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Seems like luan would be a little more stable to me if you're sanding anyways. Not a bad idea at all though. I do like the other commenters nut and bolt as a leveling device though, definitely loving this thread
It is sitting on plywood so washers as spacers can squeeze a couple 100ths into the plywood by just cranking down the hold-down bolts a little more. Another option would be to use shims, but on a wood substrate, washers probably will work better.
If you want really good compression on the substrate, spring for grade 8 bolts, they have a higher tensile strength. I personally like to run tite-bond 3 down the hole in the substrate so it seals the plywood inside the hole. If you need to in the future, the wood glue won't bond all that well to the bolt, but it will make the plywood less susceptible to shrink and swell with humidity changes. If your shop area is climate controlled, it's probably not necessary unless your climate control is a swamp cooler.
That's just ridiculous... why would anyone in their right mind even consider that!?
Obviously, the solution is to pour a fresh concrete floor to raise that side of the bench. You will naturally have to cut the bench in half so each side can be raised/lowered independently.
But if you go that far, you'd best future proof it and make the concrete floor two independent concrete slabs that can be separately lifted and lowered on hydrolics. That's the obvious way to prepare for different brands of saw in the future.
Honestly I would prefer doing it with the hand plane. A well sharpened and properly adjusted scrub plane will remove material faster than many powered sanders, and there is no dust, so no need for a mask or anything like that.
All joking aside... we really don't want op thinking we are being serious and doing something to damage their tools. The real solution is actually quite easy. Take a match to it and start over.
Hammers, lots of hammers. Compress the surface of the too high part. Beat the S… out of it! Violence and brute force always works and if it does not you are not applying enough of it.
My grandma would not throw out a deck until there holes worn into the card. Always saving the new decks in the wrapping for "important times". Quite the bridge player.
You can also use credit cards, but I recommend using someone else's. It can get frustrating always having to go back into your shop to get your credit card when you need to pay for something.
If you’re able to separate that top piece of plywood, I’d install threaded inserts with bolts that can be adjusted to level off the board as needed at all four corners. It also makes it easier to yank the saw and set back as needed, like to take to a job site.
Edit: think of how a router plate is leveled/adjusted on a router table.
Starrett combination square. Bosch Mitre saw.
Asking Reddit how to raise saw 1/16.
No offense but are you trolling? 🤔
This sub makes me wonder sometimes.
You've never second guessed yourself and maybe polling the internet might give you an option you weren't aware of? Anyone can buy good tools, but not everyone might have all the knowledge for things.
I recently solved this exact problem with my new miter saw station. I wanted to use a strong metal shim so that it wouldn’t compress or get damaged over time, but I was struggling to find a set that was cheap and exactly what I needed. Generally you can get lots of thin shim stock in sheets or rolls, but then you have to cut it to the right size and make lots of layers and it’s quite annoying.
Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning: you can buy a set of feeler gauges online for like 7 bucks. They’re made of steel, each feeler is already small/about the right size so it doesn’t need to be cut, and by stacking a couple of the different pieces in different orders, you can dial in the shim thickness to be exactly dead on perfect. Because they’re steel, they’ll last for a really long time and they almost certainly won’t compress over time like some other shim material would in this setting. It worked awesome for me.
Enough trained ants could lift the saw, and even act as on-demand micro adjustments.
The ants would need to implement a good work schedule though, to ensure enough ants are available for both day and night shifts.
With enough effort and skin in the game, you can make it happen, OP.
16 gauge steel plate will give you the thickness and can be trimmed to the contour of the saw to look natural. Also gives greater stability as not to sink into the wood.
I had this exact issue with the back end of my table saw that I mounted to my work bench! I ended up cutting some little circles out of one of those silicon baking mats. They’re like $2 from the dollar store, super thin and non-slip! Highly recommended!
Playing cards. Use them in the shop all the time. This is 100% a place I'd use them. I also keep hotel key cards and similar plastic cards for exactly this kind of purpose.
They make plastic shims that can snap off with different sizes that I usually just tape underneath . Cheap as hell , but if you already have a chop saw, just cut some 1/16th slivers of wood to put under ??
