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  1. #1
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    Default The Harvey Ambassador Series Table Saw Owners Thread.

    The Harvey Ambassador Series Table Saw Owners Thread.

    Models covered:
    Ambassador C200-30
    Ambassador C300-30 and C300-50

    Background:
    This thread is for owners of the Harvey Ambassador series table saws to share information and experiences so that people interested in their options on a new table saw can learn more.

    The following is direct from the Harvey Machinery website
    C200-30
    The Ambassador C200-30 Cabinet Table Saw is an ideal entry-level cabinet table saw with an up-to-date design. It features all of the functions of a full-size cabinet table saw including 1016 x 685 mm (40” x 27”) cast iron table, cabinet mounted cast iron trunnion, Plug-in Quick-release blade guard, riving knife system, Rip Master T-square fence with high-low aluminum fence plate, dust shroud, full steel cabinet, cast iron handwheels, miter gauge and built-in upper/lower dust ports with dust collection hose.

    C300-30/50
    C300-30 and C300-50 are well designed with all necessary functions and features for serious wood sizing processes including heavy-duty cast-iron work table, massive trunnion system, quick-release blade guard and riving knife, solid Master-Rip T-square fence system with high/low fence plate, magnetic switch and 100 mm (4”) dust port. They come with T-slot miter gauge and standard/dado table inserts

    Model Number Decoding:
    If you haven’t already worked it out.
    Not sure if there is a significance to the C
    200 and 300 refer to the HP rating of the motors, 200 – 2HP, 300 – 3HP
    The 30 and 50 refer to the maximum rip capacity to the right of the blade in inches.

    Now for something that seems hard to find and taken from the US website for the C200-30 and that is a general comparison table between the Ambassador and Alpha series table saws, sadly it is just an image AMBASSADOR C200-30 10" Table Saw – Harvey Woodworking
    amvalpha.jpg


    Australian version notes:
    We get a 230V, 50Hz, Single phase motor. Even though the plate on the saw shows full load current rating of 10A and a motor rating of 1.65Kw the plug fitted to the power cable is a 15A plug (well at least to mine).
    The current available online manuals state these ships as four boxes with one being the dust extraction kit. My unit at least shipped only as three boxes with the Dust Extraction hose curled up motor cover under all the bubble wrap.
    The C200 main unit in its crate has a gross weight of 176Kg so unless your part of the strongman team, expect to be needing a couple people to unload via some ramps if you’re not getting a tailgate delivery. There is no way you are loading this without mechanical assistance.
    Once you get it uncrated and all the bits stacked to the side the main cabinet is relatively easy to move around but it’s still heavy with a lot of the weight towards the top so be careful.

    Out of the box, true thin kerf blades are NOT an option with both the splitter and riving knife supplied to suit normal kerf blades
    PC220017.jpg

    Both units have the same dimensions engraved.
    Riving Knife/Slitter Thickness: 0.100 inch (2.54mm)
    Blade Body Thickness: 0.063 to 0.094 inch (1.60 to 2.38 mm)
    Kerf 0.102 to 0.126 inch (2.59 to 3.2 mm)
    With thin kerf blades typically have a 2.4mm wide kerf these are NOT suitable for use with the Ambassador series saws with the currently supplied splitter/riving knife.
    There is a thin kerf riving (RF-22) shown as an accessory but unknown if it’s available in AU yet.

    There are some blades that state they have a 2.8mm wide kerf such as the Freud LP30-M-025-P that should be usable without issue.

    The supplied blade, again at least with mine is a 2.66mm kerf 40T general purpose blade that is just wide enough.


    Anyone who has one or has questions please chime in

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  3. #2
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    Default

    Hi Phil
    where was the saw made?

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by justonething View Post
    Hi Phil
    where was the saw made?
    Hiya mate,

    In China, but then I have nothing against China based tools were manufacturers impose good QA controls.

    Remember that Harvey has been an OEM manufacturer for a few different brand names... one photo i have seen clearly shows them doing Sawstop saws a couple years ago.

    Seems like they might be behind the new Carbatec pro saw as well.

    I found the sticker on the side of the main box to be a chuckle.... it's hard to imagine an item weighing 158kg as fragile!

