# Table Saw Blade Wobble



## JohnL (Jul 19, 2010)

I have a Craftsman 113.299040 table saw. Bought it used. Didn't fully check it out when I bought it. It ran smooth, seemed lined up by cursory exam, but I didn't use my gauge to check the squareness of the blade to the table or the fence to the blade.

I've discovered that the blade has a bit of a wobble. It's not out of alignment front to back, the blade actually wobbles in the front and the back, meaning no matter what I do to align the table to the blade the wobble will still be there. I've checked out different blades to make sure it wasn't an issue with the blade, wobbles on all.

I've looked at a bunch of "Here's how to tune your tablesaw" websites, PDFs, special magazine inserts, etc., yet I can't seem to find anything for my situation with the possible exception of "Replace your arbor".

Any ideas aside from trying to find a replacement arbor for a table saw from 1975?

Oh, I've replaced the belt with a powerlink just in case. Same results.

-John


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

Try this….

http://woodgears.ca/saw_arbor/index.html


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

Have you checked the alignment with a gauge? Have checked for play in the arbor? Does the arbor feel smooth when you spin it free hand or feel like there may be dirt in the bearings? Are you using an alternat grind toothed blade? This will look like it is wobbling. Take a measurement at the front of the blade and rotate to 9 o'clock and measure what is the difference, do this at a couple of different points. What is the result.? Have you cut a piece of wood to see if it cuts straight. Another thing may be the trunion assembly may be loose or cracked. Are you using a thin kerf blade without stiffeners?


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

I would see if there is any issue with arbor bearings - take off the blade and see if there is any slot in the arbor itself - some would spin and if you hear clicking there is a bad bearing, but just basic - grab it and see if it is solid test would be first.
Then I would use some lacquer thinner and clean the arbor face and washer - make sure that that is clean and flat to seat the blade
Then
I would use a dial indicator on the arbor face and see what the runout is spinning it

nothing out there has "0" runout but perhaps the cleaning - maybe helps out.
Then you have to decide if the wobble is tolerable (different than being within tolerance  )
But see if it is giving you problems, burned cuts, poor surface finish etc.

Good Luck


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Have you tried a different blade? Sometimes it's the blade and not the saw.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

I was thinking it might be the blade as well…..


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## JohnL (Jul 19, 2010)

*Childress*: That looks promising. I'll have to look through that when I'm back home.

*mrg*: I haven't used the gauge to check the arbor, just against the blade. I check alignment just inside from the teeth, so alternate grind wouldn't be my wobble issue, definitely wobble. It does not cut wood cleanly. The wobble is certainly beyond perceived and into the annoyance range, bordering on worry. I am using a thin kerf blade (Freud Premier Fusion), but the wobble is present with all 3 of my blades, the fusion being the only thin kerf.

*DrDirt*: Cleaning is certainly something which won't hurt. I'll add this to the other recommendations and see.

*Sawkerf* and *WayneC*: Yep, tried 3 blades.

Thanks all.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Take a magic marker and mark one of the teeth. Measure that tooth from the miter slot at the front of the table; rotate that tooth to the rear of the table and measure again. If the readings are the same, both blade and arbor are OK. If not the same, either the blade or the arbor is bad. Remove the blade and take a runout reading at the arbor using a dial indicator, making sure the face of the arbor is clean w/o any burrs. Rotate the arbow without belt. It should spin smoothly and be rock steady if you try to rock itfrom left to right. If it rocks, bearings are bad. If they don't, but you get runout, the arbor is bent. You probably won't be able to get a replacement arbor, but bearings are available. If the arbor is bad, sell the saw to someone (unethical) or sell it to a scrapyard. Good luck.


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## mrg (Mar 10, 2010)

John did you find or fix the cause of the wobble?


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## JohnL (Jul 19, 2010)

Still haven't had a chance to try the suggestions. Honey-do list is too long.


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## JohnL (Jul 19, 2010)

Okay, I've had a chance to look at this. Finally.

There was no play in the arbor, that was spinning well, but tight from wobble.