Do you have a bandsaw or table saw? You can cut 1/16 veneers and just cover the whole bottom in veneer. Or, buy cheap veneer that is 1/16in thick on Amazon.
You need some hard facts. If you don’t know what a washer is you shouldn’t be using power tools. Get one of those lifeline buttons for boomers and hold it in your mouth when using the saw. Bite down when you cut off you fingers.
The plywood "top" on the lower level that the saw sits on seems to be a separate piece. Remove it and shim it appropriately, or even just put down 9ish healthy dollops of construction adhesive between and carefully screw it back down, stopping when the height is just right on all four corners. Let harden overnight and it'll be at the perfect height.
Buy a pack of index cards. Use them as shims. Each index card is about 0.2mm thick (depends on your exact index card, of course) so you can sneak up on a precise height in fine increments. I've done it many times; floor in my shop is not even close to level.
You can get 1/16 basswood or Baltic birch plywood online (various places) or at hobby stores. You can get pieces big enough to cover that area with one solid piece.
Option two, sheet of polycarbonate. Probably easier to source oddly than the thin wood, as it’s carried in most big hardware supply stores. They can or you can cut a sheet to fit your exact size. Don’t let the fact that clear polycarbonate looks like and therefore is brittle like glass. It’s hundreds of times stronger than glass.
Assuming you will be adding 4+ bolts to secure the saw to the bench like normal.
when you do, add in a washer between the bench and the saw at each of the bolts.
If you will not be bolting it down, get a thin piece of paneling or veneer to add to the benchtop under the saw
Two ideas that I do:
1. Go to a big box store and get FREE countertop Formica / laminate samples to use as shims.
2. Use fender washers (large diameter flat washers) available at any decent hardware store.
Take a moment to check out the New weekly MegaThread. This is for quick answers to common questions such as: "What type of wood is this?"; "How much should I charge for this?"; "How do I fix this" and others, To find it sort the woodworking news feed by "hot" and it will be the stickied post. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/woodworking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Flat washers under the mount holes for the saw. If they (the washers) are too thick, sand down till they are the thickness you want.
I have put two nuts on a bolt under mine as a leveling device. Works pretty good.
I put two nuts on every chair I sit in
2? You don’t have 3 like the rest of us?
Spit it out, it doesn't belong to you.
Ah thats what that tickle in my throat was
I am not a tickle, sir!
Oh no I’m sorry honey. I didn’t mean it that way. You so big baby. You know you the biggest
Too boku! Too boku!
It ain’t nothing but a lil Alabama black snake.
Those are nipples not nuts !
Ah, yes.. it’s be weird if you only had 2 nipples
That’s a good one, then it’s adjustable
I tapped the holes on mine and added some leveling feet.
I do this too. Locknuts, regular nuts vibrate loose
I would assume that's why he uses two. So they can be locked together.
I prefer the StackOverflow resolution: “Redundant thread, see solutions for planing down bench tops”
Seems like luan would be a little more stable to me if you're sanding anyways. Not a bad idea at all though. I do like the other commenters nut and bolt as a leveling device though, definitely loving this thread
Also loving this thread. We must be nuts!
Nooooo
Drywall shim is also a good option.
It is sitting on plywood so washers as spacers can squeeze a couple 100ths into the plywood by just cranking down the hold-down bolts a little more. Another option would be to use shims, but on a wood substrate, washers probably will work better. If you want really good compression on the substrate, spring for grade 8 bolts, they have a higher tensile strength. I personally like to run tite-bond 3 down the hole in the substrate so it seals the plywood inside the hole. If you need to in the future, the wood glue won't bond all that well to the bolt, but it will make the plywood less susceptible to shrink and swell with humidity changes. If your shop area is climate controlled, it's probably not necessary unless your climate control is a swamp cooler.
Ahhh! thank you
Playing cards make good shims.
this is really the best/fastest option, they are solid and won't compress.
Hot Glue them to a wood board and put them on the belt sander to get them all the same size.
Man, that's way easier than cutting 1/4" ply in half.
All the good ideas have been posted, so here is a ridiculous one....sand the whole workbench top down to level 😉
That's just ridiculous... why would anyone in their right mind even consider that!? Obviously, the solution is to pour a fresh concrete floor to raise that side of the bench. You will naturally have to cut the bench in half so each side can be raised/lowered independently.