    PC220005.jpg

    I'd not seen it on any web pages either but they call it a light duty table saw, but once you see the depth of the product line then it makes sense.

    Cheers
    Phil

  5. #4
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    Just a few unboxing type photo's of the unit I got
    Main box 1 of 3
    Box 2 and 3 had the 30" rails and the fence unit

    PC220002.jpg
    PC220004.jpg
    Extension wings inside the main box, it might be a cardboard shell but it's as tough as the thin ply I have had around other machines

    Inside the main cabinet there is a bunch of smaller boxes including a 40T general purpose blade to get you going
    PC220008.jpgPC220009.jpgPC220012.jpgPC220014.jpg
    Even the supplied tools such as Hex keys were complete and decent.
    The yellow brace used for shipping gets removed but put the motor bolt back!
    The 15A plug was a surprise but not hard to solve unless you have limited power circuits.
    PC220015.jpg
    Splitter with overhead guard and low profile riving knife for non through cuts bot really designed for full kerf blades.

    The manual said the hose kit was in it's own box... nope it was coiled up in the motor cover, confused me for a while has i hadn't unwrapped the motor cover
    PC220018.jpg

    Ready to start mounting the wings etc ....
    PC220019.jpg

    The trick I ended up using to do it myself was to sit the wing upside down on the mobile router/outfeed table, put one bolt in nearly done up, swing the wing over and add the other two bolts then use a hydraulic jack to get it level. Both sides need in layer of blue masking tape on the bottom to get a perfectly flat table top.

    Weirdly for me i can't find the next set of photo's

    Now I've owned this saw for about 6 weeks now and really appreciate just how nice a decent table saw can be.
    I've added a 30T Freud Glue line rip blade and last week got a 80T ultimate plywood/melamine blade

    P1070024.jpg

    Cheers
    Phil

  6. #5
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    Found a few more photos.

    PC230022.jpg PC230023.jpg

    Checking the alignment of the blade to the right hand miter slot and I figured that -0.020mm was close enough out of the box. no way i was going to chase it to be closer
    At least it went the right way the printed gauge holder is a tight fit and doesn't result in any variations.

    XC250357.jpg
    the fence however was not even close and required adjusting, after adjusting it is essentially straight with 0,0 readings when locked down in relation to the miter slot, resulting in an effective toe out of 0.020mm in relation to the blade.

    PC260027.jpg
    So nice

  7. #6
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    Default

    Great thread Phil,
    and thanks for your help in my other thread.
    It looks very very similar to the Carbatec C250P
    Just a quick one Re: Fence. Is it out of alignment slightly when unlocked? Then adjusts itself when locked?

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by dean_87 View Post
    Great thread Phil,
    and thanks for your help in my other thread.
    It looks very very similar to the Carbatec C250P
    Just a quick one Re: Fence. Is it out of alignment slightly when unlocked? Then adjusts itself when locked?
    Thanks - considering the manual for the C250P actually has the HiLo fence in it and could be used instead of the Harvey manual for this saw it would seem to be a Carbatec branded Harvey ambassador

    re the fence.

    Yep it is slightly out before it is locked down, mine shifts to wider at the rear when unlocked, now here's the numbers i just checked with a dial gauge.

    At the front of the fence - 0 or so close it doesn't matter
    at the rear of the fence (table edge) - around 0.350mm on average

    At the front of the blade about 0.15 but to me that's irrelevant once you have calibrated the tape to the blade, set your desired cut width based on the tape.

    What was interesting whilst measuring this with the dial indicator was that about half locked down resulted in a greater shift than when fully locked down.... lesson all cutting and calibrating should be done with the fence fully locked.

    Cheers
    Phil

  9. #8
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    Default

    Wixey wr700 digital saw fence readout turns out to be essentially a bolt on fit with NO holes needing to be drilled, awesome.

    My long awaited thought never to be seen WR700 turned up today about 2:30pm, just before we headed out to buy a new microwave. After altering the built in area with some heavy dust making routing exercise I got a little bit of time back whilst there was a kitchen clean up happening.

    From start to finish I think this was about 90 minutes.

