what a difference a table saw alignment makes..makes...

[keith ouellette]

To bad I'm not smart enough to use the saw properly.

I used this dial set up to take the arbor run out and alignment measurements. Thanks to everyone for the advice. My arbor run out was less than 1/1000th. and the blade was off alignment by 3.5/1000ths. I was going to leave it but all the advice said it was easy to align and it sure was. Very simple and quick on my jet cabinet. I used my best full kerf blade to do the alignment.


112395

I made a rip cut before I did the alignment with a cheap 40tooth combo blade (from HF) and then put the same blade back on after the alignment to make another rip cut so I could see the difference. It was pretty drastic. the after alignment rip is on the left.

112396

I was very pleased and went to work cutting some plywood strips to use on my router table. I was cutting them 4 1/8" wide from one 56" wide sheet and was going to move the fence each time to make them all 4 1/8". I subtracted 4 1/8 from 56 and set the fence at 51 7/8".

But the strip came out just over 4" wide.

I tried to cut another one. It was still about 4 1/32 wide. I cut a third. "its not like I haven't done this before" I kept thinking. It was still only 4 1/32" wide. I had no idea what was wrong. I was pretty frustrated and sat down. After a couple of minutes it came to me.

I bet you already guessed what I did. I forgot to figure in the blade. Not to bright.

[Tom Veatch]

...I bet you already guessed what I did...

Don't beat yourself up too bad about that. We've all been down that road a few times.

Glad the TS alignment task went well for you. Not hard to do, and it does make a difference. Going to have to check mine again. Noticed something yesterday that might indicate it needs some tweaking.

[Lee Schierer]

I used my saw for several years before someone suggested checking the alignment. I had always blamed the problems on the lousy OEM fence. I upgraded to a Beismeyer that locks down perfectly every time and the alignment problem became more apparent. Cheapest new tool I ever bought and best 1 hour investment I ever spent on my saw. Now I have to look really hard to tell the ripped side from the jointed side.

We expect to see many neat projects coming from your shop now. ;)

[Rick Lucrezi]

Keith, thats funny. I needed that after the day I had. Since you just did the alingment, maybe you could walk me through it? I have a delta not the jet, and I notice that at the end of a long 45 deg. rip it scarfs the last 1/2 inch. I have a biesmyer set up so figure it must be the arbor? Saw has been moved recently so it should be checked anyway. Thanks ( im good with a referal to the appropiate post on adjustments if one exists) thanks again Rick

[David Christopher]

Keith, glad you got your saw set up.........getting one set up turns a saw into a cutting machine

[Myk Rian]

Keith;
Just be aware that the angle you have the indicator on will give a much lower reading than it actually is. I have the indicator attached to a piece of scrap and clamp that to the miter gauge.

[keith ouellette]

Keith;
Just be aware that the angle you have the indicator on will give a much lower reading than it actually is. I have the indicator attached to a piece of scrap and clamp that to the miter gauge.

The picture I showed was the one I did for the arbor run out. when I aligned the blade I did it almost level with the table. The way i understood the arbor run out check the indicator was supposed to be just above the arbor.

Is that correct?

[Tom Henderson2]

The picture I showed was the one I did for the arbor run out. when I aligned the blade I did it almost level with the table. The way i understood the arbor run out check the indicator was supposed to be just above the arbor.

Is that correct?

Hi Keith-

You need the plunger on the dial indicator to be perpendicular to the flange you are measuring. So when measuring arbor flange lateral runnout (wobble), you need to tilt the saw arbor over to 45 degrees. Then you should be able to get the dial indicator to be perpendicular or nearly so.

A few degrees off isn't a big deal, but you really do need to be within 10 degrees or preferably less.

If measuring arbor radial runnout, position the plunger so that it is perpendicular to the arbor centerline and also on the smooth (non-threaded) portion of the arbor.

