The little Dremel 4 inch table saw is the right size for model work. The 580, 580-2, 588 and 588-2, plus the Craftsman and Montgomery Ward saws built on the same casting, all take the same parts. Out of the box these saws are usually not set up well, and most people blame the saw when the fault is the setup. Here is the order we would go at one in.
Get It Cutting Straight First
About twenty years ago an old man took the time to teach me table saw setup, and it is remarkable how little I knew before that. Getting the blade parallel to the miter slots, and centered in the range of that adjustment, changes everything. The work stops binding between the fence and the blade. It stops creeping sideways on a cross cut. Cuts come out square. The saw feels like it gained power, because now all of its power goes into cutting instead of overcoming a bind.
We make a laser cut Setup Jig Kit for exactly that job. It is a quick adjustment once you can see what you are looking at, and it is the first thing to do with a new or second hand saw. Everything below works better afterward.
Blades
The stock steel blade is the biggest thing holding these saws back. A carbide blade cuts with about half the effort and is the quickest way to double what the saw will do.
| Blade | What it is for |
|---|---|
| 24 tooth carbide | General ripping and fast cuts. C2 tungsten carbide tips, 0.078 inch kerf, 1/2 inch arbor, good to 14,000 RPM. |
| 36 tooth carbide | Made by a well known Japanese maker. Not cheap, but a real jewel. |
| 40 tooth carbide | A very narrow 0.059 inch kerf for a carbide blade, alternate top bevel, precision finish. |
| 40 and 66 tooth steel | US made high carbon steel. Close replacements for the original Dremel combination blade No. 8003. |
| 200 tooth steel | 0.015 inch plate, 0.027 inch rim. The best choice for cutting strips because it wastes almost no material and leaves a fine finish. Replaces the Dremel fine blade No. 8004. |
The 200 tooth blade has to be mounted between precision support discs. The plate is so thin that it flexes and the arbor nut will not seat properly without them. We sell the discs as a US made pair, 2.5 inches across. Do not run that blade without them.
Our blades come with a 1/2 inch arbor hole. If your saw needs a 3/8 inch arbor we include a bushing at no charge when you ask for it with your order. Going the other way, a blade or cut off wheel with a 5/8 inch bore needs either the bore adapter collar that centers it on the shaft, or the 5/8 inch blade adapter nut. That also covers the 1/16 inch metal cut off disk, which lets you cut aluminum, brass and steel on the saw.
Holding the Work
The factory rip fence is short. Our auxiliary rip fence slips over it with no fasteners and gives you a tall fence, which is what you want when a sheet has to stand on edge so you can cut your own trailing edge or aileron stock. It can be used right or left handed.
Featherboards are the extra hand. Clamp one to the fence with light pressure against the work and it holds the piece down and against the fence while you feed it through. We make them in 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch, in standard and large widths, two to a package.
The zero fit kerf plate closes up the gap around the blade so small pieces cannot be pulled down into the slot. Your saw does have to be adjusted properly first, which is the setup job above.
We also build a miter gauge here in the shop with laser cutting and additive manufacturing. The runner is more precise than the original part, the body is tough ABS, the runner is aircraft ply, and it comes with a clamping handle riser and a much better knob than the original. If you build your own jigs and sleds, we sell precision laser cut runner stock in 12 inch lengths, two to a package.
The Small Parts That Wear Out
Belts stretch and crack. Our replacement belt is over 50 percent thicker than stock at .031 inch and it runs smoother. The 10 inch belt fits the 580, 580-2, 588 and 588-2, and the Craftsman 572-2474 and Montgomery Ward Power Kraft TDR97501 take the same one.
The other parts that go missing or strip out are the kerf plate screws, which we stock in socket head and slot head two-packs, the rip fence adjustment screws, the arbor blade nut and the knobs for the rip fence and the miter gauge. The arbor nut uses the Dremel thread, which is the same nut fitted to the Montgomery Ward and Craftsman saws Dremel built.
Nearly all of this is made right here. You can see the lot on the Dremel table saw parts and accessories page. If you would like to read what one customer wrote in after he had very nearly given up on his 580, that note is in our first feedback on the setup jig.