    Unboxed everything and sorted all the parts, bolted the two fence sections together and sat down in front of the saw and just held them up in a couple places to see options.

    the square section fence rail is bolted to the right angle with 5 x 6mm hex head bolts. Four of these became perfect bracket holders for the wixey fence.
    P2060001.jpg P2060003.jpg

    The only vaguely dubious part was bolting the little supplied bracket to the fence lever bolt, had to slightly enlarge the hole to fit the 12mm bolt then i was a little concerned the nyloc nut may not thread on far enough so the whole bolt was replaced with one about 10mm longer, likely not required.

    P2060004.jpg

    You cant see it in the photo above but the corner of the bracket need to be chamfered to clear the wixey rail... a couple minutes with an angle grinder and all good

    P2060006.jpg
    Yes I have two tapes attached to the fence rail, one for Low Fence, one for High fence... both got stuck down with the factory supplied blade with 2.6mm kerf so they are both wrong now i have 3.2mm kerf blades being used

    The Wixey is consistently within .2mm with test cuts at differing lengths and far more important to me is that it results in completely repeatable cuts.
    I did a 150 then 100 then 80 then 90 then back to 150 but also changed the fence and re zeroed for the low fence that and got a exact match between the 150mm wood pieces

    Conclusion: Highly Recommended.

  10. #9
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    P2220082.jpg

    That is a sheet of 4mm Alu plate so i can make some ZCI units, apart from taking a copy of the existing plate not sure exactly how I'm going to cut this out yet, sorry just a teaser at the moment

  11. #10
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    Hi Phil,

    I occasionally look fondly towards adverts for the HW110LGE-xx model table saw -- is this series replacing those?

    The JPG comparison page you shared doesn't mention that model explicitly, though it's the only one I can seem to find available from AU dealers (BBTA, Major Woodworking, etc).

    From the components it *sounds* like it's a slightly smaller / feature-reduced series, but from your description it also sounds like it'd probably be a sufficient option (for me). I didn't see any price mentioned, and can't find any domestic resellers - did you get it shipped direct from the factory?

    TIA.

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by jedd View Post
    Hi Phil,

    I occasionally look fondly towards adverts for the HW110LGE-xx model table saw -- is this series replacing those?

    The JPG comparison page you shared doesn't mention that model explicitly, though it's the only one I can seem to find available from AU dealers (BBTA, Major Woodworking, etc).

    From the components it *sounds* like it's a slightly smaller / feature-reduced series, but from your description it also sounds like it'd probably be a sufficient option (for me). I didn't see any price mentioned, and can't find any domestic resellers - did you get it shipped direct from the factory?

    TIA.
    Replacing? It would seem not, Nanjing Harvey out of China clearly show the LG/LC/S models as available. Harvey out of the US though seems to have rationalized the range with the Ambassador and Alpha series
    LINK Table Saws, Table Saws direct from Nanjing Harvey Machinery Co., Ltd. in CN

    the LGE series is a 3HP motor and more closely aligned to the Alpha series.

    The ambassador range has the table only 27" deep whereas the others are all 31" deep... hasn't mattered to me, especially with an outfeed table.

    I've finally found some very hard wood that at around 40mm thick i could hear a slow down when ripping, but just slowed the feed rate and all good.

    The takeaway from that is you will always want at some point more HP but then it's hard to justify the 1% occasions

    The phenolic right table on the lesser Alpha/LG series turned me off and for 99% of the stuff i do 2HP is enough grunt. The basic mitre gauge still does the job and is accurate.

    As far as finding one in Oz -> Harvey C200-30 Table saw | Woodworking Machinery | Gregory Machinery

    And in another thread Carbatec branded unit looks identical with a different fence and supposedly 1/2hp more power -> Carbatec Professional 250mm Cabinet Saw with 30" T-Glide Fence Kit | Carbatec

    Hope this helps
    Cheers
    Phil

  13. #12
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    Hi,

    It looks like you have had your Harvey C200 for a few months now, I was wondering if you could answer some questions. I'm looking at either the C200-30 or maybe even splashing out on the Alpha HW100LC-36 (that gold top and super fancy mitre guage!!! [emoji1786]). But that Alpha unit is probably just day dreaming.

