Steel or Cast Iron?

Re: Steel or Cast Iron?

Bruce, a MN Galoot

What do you have? Post a pic.

Re: Steel or Cast Iron?

Dick Coers

Are you asking if the cast material is iron or steel, or if it’s cast iron or fabricated steel?

Re: Steel or Cast Iron?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

The common test is the sparks produced by grinding, but you probably don't want to take a grinder to your table tops, or to take them over to the bench grinder.

A simpler (though not foolproof) test for something like a table top is whether the underside, the side not machined for smooth, is rough (cast iron) or smooth-ish (forged steel).

Or, you can just rely on statistical likelihood: if the table top is a substantial, thick, thing, it's almost certainly cast iron; forged or cast steel is mighty uncommon in machine tables. If it's thinner, with the edges bent down for strength, then it's steel.

Not sure forged steel is the right term

Dick Coers

Very few tables would be forged. The biggest difference between cast iron and cast steel is carbon content, that's why the grinder test is common. Maybe less destructive is to drill a small hole in a web on the underside. Cast iron is much easier to machine because of the graphite. You'll get smaller chips and more dust from cast iron, longer curls from cast steel.

Re: Not sure forged steel is the right term

Bruce, a MN Galoot

Maybe stamped steel, I’ve seen a bunch of those on relatively newer contractor saws.

Re: Steel or Cast Iron?

Tom Norton

The tool in question is a Weaver Shaper. Cannot tell from their website.

Re: Steel or Cast Iron? *LINK*

Bruce, a MN Galoot

I’d say cast iron, based on this

“Strong 1-1/4" spindles,

cast iron heavy ribbed tops, welded steel frames.”

If that’s the one you’re looking at, that is.


Weaver

Re: Steel or Cast Iron?

Tom Norton

I have a 3/4" spindle but I am guessing that it would be the same top. I read those descriptions but missed that. Thanks!