Ramblin' Dan's Workshop

Introduction

I originally wrote this article several years ago and published it in the "Sawdust" tab of The Hobbyist Machine Shop. It was part of the introduction article for that section of the web site. I had no idea I might publish a site like this one, but I will have to say, it lead to the development.

The PM2000 is a wonderful saw. Enjoy.

This is where a nice big truck driver placed this 600 pound package of cast iron and steel. Makes me happy not to have a basement shop. The double stacked pallet seems to be common as the larger lower pallet fits the forks on the tow motors better. Note the steel banding is a little limp	These are the packages that came by UPS. They actually arrived several days earlier than the saw. There is a little story that goes with the delivery I'll save for summary below.
Isn't that nice. Some sample wood to cut up with the new saw. No, wait... naw! Just some packing wood to keep the corners from crushing into the top of the saw.	First view of the saw. Looks like I opened the back door. Well, it WAS the side with the label on it. It doesn't matter of course.
Just cut the corner down with a sharp knife and this big box opens up very nice. Not much of a crate but it seems to have done the job very well all the way from Taiwan.	The front box is the small accessories while the two boxes on the right are the cast iron wings. (Heavy!) This packing is never intending the saw to be laid on it's side. Use a ramp or (better) a lift gate for delivery. Keep it vertical.
Here is where the big red switch (in the box) ended up traveling. The cord was tight but no damage.	Look at the finish inside the saw! I think the poly-V belt is a great idea. Matched belt sets are required in the older multi belt drives.
Lots of cast iron and mass inside this machine. No sign of rust. Of course this is a first class saw and would expect nothing less than what I am showing here.	The motor is not an American brand that I can tell. It is a true TEFC design. Full amps for the three horsepower is 13 so the efficiency is good.
Here is the Big Red Switch out of the box. I want to show how big it really is. The yellow button is a removable magnet safety interlock.	This is the only shipping damage I was able to discover. This is a couple of scrapes on the aluminum accessory fence on the miter square.
Here is how the saw is bolted down to its pallet. One bracket on each side. The hole is so the factory guy can bolt this bracket into a hole in the edge of the bottom casting.	The bottom pallet is gone. I found it rather easy to work (manhandle) the saw off the bottom pallet, tip the saw a little and pull out the bottom pallet. It was not fastened in any way. My sky hook is getting ready.
At last a peek underneath at the very nice wheel system.	Here you can see the detail. I will be moving the saw around the shop. This hidden system is one the reasons my decision went to this saw. There is another long story how I ended up with the PM2000.
Simple chain tensioner I don't expect to put thousands of miles of high speed driving on these gears. This is not exactly a motorcycle.	The sky hook is doing its job. I would have ratherd to strap under both the front and rear top edges but my straps were not long enough. Anyone else trying this, use long straps and stay outside the saw. The balance will be better.
Here is a good look down the throat and into the stomach! That's the riving knife clamp to the left	This is how the trunions and top are bolted to the case. Note the heavy gauge metal. lots of weight and strength.
This is the wing edge. No bolts. Same on the other side.	A peek into the front slot and a look at the blade tilt gearing.
The saw is standing on its own four feet. This is where the harder part starts. I have to put all the pieces together.	The first wing. Looks like glass doesn't it.The WD40 makes a great solvent for getting the shipping stick um off the casting. Watch out though. It makes it slippery.
The underside of the wing shows where some of the purchase price goes. This is a very nice casting. I don't see any Bondo here.	Both wings in place. Yes, it can be done by one weak old man, but a helper would have made it easier. The fan was blowing some of the 105 degree Texas heat away.
Time to play with this fence package. Box and instructions say it is for the Model 66. No sweat, it fit perfectly. (With 105 temperature there was SOME sweat!)	With a full 45 degree tilt, this is how close the blade height adjustment hand wheel gets to the front fence rail. No problem, just an observation.
I read some on-line twits who were bemoaning the frail plastic motor cover. Obviously, they never even looked at the saw before spouting off. Nothing bad here!	Fully assembled except for power cord end and a saw blade. I have also done some minor setup adjustment. However, fine tuning will be another day.
Here is the motor end. Not much going on over here with the cover closed.	The backside. is the first look at the wood extension table. I wasn't expecting this with the short fence kit. It seems a bit longer than needed and I wasn't going to remove the CI right wing to use it.
The extra length is no problem, so I drilled and bolted it in there. Works for me. I'm happy.	A look at the scale. Simple and gets the job done. I haven't done any calibration at this point.
A good quality miter gauge. Rack and pinion steering! The little knob out the front is used to turn to the angle desired.	The much touted riving knife. I am already thinking of making a replacement (2nd knife) that will have the top of the riving knife below blade height like the Saw Stop.
	What brand did you say this is?

Summary

This is the initial set up of my new saw. I have some wiring to do in the shop for the 220 volt line. The saw does not come with a blade (which is good). So I will have to select a good blade to get started. I don't intend to do a future "how to use a table saw" column. I don't want to become a web-teacher.

The picture layout above is something I think is needed on the Internet. People want to see these products before they buy them. I went to several stores to examine this saw. None in stock anywhere. The (all) manufacturers do a truly rotten job of showing the details in this Internet medium. The reports and pictures in the magazines are a joke. So here is a little closer look of what you get when the saw is shipped to you.

I bought this saw from Amazon.com. No freight, no tax and a $25 rebate. I placed orders with Grizzly twice for the G1023SLW saw. About 1/2 the cost. Each time after several days wait, I received notice from Grizzly the saw was out of stock for about two additional months. They are selling from an empty wagon. I cancelled the orders both times.

Between those orders I went to two woodworkers stores here in Dallas. I called several more. None had cabinet saws in stock, nor did they seem interested in any extra effort to find me one. They must be selling all they receive with no effort; so why then work with me? Since everyone is selling from empty wagons I went looking on-line.. I WAS a hot buyer. The locals just didn't have a clue how to sell. They drive folks to mail order... at least they did me.

A simple offer to include a $50 saw blade on an expensive saw purchase might have been enough for me to place an order on the spot. Like I said, no effort on their part. So be it. We are all happy.

The worry about long distance ordering is the freight handling. This saw did come through almost unscathed. There was a hiccup with the freight company at the end. I received a call from them on a Thursday that they had my shipment in Dallas. I had my choice of delivery Friday and Saturday either morning or afternoon. I picked Friday morning and made sure they had a lift gate truck for residential delivery. Yes, the order was clearly marked I was told. I forgot to ask for the local phone number.

Five days passed and no saw, no reschedule call, nothing. The Amazon web site did not have a pro number or any information about the freight company. After five tracing phone calls I am finally talking to the local dispatcher in Dallas. Of course there was a lot of CMA excuses going on, but the saw was setting in the proper truck in the yard. It had never been dispatched! The next day I received the saw and all is well. So be it. We are all happy.

That's the joy of tool ordering. I have mine and I am pleased. I look forward to many (the rest of my) years use from this very nice machine.