table saw tune up question

[Jeff Dunlap]

I just got to tune up my ridgid 3660, and i had some questions. I was able to get the miter slot parrallel to the blade by .002" i had .001" but after tigten trunnions .002" was the best i could get. I aligned the rip fence and then ripped a 20" board and it was .008" off from 1 end to the other measuring with a dial caliper. I was wondering if you guys believe these measurements are tolerable or should i try for better. thanks in advance for any help.

[Lee Schierer]

.008 is about twice the thickness of a piece of paper. It probably won't cause any problems. It sounds like your fence isn't quite parallel to the miter slot. Since you say you got the blade to .002 I suspect you are using a dial indicator. Check your fence again. You may find it isn't locking up repeatably. Some folks say to let the fence tail away from the blade, but it isn't necessary if it is aligned correctly and the blade is also aligned.

If your fence is aluminum you may be deflecting it while ripping. It doesn't take much pressure to get .008 deflection. If you have a dial indicator put it on the back side of your fence and rip the board again. See if the fence moves during the cut.

[Bob Genovesi]

I think you should be satisfied with those numbers. Over 10" my saw shows a .002 variation from the miter slot was well.

Remember, this is woodworking and what you have is very good.

[Brent Leonard]

Everyone has a different confort level when it comes to accuracy.

In my humble opinion, 8 one thousands of an inch in 20", is nothing,

breathe a warm breath on a board and it will move .008"!!!!!;):D (not really, but you get the idea)