Tablesaw Set Up Tolerances

[Adam Shapiro]

Please tell me if I'm crazy, or if I'm just doing something really wrong.

I've got a Bosch 4100 which I can't seem to get set up correctly. I'm using a Pinnacle Saw Gauge in the miter slot up against the blade, and no matter how many hours I spend (it's two days now) when I tighten the adjustment screws the blade is always .002-.003 out of parallel. Am I expecting too much from a benchtop saw, or is this a real problem? I bought this reconditioned, so I'm concerned it may just be defective.

Similarly, the fence will not stay square when I lock it down. I get it completely adjusted, and then when I try to move it to make a cut, its out of square again. Any advise is appreciated.

[Dave Hasson]

Adam, I just asked the same question and got some very good info. Here is the link:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=122926

[Mac Cambra]

0.002"-0.003" of parallelism between the blade and miter slot is very good accuracy. If it is a bench top model table saw I would be impressed with that level of precision.

[Michael O'Sullivan]

Please tell me if I'm crazy, or if I'm just doing something really wrong.

I've got a Bosch 4100 which I can't seem to get set up correctly. I'm using a Pinnacle Saw Gauge in the miter slot up against the blade, and no matter how many hours I spend (it's two days now) when I tighten the adjustment screws the blade is always .002-.003 out of parallel. Am I expecting too much from a benchtop saw, or is this a real problem? I bought this reconditioned, so I'm concerned it may just be defective.

Similarly, the fence will not stay square when I lock it down. I get it completely adjusted, and then when I try to move it to make a cut, its out of square again. Any advise is appreciated.

I had a Bosch 4000 (or whatever the predecessor to the 4100 was). On the blade parallelism issue, I would do some test cuts and see if there is any real world effect. If the .002-.003 is measured at the outside diameter of the blade, I would be surprised if it had a noticeable effect.

On the fence issue, are you sure you are adjusting it correctly? I ask this because I recall the instructions being very misleading -- there was one step that needed to precede another, but the instructions seemed to reverse the order. As a result, I felt like I had the fence correctly adjusted, but then when I tightened it down, it went back out of parallel. Once I figured out the proper order, it was nice and true and stayed true. However, if your issue is that you can lock the fence down parallel at one setting, but then if you shift the fence, it goes out of parallel, I got nothin' for you.

[Adam Shapiro]

If that's considered good accuracy, you've just saved me from another night of swearing at the saw. The manual just said it should be zero, so I thought that's what I had to achieve.

Thanks for the quick responses.

[Paul Atkins]

Just use a tape measure and it will look like zero. I had a friend trying for ever to get his jointer blades all set at zero. He was not satisfied with 1 - 2 thou. His woodworking tolerances were plus or minus an eighth so I don't know what he was thinking.

[johnny means]

Micrometers have no place in a wood shop.

[Phil Thien]

I'm pretty sure there was a post at Woodnet indicating that something on the 4100 was cast a little off and that it is hard to get the miter slot perfectly parallel to the blade due to a range of adjustment issue. I think they opened up a slot w/ a drill bit to get the range they needed.

BTW, .002" is very good. Read the thread linked by David Hasson above and read Niki's methods for dynamic checking of your saw.

[Norman Pyles]

0.002"-0.003" of parallelism between the blade and miter slot is very good accuracy. If it is a bench top model table saw I would be impressed with that level of precision.
I would be happy with that also.

[Glen Butler]

Micrometers have no place in a wood shop.

Only when you are setting up your tools. The better your tools work the easier it is to achieve the desired results.

.002 accuracy is very good regardless the tool. I get perfect joints out of my jointer and it is off more than that. The helical head blades vary by at least .002".

My shaper cuts very well within .006".

I agree .002" on a benchtop saw is more than acceptable.