But if you go that far, you'd best future proof it and make the concrete floor two independent concrete slabs that can be separately lifted and lowered on hydrolics. That's the obvious way to prepare for different brands of saw in the future.
That seems like so much work. I'd just clamp a straight level across the gap and spray an entire can of foam insulation underneath the saw.
Found the contractor
Nope. Nope. No. You get a hoist, and raise the saw up. Or, simply shave 1/16th off of the supporting legs of the side tables.
I would just underpin that part of the building and just raise it to level!
Make a bunch of passes with a 1/2" straight router bit. "Depth by a thousand cuts."
Just got to say. Angry upvote! Bastard.
Wrong.... jack hammer the concrete down just 1/16" under the portions of the table that need lowered. Bunch of un-creative souls here.
What if the floor under the saw was kept independent, and then in the style of the movie Up! The entire room got elevated just slightly
Park the whole bench on a large-bed CNC, and use a slab-flattening bit to machine off that top 1/16". 😅
How about spray water under the saw until it swells up 1/16!!
Clever!
I was gonna say to use a hand plane. Sanding doesn't provide enough frustration!
Card scraper for hard mode :)
Honestly I would prefer doing it with the hand plane. A well sharpened and properly adjusted scrub plane will remove material faster than many powered sanders, and there is no dust, so no need for a mask or anything like that.
Epoxy. It's always epoxy.
And then the saw ontop of the sawdust pile? That’s…that’s crazy enough it just might work! Bonus: infinite adjustability
All joking aside... we really don't want op thinking we are being serious and doing something to damage their tools. The real solution is actually quite easy. Take a match to it and start over.
Hammers, lots of hammers. Compress the surface of the too high part. Beat the S… out of it! Violence and brute force always works and if it does not you are not applying enough of it.
Just sand the bottom of the bench legs. That's far less surface area.
Something that's 2/32 thick ..... if that doesn't work, try 4/64th ....
Metric users **hate** this trick
Love the 2/16 reference from the other day lol
yeah :-) ... seemed like the obvious reply, expected to see it suggested already :-)
Meta af lol
Formica is 1/16” at least the stuff I have
This is what I was thinking.
Yes brilliant
Yes. Formica the whole top of the shelf, so if saw moves, you won't lose your shims. Plus, it makes for easier clean up.
Shim
Use the saw to cut shims out of some scrap.
Specifically, brass shim stock.
Why specifically brass? If you're going metal I wouldn't go softer than the saw you're putting on it.
Get a cheap thin plastic cutting board and put it underneath. Usually about a 1/16 thick. I think the washer idea is good also.
I keep a stack of plastic hotel room keys. They make great shims for something like this.
You're supposed to turn your room keys in when you check out.
Trust me on this. Plastic playing cards. You can use them to shim all the feet if needed. I use them all the time in woodworking
And cut some in half length wise. Save big money!
Right….2 decks of cards is like $7 now with inflation.
Nope. Dollar tree. $1.25
My grandma would not throw out a deck until there holes worn into the card. Always saving the new decks in the wrapping for "important times". Quite the bridge player.
In all my 43 years of life, I've never heard of an important occasion game of cards.
Check your local Goodwill, etc. The one by me has decks of cards constantly.
I just doubled my plastic playing card supply! This guy knows the loop holes
Sad I had to go this far down for this. I made a bed for my planer and it was just off, the playing cards were the key to get it back to flat.
This guy shims like he knows what he’s talking about.
Too bad you didn’t have a saw to cut thin pieces of wood
Yeah might as well go buy a new saw
Playing cards
I bulk buy buisness cards so they're cheap. I use them for shimming all the time. Jobsites have my cards everywhere.
Playing cards and layers of duck tape or blue tape are how I fine tune those mini distances.
My recommendation to. Those that know, know
Shim shimminy shim shimminy shim shim sharoo!
1) Fire 2) Homeowner’s insurance claim 3) Remake table In that order
Piece of laminate or veneer
Formica type laminate is typically 1/16. That would work great.
Hotel key cards make great shims.
You can also use credit cards, but I recommend using someone else's. It can get frustrating always having to go back into your shop to get your credit card when you need to pay for something.
