Table saw alignment problems

[Tom Porter]

I'm relatively new to woodworking. I bought a used Craftsman table saw a while ago (model 113.298240) and I'm trying to get it set up. It heels pretty badly, so I downloaded the manual and tried to align it. I'm having no luck. I loosen the trunion screws and whack at the trunion with a wood block and a hammer but it doesn't seem to budge. If I loosen the screws a lot, the trunion will move, so the screws are seized or anything but I just can't seem to get this thing aligned. I'm considering buy a Saw PALS kit as I've seen suggested on a few threads here.

So, any advice on align this thing? Should I try the PALS kit? Should I burn the saw to the ground and take up yoga?

[Alan Schwabacher]

PALS would be a good idea for that, assuming that model is a contractors saw with a cast iron table with trunnions bolted to it.

Sometimes you can have difficulty moving the trunnion only a little because of a rough surface. To fix, take it apart, clean everything, and file the mating surfaces clean and smooth where the trunnions contact the table.

It's also a good idea to clamp the trunnion to its mating cradle while you are adjusting the miter slot parallel to the blade. This prevents causing slop in the mechanism.

A good book, like John White's "Care and repair of shop machinery", or Kelly Mehler's "Tablesaw Book" is also very helpful.

[glenn bradley]

My C-man had 5 bolts, not 4. Just thought I'd mention that as I goofed around a bit till I figured it out. Four corners and one centered in front. The holes in the trunnion are larger than the bolt shafts. This is what allows the movement. PALs was the best $20 I ever spent and I advise anyone with a contractor that they want aligned without frustration to get them.

All that being said, there are some extensive tutorials on here regarding aligning contractor saws. Here's a couple:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=65282&highlight=contractor+align

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=109165&highlight=contractor+align

I just searched here using the Google engine and the words; contractor and align ;-)

You might also want to make one of these (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=117955&d=1241992924) for a few bucks.

HTH

[Tom Porter]

Thanks for all the advice and links. I'll likely order a PALS kit tomorrow and that, combined with the advice, will probably be a big help. While waiting for the PALS, I plan to disassemble the saw and give it a cleaning.

Cheers.

[Tom Porter]

OK, I bought a set of Saw PALS and installed them. However, I still can't get this puppy aligned. The blade needs to move to the right (from the back of the saw) but when I turn the set screw on the left to push the rear trunion to the right, it tightens up before it gets where it needs to be. There just doesn't seem to be enough play in the trunion to move it. I tried to move the front trunion to the left but haven't had any luck with that either.

I'm kind of at my wits end. It's possible that I just don't know what the heck I'm doing. I'm thinking about taking the trunions off and drilling out the slots to make them larger. Is this a bad idea? I bought the saw used and I'm getting to the point where I might just give up and buy another one.

[Chip Lindley]

Tom, I had same problem with an old Rockwell CS. One trunnion hole was misshapen and needed to be filed a bit larger. Then, the saw alligned perfectly.

Figure which trunnion hole needs more movement, and while you have the trunnions disassembled, open up the needy one. Filing larger just a bit may solve your problem.

[Lee Schierer]

Tom, I had same problem with an old Rockwell CS. One trunnion hole was misshapen and needed to be filed a bit larger. Then, the saw alligned perfectly.

Figure which trunnion hole needs more movement, and while you have the trunnions disassembled, open up the needy one. Filing larger just a bit may solve your problem.

If you are using a dial indicator for alignment, how far off is the alignment? That figure will tell you how much to file out of the bolt hole. On my craftsman they used star lockwashers under the nuts and every time I tightened the nuts after aligning the saw, the start washer would slide back into the original slots the washer had formed in the cast iron. A careful rotation of each lock washer so the tabs no longer aligned with the slots they had cut solved the problem.

We had an old powermatic saw at work that had a similar problem. We solved it by replacing the existing bolts with a higher grade bolt and necking them down slightly to give more adjustment room.

[Wayne Jolly]

Man! Talk about Deja vu. It sounds like I wrote this myself because I had all these problems too. My solution was to make my own set of PALS (two actually). I had a piece of heavy angle iron that I used to make them. I made a set for the rear of the saw, but even after installing them I just could not get the saw within about .020" (if memory serves) of parallel. So I made another set for the front of the saw, and even then I could not get it parallel.

Next thing I did was take the saw completely apart, got a round file, and made the mounting holes in the trunnions slightly oval shaped so I could get a little more movement. Have to be careful doing that because there isn't a whole lot of metal to play with. When I put the saw back together again, I was able to adjust the blade to less than .001" parallel with the miter slot.

One last thing. As has already been mentioned, look for the third trunnion bolt on the front center.

Wayne

[Richard Dragin]

Is the arbor all the way in the bearings? Could moving the whole assembly over give you more adjustment to get it centered?

[Pat Germain]

I also have a Craftsman CS. I've never been able to get it aligned as well as I'd like. I installed a PALS and the screws stripped out before I could get it aligned. I just get it as close as I can and call it done. You can bang your brains out trying to get that thing perfect, but I doubt you'll ever get there.

[Tom Porter]

I'm not using a dial indicator. I'm using a combination square (I just want to get it as close as I can while I'm getting started). The bloody thing is off by close to 1/8", so it's pretty far off. For all I know, the saw may be damaged in some way and may not be able to be aligned.

I'm going to take the thing apart and see what I can accomplish. I'll either get it figured out or get another saw.

[Mark Kimerling]

Have you tried disconnecting the tilt adjustment on the side of the saw. It might be tight and not allowing you to kick the front trunnion to the right. Had to do that with mine.