SawStop Table Saw maintenance
Most SawStop table saw maintenance, aside from regularly vacuuming the cabinet, should be done on (roughly) a weekly basis. Check for over accumulation of debris after every period of heavy use.
- Vacuum out accumulated sawdust from interior. Make sure the passages for dust collection are not blocked by sawdust. (If the door latch is hard to open, it's probably full of sawdust)
- Remove the brake, and vacuum around connection points. Inspect the brake for sawdust or other contaminants inside the plastic housing. Gently blow off the brake with compressed air. The brake can malfunction if enough debris builds up inside the plastic housing.
- Inspect the blade for sharpness, missing teeth, excessive build up of pitch or burning. Clean in pitch/resin remover if dirty. Scrub with paste wax if rusted.
- Clean debris buildup from tilt and elevation mechanisms. Lubricate with non-hardening grease such as Super Lube for trunnion brackets and white lithium grease for elevation threaded rod.
- Check the tilt and elevation handwheels for ease of movement. If creaky or stiff, first try lubricating the bushings of the handwheel shafts. DW-40 is fine for this.
- Check riving knife and blade guard for proper distance between blade and spreader: 4-7mm at closest point. Also check that top riving knife is ~1mm lower than top of blade.
- The machined metal bed should be waxed regularly, depending on usage. Waxing once a week is ideal if the saw is heavily used.
If difficulty changing the blade height develops
For elevation shaft stickiness, position woodruff key at center of handwheel at 3 o'clock and spray lubricant through center of shaft. Most resistance that develops in changing blade height comes from users trying to adjust the blade height with the lock knob locked. This leads to wear on the inside of the wheel shaft and much friction. Saw Stop supports removing the lock knob in shops with many novice users; they're confident the blade is not going to change height mid cut and removal prevents a frustrating problem.
Saw Stop maintenance log table
| Vacuum cabinet | Clean tilt mechanism | wax table | check/vacuum off stop cartridge | align table to blade | Last person completing | Last date completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| monthly | monthly | monthly | monthly | yearly | ||
| x | x | x | x | aug3 2017 | Tucker/Miriam | |
| x | x | x | x | x | Feb8 2018 | Tucker/Chris/David/Eric |
| x | x | x | x | apr5 2018 | Tucker/Daniel | |