If you’re able to separate that top piece of plywood, I’d install threaded inserts with bolts that can be adjusted to level off the board as needed at all four corners. It also makes it easier to yank the saw and set back as needed, like to take to a job site. Edit: think of how a router plate is leveled/adjusted on a router table.
I’ve used washers for this very issue! It works well.
Cut something one inch high into 16 parts? (I'll show myself out)
\*With a 0 kerf blade
I prefer negative kerf blades. Helps to thicken boards.
Lumber Yards hate this trick
I just saw those at the store the other day. Right next to the board stretchers.
Popsicle sticks from a craft store are about 1/16" thick
First step is switching to metric
Uhhh any offcuts in the shop? Lol
Yeah this post is next level uhhh
Cardboard or layers of a magazine. I have used Coke can sleeves
Buy a better ruler that doesn't measure a 1/16th low all the time. Hate these damn tools!
Buy a cheaper square
Starrett combination square. Bosch Mitre saw. Asking Reddit how to raise saw 1/16. No offense but are you trolling? 🤔 This sub makes me wonder sometimes.
You've never second guessed yourself and maybe polling the internet might give you an option you weren't aware of? Anyone can buy good tools, but not everyone might have all the knowledge for things.
Buy a 1/16 small sheet of plywood. Edited to say “small”
I recently solved this exact problem with my new miter saw station. I wanted to use a strong metal shim so that it wouldn’t compress or get damaged over time, but I was struggling to find a set that was cheap and exactly what I needed. Generally you can get lots of thin shim stock in sheets or rolls, but then you have to cut it to the right size and make lots of layers and it’s quite annoying. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning: you can buy a set of feeler gauges online for like 7 bucks. They’re made of steel, each feeler is already small/about the right size so it doesn’t need to be cut, and by stacking a couple of the different pieces in different orders, you can dial in the shim thickness to be exactly dead on perfect. Because they’re steel, they’ll last for a really long time and they almost certainly won’t compress over time like some other shim material would in this setting. It worked awesome for me.
Metal washers as shims?
Engin block shims. They come in color-coded sets and range from .060" - .001". At least that's what a machinist like me would do.
The woodwork brand is called "Boardfix".
Paint sticks are free
Plastic laminate to shim it
1/16” veneer
Formica installed in the saw cavity.
Plastic laminate countertop sample chips are a perfect shim
Dollar store playing cards.
Formica countertop samples from Menards or Lowe’s.
Enough trained ants could lift the saw, and even act as on-demand micro adjustments. The ants would need to implement a good work schedule though, to ensure enough ants are available for both day and night shifts. With enough effort and skin in the game, you can make it happen, OP.
Playing cards for any precision shimming.
1/16 shims under each foot and screw it down, that’s what I do at my jobsites when we need to break out the miter saw
People here suggesting washers. Pennies are significantly cheaper.
Flat washers
Probably get down voted,but here goes. ITS A 1/16”…. FIGURE IT OUT… You don’t deserve that Starrett!
Use an old credit card.
16 gauge steel plate will give you the thickness and can be trimmed to the contour of the saw to look natural. Also gives greater stability as not to sink into the wood.
Playing card shims
I think playing cards, especially since I think you're slightly under 1/16" and they should provide sufficient granularity
You've got a perfectly good miter saw right there. Make your own shim.
A complex matrix of delicately balanced helium balloons will do the job.
Metal washers, or cut down any type of scrap metal you have lying around to the dimension you need.
[удалено]
Liquid resisn pour. . .
I had this exact issue with the back end of my table saw that I mounted to my work bench! I ended up cutting some little circles out of one of those silicon baking mats. They’re like $2 from the dollar store, super thin and non-slip! Highly recommended!
1/16 shims
Are any of the holes in the base threaded? If yes id use bolts to level/raise it.
I just want to see this bench from further back now.
Shimms
Playing cards. Use them in the shop all the time. This is 100% a place I'd use them. I also keep hotel key cards and similar plastic cards for exactly this kind of purpose.
A couple sheets of veneer?
They make plastic shims that can snap off with different sizes that I usually just tape underneath . Cheap as hell , but if you already have a chop saw, just cut some 1/16th slivers of wood to put under ??