    Anyway, questions are:

    1. Have you found anything you don't like about it?

    2. Is the hi-lo fence actually useful for what you've been doing?

    3. Do you know what the Harvey warranty and parts accessibility is like?

    The only thing I think I need to get sorted is the 15amp outlet. Even though it clearly says 10amp on their website [emoji2369]

    Cheers,
    Presto


    Sent from my SM-T875 using Tapatalk

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Insp Gadget View Post
    Hi,
    It looks like you have had your Harvey C200 for a few months now, I was wondering if you could answer some questions. I'm looking at either the C200-30 or maybe even splashing out on the Alpha HW100LC-36 (that gold top and super fancy mitre guage!!! [emoji1786]). But that Alpha unit is probably just day dreaming.
    Anyway, questions are:
    1. Have you found anything you don't like about it?
    Hi Presto, Questions in order
    Actively dislike.... NO
    but bits and pieces can be improved.
    The fence doesn't have Hi/Lo measurements like the Alpha series... my initial workaround was to stick down two tapes before i put the Wixey DRO on.
    The dust collection has room for improvements but don't they all, working on mine but been delaying cutting a new hole in the cabinet.
    The supplied miter gauge whilst accurate I wish i owned the better one sold with the Alpha series. Don't use it a lot since i build a basic sled.


    Quote Originally Posted by Insp Gadget View Post
    Hi,
    2. Is the hi-lo fence actually useful for what you've been doing?
    Oh F yes, not only the high/Lo but the move back and forward.... generally i have it in the Low position as i'm normally been working with 25mm or less timber. How people live without the adjustable hi/lo setup i have no idea.

    Quote Originally Posted by Insp Gadget View Post
    3. Do you know what the Harvey warranty and parts accessibility is like?
    Nope, sorry. sort of hope to not have to access, really it's about how good the reseller is in Oz to some extent.... under Australian consumer law

    Quote Originally Posted by Insp Gadget View Post
    The only thing I think I need to get sorted is the 15amp outlet. Even though it clearly says 10amp on their website [emoji2369]
    Cheers,
    Presto
    Yeah the plug 15A caught me out but I was lucky that I have a sub-board in my garage with 10 circuits available and could easily dedicate one to the saw with a 15A socket.

    The supplied 40T blade will get you going but like most table saws be prepared to buy good blades.

    Oh and one option you might want to look at is the Carbatec unit, Carbatec Professional 250mm Cabinet Saw with 30" T-Glide Fence Kit | Carbatec
    Side by side this by all rights seems to be a C200-30 with a tglide fence and better mitre gauge and supposedly 2.5HP motor.

    Cheers
    Phil

  15. #14
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    Thanks for the comprehensive reply Phil. I think I will still look at the Carbatec unit.

    Sent from my SM-T875 using Tapatalk

  16. #15
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    Hi, first post on these forums. I have the C200-30 and have a question that someone here may be able to answer: anybody have a clue what the set screws located under the bolts that attach the cast iron top are for? The manual simple says to loosen them (when squaring up the top to the blade) and I can't find any information otherwise. I thought maybe they were instead of using shims if the top is not square to the blade in the other axis, but you would think the manual would mention something important like that. They seem to have no use otherwise.

    I've bought a dial gauge to square up the blade properly (used a piece of threaded rod with sharp point on the end previously, works but is a bit hit and miss), but getting 0.01 reading from the gauge and then using a dead blow hammer to adjust it is patently absurd so I am working on a better system — pretty simple, using threaded rod like I have done on my router fence for micro adjustments. Anyway the set screws are bugging me, it seems like they are redundant so hopefully someone can fill me in.

    While I am at it, has anyone else had issues with the zero clearance insert that Harvey sells and changing the blade angle. The plastic dust collection cowling on my saw rubs against the insert and makes it pop out when I get to about 25 degrees. I will probably just trim a bit off the top of the plastic but it seems like bit of a design fail — or mine has just been assembled sloppily.

    Very happy with the machine otherwise (had a contractor saw that I modified previously, and experience back in Uni days of a proper workshop with commercial panel saws), except I got a bent fence rail with mine, replacement arriving soon hopefully. I plan to modify the pointer window insert, something that sits right against the tape so measurements aren't so ambiguous. And additionally some kind of overhead dust collection, I find the blade guard gets in the way too much and really needs to be connected to it's own dust collector to be useful.

    Thanks,
    Barton

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