Frank Boettcher said:

I rub away the cosmolene to reveal the table surface. The surface
finish on the table is rough - so rough you can file your fingernails
down on the grooves.

Did you put a profilometer on it? The grind is a rotary wheel,
reciprcating table grind with a wheel large enough to cover the whole
table. It leaves a different profile than a blanchard grind (rotary
wheel, rotary table) or an engine grind (horizontal shaft wheel over a
linear feed table). Light reflection and pattern are different. I
would be willing to bet that would measure as good as whatever you are
comparing it to and well within the specifications.

After the summary on grinding methods, I though I would present a more
practical demonstration of the surface grind. Since a saw table
performs one primary purpose - to hold the wood level to the blade, at
whatever angle is set, and to allow one to slide the wood along it's
length to complete the saw cut - what better way to demonstrate the
relative smoothness of the finish than the sound of wood being slid
across it's surface. Besides, it's something I can present within the
boundaries of the Internet to defend my contention.

I scrubbed one table clean with WD-40 and a gray Scotch-Brite pad till
my arm went numb. I waxed it with Johnson's Paste Wax, left it to sit
for 10 minutes, and buffed it off. Then I took one piece of oak and
rubbed it along the tables of three different machines. The amount of
effort required was directly proportional to the intensity of the
sound.

The first is the infeed bed of a 2 year old 1HP Delta 6" Jointer.

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Media/JointerSnd1.wav

The second is the bed of my Jet Mini-Lathe.
(Yes, I know, it's not a sliding surface for wood, but it IS milled
cast iron.)

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Media/LatheSnd1.wav

The last is the table of the Unisaw.

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Media/UnisawSnd1.wav

Same settings, same recorder, same volume level.
No alterations were performed on the resulting recordings.

http://www.thevideodoc.com/Media/SetupSnd1.wav

What is your conclusion concerning the roughness of the table?

I'm really not trying to pick a fight, just point out what I consider
to be a genuine concern.

Thanks,

Greg G.