Aligning the top on a Griggio sc3200b

[Bobby Robbinett]

So several months ago I purchased a used Griggio sc3200b sliding table saw from a used dealer without much info on it. He thought it was in good shape and sold it through consignment without ever actually putting his hands or eyes on it. I got it to my shop and began setting it up and noticed that the tilt was not operational as the blade would not go to 90 degrees. I did some research and based on that I believe that the curved rack is broken. That is the half moon shaped piece of cast iron with teeth for engaging the worm gear for tilting the blade. The saw is unusable without this as it won’t go past roughly 60 degrees. After a lot of looking and researching I found that the Griggio sc3200b is identical to a Holtzher 1243 (I might have that Holtzher model number wrong). I finally found a curved rack for $457. I haven’t purchased it yet so if anyone knows of a curved rack that will fit this machine and is cheaper then let me know. LoL. When I replace the curved rack I will have to remove the top so I plan to also replace the arbor ($327), belts and bearings.

With that said, how do I align the top? It has no miter slot. It’s just a large, thick chunk of cast iron with a place for the scoring blade, main blade and a safety shut off opening of some kind. I see no obvious places to reference easily. Any suggestions?

[Kevin Jenness]

Before you remove the top, take some soundings relative to the sliding carriage and the base. If there any washers or spacers to set the height keep track of them. I would expect the left edge of the main table to be as close to the sliding table as possible and parallel to it. I am assuming the rip fence rail can be adjusted square to the table travel as long as the main table is set as described.

[Mike Wilkins]

Did you check the gears and internals for dust/chip build-up? If the machine was used in a commercial set-up, it might not have received regular cleanings and maintenance.
My own slider (Laguna) would not tilt all the way to 45* and after checking the internals, discovered a build up of sawdust on the gears. Brass brush and vacuuming got things moving again. But be prepared to have to work in a confined environment with a good light.
Hope you find a less expensive solution.

[johnny means]

Typically, the top on a slider doesn't need to be aligned with any real precision. It does need to be leveled correctly. The top only needs to be aligned close enough for the fence to be aligned afterwards. All alignments should be referenced off of the sliding carriage. The trunnion and the rip fence may need to be adjusted afterwards.

[Bobby Robbinett]

Did you check the gears and internals for dust/chip build-up? If the machine was used in a commercial set-up, it might not have received regular cleanings and maintenance.
My own slider (Laguna) would not tilt all the way to 45* and after checking the internals, discovered a build up of sawdust on the gears. Brass brush and vacuuming got things moving again. But be prepared to have to work in a confined environment with a good light.
Hope you find a less expensive solution.

I have checked and cleaned the saw very thoroughly and it still won’t work. The problem is that the blade and carriage won’t go to 90 degrees. It just lays at almost full tilt. I can get it to move about 40% of the way to 90 degrees then it just won’t go past there and you can feel the looseness when you crank the tilt hand wheel. Once it gets to that point the hand wheel just spins freely and nothing happens. Sometimes it will even drop back down to full tilt.

I spoke to a technician at Atlantic Machinery which is the sole supplier of Griggio parts (to my knowledge) and he said that when these and their identical Holtzher twins have tilt issues it is usually a broken curved rack and not the worm gear. Wish that I could find a cheaper curved rack!

[Bobby Robbinett]

Typically, the top on a slider doesn't need to be aligned with any real precision. It does need to be leveled correctly. The top only needs to be aligned close enough for the fence to be aligned afterwards. All alignments should be referenced off of the sliding carriage. The trunnion and the rip fence may need to be adjusted afterwards.

Thank you for that information Johnny! I did not know this.