Square Cut on a Delta 10" Miter saw

[tim walker]

I have several boards that I need to trim the ends so the resulting length is 90" long. I have a Delta 10" miter saw. It calibrates to be cutting at 90 degress, but it is always a little off when I make the cut. Any suggestions? And is the miter saw the correct tool to be using for this?

Tim in Houston

[Marshall Harrison]

Tim, what do you meant by "a little off"? Do you mean that they aren't 90" long or do you mean that the cut is not sqaure (i.e. 90 deg.)?

90" is a long board. How are you supporting them? Sometimes on boards that long if not properly supported don't lay flat on the saw or flat against the fence and this could make your cuts off. Give us more details.

Oh, and welcome to the Creek.

[tim walker]

Marshall, I mean square. I joint and plane the boards, so that shouldn't be the problem. When I try to mate to a cross board, there always seems to be a slight gap, but not always. This gap is maybe 1/16", but it drives me crazy. I have just bought some roller supports to act as extensions, but I havnt used them yet, maybe that will help. Is there also a possibility that when I pull the saw downward that I am pulling it oddly and that affects my squareness?

Thanks for all teh help.

[Kent Cori]

Tim,

If your Delta CMS has a hold down clamp, are you using it? DAMHIKT but I found that when my cuts are not exactly square, the piece was actually moving a little. :o Using the clamp solved my problem. :)

[Kevin Arceneaux]

I have a 10" Delta CMS and had the same problem. I took the gaurd off and loosened the bolts and then tightenedthem back up and it got a little better. Did you square the blade up with the fence and the table?

Also make sure in the rear of the unit, all the nuts are tight. Esp the knob to set the angle.

[Hal Flynt]

My son has a single bevel 10" Delta and I have a dual compound 10" Delta. He had the same issue as you on the crosscut. I had to losen the 4 hex bolts that held the fence down and square it to the blade. (it was off approximately 1 degree). I adjusted his bevel stops too. The 45 was only off 1/2 degree, but 90 degree to the table was off about 1 degree.

My dual bevel was 90 to the fence out of the box, but 89 to the table and the bevel stops were within 1 degree, but not right on. Ok for building a deck, but not for fine joinery. After about 20 minutes on each machine, I can cut fine joints. Yes the board must lay flat and square to the table and the fence to insure it.

I have one square that I use for all my set ups and nothing else, since it proved to actually be square.

[Marshall Harrison]

Tim,

All of the suggestions are good but before you go messing with things you should start by taking some baby steps. Try cutting some small 6" or 8" boards making sure that they are flat on the table and flush agains the fence then check the angles on those. If they are OK then it is a support issue with the longer boards. If they are off then try moving the blade down (with the saw unplugged) and using a square check the blade against the fence. There's no need to start adjusting things if it's user error causing the problem.

[Jerry Clark]

Be sure to check the one piece fence- I had one on my Delta that was not straight- :mad: Use a square or a level to check .