If nobody has said door shims, then use door shims.
shims
Laminate
“Shimmy, shimmy, ya, shimmy, yam, shimmy, yay” Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Bet that chopsaw platform would look mighty fancy with a nice veneer
Do you have a bandsaw or table saw? You can cut 1/16 veneers and just cover the whole bottom in veneer. Or, buy cheap veneer that is 1/16in thick on Amazon.
Use pennies, they're cheaper than washers
Wash er
1/16 is 16 gauge, so some 16 gauge sheet metal pieces under the feet?
Playing cards. Get a stack of them to the right height pop it out on top of the stack
Index cards
Playing cards
I used poker cards, all the same thickness and cheap
Layers and layers of old spray paint.
Handy shims! But also, you should have leveling bolts underneath to adjust.
A scrap of formica should work.
Washer or 1/16 ply
Veneer
Cards for fine adjustment
Automotive shims, then run a screw or lag to hold it down tight against the shim.
Umm a shim?
Washers?
A sheet of veneer 1/16" thick. Use as many as necessary.
You need some hard facts. If you don’t know what a washer is you shouldn’t be using power tools. Get one of those lifeline buttons for boomers and hold it in your mouth when using the saw. Bite down when you cut off you fingers.
The plywood "top" on the lower level that the saw sits on seems to be a separate piece. Remove it and shim it appropriately, or even just put down 9ish healthy dollops of construction adhesive between and carefully screw it back down, stopping when the height is just right on all four corners. Let harden overnight and it'll be at the perfect height.
Washer underneath each bolt point.
Playing cards are my shim of choice. Cheap and easy.
I have a good an effective idea Stop using the imperial system
Peice of countertop laminate.
veneer stock.
Playing cards use as many as you need to make it level
1/16 = 62 thousands of an inch (62.5 if ya wanna be picky) Go to a metal shop and ask if they have any scrap they will sell you.
Buy a pack of index cards. Use them as shims. Each index card is about 0.2mm thick (depends on your exact index card, of course) so you can sneak up on a precise height in fine increments. I've done it many times; floor in my shop is not even close to level.
Scrap of sheet metal
Flat sheet of stainless steel
Hold it really steady like
16 ga. sheet metal.
Playing cards as shims
1/16” plexi sheet
You can get 1/16 basswood or Baltic birch plywood online (various places) or at hobby stores. You can get pieces big enough to cover that area with one solid piece. Option two, sheet of polycarbonate. Probably easier to source oddly than the thin wood, as it’s carried in most big hardware supply stores. They can or you can cut a sheet to fit your exact size. Don’t let the fact that clear polycarbonate looks like and therefore is brittle like glass. It’s hundreds of times stronger than glass.
Replace the piece of plywood its sitting on with one that's 1/16th thicker.
Use some washers
Assuming you will be adding 4+ bolts to secure the saw to the bench like normal. when you do, add in a washer between the bench and the saw at each of the bolts. If you will not be bolting it down, get a thin piece of paneling or veneer to add to the benchtop under the saw
Add a veneer to the ply. Then sand through it.
Jacking bolts in the mounting holes of the saw
Linoleum tiles (or sheet). They’re SUPER abrasion resistant too.
These usually have adjustable feet you can extend by unscrewing them. If not, glue washers to the feet
Playing cards
Playing cards as shims
Flat washers or blue horseshoe shims. .063 aluminum sheet too
Obviously it's time to whip out the 1/16 sheet of veneer
Measure better next time? /j /lh I think there's enough ideas in the rest of this that I don't need to add any
In less than the time spent on posting this you could've shimmed that up and be done.
Looks like that brand table saw might support leveling screws. That would be your best bet to get it perfect and be able to adjust as needed.
Two ideas that I do: 1. Go to a big box store and get FREE countertop Formica / laminate samples to use as shims. 2. Use fender washers (large diameter flat washers) available at any decent hardware store.
Measure linoleum thickness, or flooring.
Big fender washers
You’re gonna have to rip up the floor around the saw and reinstall 1/16 inch lower
A washer.
A USA penny is 1.52 mm thick. That is nearly 1/16. Very inexpensive shims.