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Table saws are common devices among many wood workers and whoever is familiar with this tool would know that you may need to change blades several times depending upon your work load and usage of this device. Depending upon the requirements of project and material to be cut, a carpenter or anyone using the machine may need to use different types of blades such as ripping blades, dado cut blades, straight cut blades and more. Apart from different usage that different blades have to offer, you may need to change a blade if the old one has become dull. A dull blade would hinder accuracy and performance of a table saw and may cause adjustment and alignment issues. Thus one who uses this machine must know how to change and replace a table saw blade. It is really simple and basic job that you can easily perform.
Things to have in hand for changing table saw blade
Before you put your hands in to changing blades of a table saw, following are the items that you must have in hand in order to stay safe and proper change blades. These include:
- New blade of table saw
- Allen/Hex Wrench
- Block of wood (small one)
- Screwdriver
Steps for changing blade
- Turn off the power of table saw: Turn the power switch of table saw off before you start the process as a measure of safety with table saw. In order to keep yourself and the tool completely safe, unplug the saw power cord from the socket and make sure that the power is completely disconnected from table saw. Allow table saw to stay still for some minutes in order to make it certain that all the power has been drained off from the tool.
- Locate and remove the blade plate: Usually a blade plate (metal plate) is located at the top of the table saw in most of the table saws. These plates are usually secured with two screws, one located at the front and one at the back of the plate. Use screw driver to loosen these screws and you will be able to remove the plate. Place the plate at a secure place aside.
- Remove the blade: Lock the blade at the highest position and for added safety, out a small wood block against the blade in order to prevent it from turning by mishap. Remove washer and nut from blade and this can be done with the use of a wrench. Turn the nut towards you counterclockwise with wrench. Now you can remove the blade and place it at a proper safe place.
- Place new blade: Now you can begin setting new blade in your saw. Blade should be placed in the housing with its teeth pointing towards the front side of the table saw. Now place the washer and nut back to their positions and use wrench to tighten the nut in order to secure the blade. Now turn the wrench clockwise for tightening. Have a small wood block placed holding the blade securely at its position.
- Reinstall the plate of blade: Again reinstall the blade plate with the use of a screw driver. Tighten all the screws and secure the blade plate tightly to the table saw top.
- Plug in the power cord: After reinstalling the blade guard, you can connect the power cord back in the wall socket. Turn on the power of table saw and run the machine to check if the blade has been installed properly and is fully functional.
After you have replace the blade for once, you won’t find it difficult for next time and soon it will become a routine easy task for you that wouldn’t require any special planning or efforts. Depending upon your work load and task type, you may need to change the blade of your table saw quite often in a project in order to make the most of the features of your table saw. So you can’t run to someone every time for replacement and changing of blade. You can complete your job quick and with ease by knowing how to change different blades for different materials and cuts.
Set an appropriate height
After changing the blade, you need to make sure that the height of the table saw blade is set according to the material used. A dangerous kickback may occur if the blade is set too low or too high for the wood material. A low blade height is usually a common cause of kickbacks that happen with table saw.
Conclusion
The most important rule that one needs to follow before attempting for a change of blade with any type of table saw is that you must make sure that the power is completely disconnected from the table saw. Many of the woodworkers and carpenters have faced dangerous injuries as a result of deadly accidents that have occurred because of not following this important rule. Saws are surely important tools but these important tools will only work if saw blade is sharp enough. Whether you saw blade needs sharpening or replacement, follow these guidelines and you will be able to safely, easily and smoothly clean, maintain or replace table saw blade.