Using a gauge on the blade, however showed a wobble on the back and front which differed by as much as .005" while rotating the blade. The difference between the front and back of the blade was off by about .010". So, there was either multiple bends in my blade or the arbor flange combo was causing this.

Putting the arbor at 45º I found a "left/right" wobble of about .002" and no "up-down"/"front-back" wobble. Taking a grinding stone to the arbor knocked that difference down to almost nothing. Sanded the flange to knock off nicks and bobbles, same with arbor nut.

Blade back on, there was no left-right wobble either in the front or back, but the left-right difference between the front of the blade the back of the blade was still about .010". I loosened the trunnions (minus 1) from the top and took a chunk of 2×4 and a hammer and slowly got the difference down to about .001". Couldn't get it any better, but that could easily be within the error margin of "John moved the gauge".

Tightened everything down. cleared off the table and grabbed a chunk of 2×4. Fired up the saw. Forgot the belt. Installed the belt. Fired up the saw, sliced through the 2×4.

Smooth as a baby's bottom. (Well, not really, but it's REALLY smooth) There are no cut rings and the cut is nice and square. Now I need to make sure my miter-gauge is accurate, but that's a chore for next time.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and tips.

-John


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## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Since my old TS have die on me recently, I too have purchase a used 113 Craftsman TS to get by with.
Not my dream TS but I will have to do for now. I pretty much checked everything on the saw. Accept I failed to notice the wopple. I have put on couple of blades and they both wopple as well. One is brand new.

I'll think it is the arbor, but I'll check it first to make sure. The arbor seems to spin well without the belt. There is no noise nor play.

I'll follow the suggestions and links posted. Flatten out the arbor flange doesn't apear to that bad.

Even though I only paid $80, I like to take the wopple out.

Thanks for the posting! I'll be a great help.


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

Check out the blade stabilizers at Sears. I just use them on the outside of the blade. Works great.


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## TLE (Dec 16, 2008)

I had this problem years ago. I took the arbor flanges to my machinist friend and he mounted them on a lathe and turned the faces precisely flat parallel to the hub flat. An error in the parallel surfaces at the flanges will yield the kind of error you are having at the saw teeth. Usually the error is a combination of the arbor/flange error and the greater, more likely error in the saw body. I have a favorite old 60 tooth crosscut blade that suddenly started to show quite a wobble and I sent it in to the sharpening service to be hammered. It came back with a data printout of the new specs and it now measures less than plus-or-minus 1 mil in wobble - a tribute to GREAT hammering job and a great machining job years ago.

Tim


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## wee3 (Mar 6, 2012)

Sounds like a bearing issue,which ive been thru,good luck.


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## hhhopks (Nov 22, 2011)

Wobbles?


> ?


 What wobbles?

My TS no longer have wobbles. Thanks to this post. The link was great too. Basically, I have follow the link's guidance of flattening the arbor flange.

To more accurately describing what actual what cause the wobble is this:

When the arbor flange is not flat, even with a perfectly flat saw blade is used, the nut and washer is esentuially clamped on to the blade. The clamping action actually distort the flatness of the blade. The blade's wobble is the result of the magnification of the distortion of the arbor flange, and washer.

Thanks again.


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## mamell (Dec 24, 2015)

I took out the washers (flanges?) and the nut and ran them all both sides against a diamond plate sharpening stone several times by hand and rotated them around repeatedly as I did. This eliminated most of the wobble I had. 
I will say I had been using a cheapo HD blade for quite some time and it's about as flat as the surface of the moon now so it's going to the scrap heap to become a metal project someday, but still had the old combination blade that came with the saw which is still in pretty good shape considering how rusted it is, but it runs pretty close to true. Grinding down the washers and nut made a huge difference.. Just a few strokes on the diamond stone revealed high and low spots.
Edit: I'm confusing flange with the washers if I'm correct. The flange being the area of the arbor where the threads stop and becomes the inside nut part of the arbor? If so would it be helpful to hold a straight abrasive block, perhaps the diamond stone up against it, fire up the saw a moment and let the stone flatten it?
The reason I ask is I'm too poor to pay to remove the arbor being it's a craftsman motorized version and the wobble I have isn't severe enough to bother with at this point.


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