If your cut quality is good, don't sweat it. If your blade runnout is acceptable, and it sounds like it is, then the arbor runnout will be fine also. Check the blade runnout with the blade installed at different clocking angles and if it doesn't change much, you are done.

The only time you really need to know the arbor runnout is if you are getting large blade runnouts and are trying to figure out where it came from.

I hope this makes some sense....

-TH

[jacques nolin]

To bad I'm not smart enough to use the saw properly.

I used this dial set up to take the arbor run out and alignment measurements. Thanks to everyone for the advice. My arbor run out was less than 1/1000th. and the blade was off alignment by 3.5/1000ths. I was going to leave it but all the advice said it was easy to align and it sure was. Very simple and quick on my jet cabinet. I used my best full kerf blade to do the alignment.


112395

I made a rip cut before I did the alignment with a cheap 40tooth combo blade (from HF) and then put the same blade back on after the alignment to make another rip cut so I could see the difference. It was pretty drastic. the after alignment rip is on the left.

112396

I was very pleased and went to work cutting some plywood strips to use on my router table. I was cutting them 4 1/8" wide from one 56" wide sheet and was going to move the fence each time to make them all 4 1/8". I subtracted 4 1/8 from 56 and set the fence at 51 7/8".

But the strip came out just over 4" wide.

I tried to cut another one. It was still about 4 1/32 wide. I cut a third. "its not like I haven't done this before" I kept thinking. It was still only 4 1/32" wide. I had no idea what was wrong. I was pretty frustrated and sat down. After a couple of minutes it came to me.

I bet you already guessed what I did. I forgot to figure in the blade. Not to bright.
you too hein lol

[Calvin Crutchfield]

Is there a link to a step by step you used. I liked to think mine is aligned, but would love to make sure.

[Bob Wingard]

If you want to quantify your deviation, the advice to make the stem of the indicator perpendicular to the surface to be measured is important. If you're just trying to make point "A" and point "B" read the same, it is far less significant, although it WILL decrease your resolution & accuracy by some small amount.

If you want to say "I'm 0.002546" out of alignment", perpendicular is a must .. if you want to say "I'm as much in alignment as I can get" .. slight angular contact is insignificant. People have had relatively good results for years using a brass screw in the end of a stick .. a dial indicator is WAY ahead of this, but don't make it all crazy.


<<<__ Bøb __>>>

[Tom Hintz]

Keith,

Glad the alignment worked out for you. I had a similar "awakening" years ago when I got my first dial indicator setup for alining my saw. I took my time and went through it slowly, making sure I got it right. Like you, the results were dramatic. I thought that my saws ran fine before that but after was a whole different world. I had a couple blades sitting around that were to go for sharpening but they worked just fine without sharpening with the saw fine-tuned.
Have fun and make cool stuff!

[Tom Veatch]

Is there a link to a step by step you used. I liked to think mine is aligned, but would love to make sure.

Here's a video (http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodvision/?sssdmh=dm17.368847&cid=507869917&lid=1338937262&tid=1155075866&esrc=nwwood37_09&email=946749537) from Wood Magazine that goes over the basics.

[Gary McKown]

For my cabinet saw the 45* tilt works, but on the contractor saw the tilt brings the flange so close to the throat side that the dial indicator will not fit far enough down to contact the flange. Also, in the 90* orientation, getting the indicator clamped down perpendicular to the flange is difficult because the mounting bracket is far back on the dial body. I solved this problem by fashioning a bar that clamps to the spindle of the indicator, much closer to the plunger tip, and extending up to the arm on the magnetic base. This allows the whole affair to fit down into a narrow throat opening much easier.

I got the idea from someone who had made a bracket for using a dial indicator to set jointer knives.

I have not found a way to decrease the indicator angle when checking arbor runout against the flat near the flange. One needs an angle of 30-40 degrees so the tip just contacts the flat but not the flange itself.

[Myk Rian]

Here are some adapters that could be used.
http://www.dialindicator.com/accessory_attachments.php