and the fence to the miter gauge slot.

Since you are a novice, be sure to use the guards and keep your fingers well away from teh blade at all times. Never reach to remove a cut off from near the blade until the blade has stopped. Get in the habit of lowering the blade completely below the table when you leave the shop for any reason. And never ever attempt to cut free hand or lower a piece of wood onto a moving blade for any reason.

One last thought if that little voice inside your head is telling you that the operation you are about to do seems unsafe, listen to it and stop!

[Mike Wilkins]

Get the book by Kelly Mehler. Best one on the market; the man knows his way around a sawblade, having used and owned several models, as well as testing them for magazines.
Good luck and watch those fingers. Got yourself a nice one.

[jerry nazard]

Chris,

Excellent vintage! The top should have a mirror finish and the words "smooth" and "vibration free" should come to mind every time you turn it on or off. Good score!!

-Jerry

[Rich Konopka]

Get the book by Kelly Mehler. Best one on the market; the man knows his way around a sawblade, having used and owned several models, as well as testing them for magazines.
Good luck and watch those fingers. Got yourself a nice one.

I second what Mike says !! or his video Good Luck with your new TS. and welcome to the Creek !!

[Tom Veatch]

Chris, after making sure all the movable parts are in good repair and properly lubricated (beg, borrow, or steal an owner's manual), the three most important things are alignment, alignment, and, last but not least, a good blade. The Mehler book is a good place to start and should give you some insight into the proper style and grind of blades for whatever type cutting you may be doing.

I might mention that I just heard of a website, www.tablesawalignment.com (http://www.tablesawalignment.com), that may or may not have some articles on the subject that may or may not be of interest. Requires registration, and all I know about it is the name, but if there's any truth in advertising, it should be on topic.

[Gary Lange]

You can download a manual here for that saw!
http://power.forest.net/wmhtool/PMWood/PMWoodIndex.html

[Dewey Torres]

Since no one else said it... be sure to check your belts for wear.
Welcome!
Dewey

[Chris Leacock]

Thanks for all the info, everybody! I think I'm looking forward to cleaning it up and tuning it as much as I am using it.

If I run across anything unique I'll be sure to post it with pictures. And hopefully sometime in the near future I'll be able to start giving advice of my own.