Table Saw set-up

[Bob Yarbrough]

I'm new to the game and having trouble with my Delta 10in Contractors saw. I believe that I have the blade parallel to both the fence and miter slots. An employee at Rocklers showed me a way to check the alignment of the blade to slot using a combo. square that seems to work. I have also installed a zero clearance insert and aftermarket splitter. I am using th stock blade that came with the saw.

The problem is when I rip wood. Example, last night I was ripping a piece of 3/4 x 48" red oak. About half way through the piece the blade started to try and bind. Ended up leaving a few burn marks.

I am at a loss. Tried to find an ansewer in the Delta manuel. No luck. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Bob

[Ted Shrader]

Hi Bob -

Welcome to the Creek. A great place to hang out. Glad to have you!

It sounds like you have the saw aligned if you followed the instructions from the Rockler rep and used the same tooth on the saw blade when checking the alignment. If it is not perfect, it is probably pretty darn close.

Three suggestions for your problem: (1) Get rid of the factory blade and get a decent combo blade. Freud, Amana, etc. That way you will be able to get by without a separate rip and crosscut blade. (2) The wood may have some internal stresses in it. As you cut it, the wood moves and binds against the blade. The splitter will help, but won't completely cure the problem. In that case the splitter will help significantly in preventing kickback. (3) Double check the fence to be sure it is parallel with the blade. check it along a miter slot. The back of the fence can be heeled away from the blade slightly (0.01 ~ 0.02") to aid in long rips.

Welcome to the Creek,

Ted

[Doug Shepard]

Assuming that you've got the blade parallel to the miter bar slot, it might be an indication that your fence isn't parallel to the blade/slot. Try looking in your manual for checking and adjusting the fence square to the table.

[Steve Clardy]

Try another board. Another species. Your oak may have been trying to pinch the blade.

[Jim Dunn]

Bob a little trick is to allow the fence to run away from the blade. That way the cut is at the dimension you want but it won't burn as easily. Just my .02
Oh, and by the way. Welcome to the Creek, wade in and get ready to get wet with info.:)
Jim

[Russ Massery]

Bob, I think the problem your having is not related to set up. Do you have a spilter on the saw? If not the material is closing up on the back side of the blade and pinching it as it goes bye. I recommed a MJ spliter you can get it rockler for a for about $20.00. Or any type of spliter for that matter. Make sure that it's the right kerf size for the blade your using.

Hope it hekps,Russ

[Charlie Plesums]

Sounds like stresses within the wood as already suggested... I had a piece of red oak that was so bad recently that I had to pry it off my riving knife (a fancy splitter). If both pieces are burning - both sides of the cut - it is definitely the wood.

If the burn is only on the piece of wood towards the rip fence, it suggests that the problem may be alignment, or the wood wasn't straight to begin with. The fence only has to be a few thousands of an inch closer to the back of the blade to cause an amazing amount of burning. Or if the wood isn't perfectly straight before you start the cut, it may move closet to the back of the blade (and burn) as you move it along the fence.

I do recommend a better blade - my preference is Forrest. If you insist on using a cheap blade, you need to have separate rip and cross-cut blades.

[Tim Morton]

If you decide on upgrading your splitter, check into the delta removable splitter...it is a steal at $30 direct from delta.

[John Hulett]

Bob a little trick is to allow the fence to run away from the blade. That way the cut is at the dimension you want but it won't burn as easily. Just my .02
Oh, and by the way. Welcome to the Creek, wade in and get ready to get wet with info.:)
Jim
This was suggested in the video that came with my Incra TSLS fence - they called it "relief." In the video, he used two pieces of masking tape - one over the other. The thickness of the two pieces of tape on the outfeed end of the fence offset prevented the board from pushing back onto the blade. I haven't set mine up like that... yet. Anybody else do that??

[Jim Dunn]

John you'll have to explain a little better for me to grasp the idea of the tape on the outfeed side of the fence. It would seem to me that would push the material into the blade rather than away from the blade. Now if in the setup you used masking tape to offset the fence and then tightened it down I could picture that.
Jim

[Richard Wolf]

Jim, the tape was only to set up the rip fence. Once you set the fence, remove the tape and you will have extra clearence on the back on the blade.

Richard

[Bart Leetch]

[QUOTE=Russell Massery]"Do you have a spilter on the saw?"


[QUOTE=Bob Yarbrough]"I have also installed a zero clearance insert and aftermarket splitter."

[Bob Smalser]

I'm new to the game and having trouble with my Delta 10in Contractors saw. I believe that I have the blade parallel to both the fence and miter slots. An employee at Rocklers showed me a way to check the alignment of the blade to slot using a combo. square that seems to work. I have also installed a zero clearance insert and aftermarket splitter. I am using th stock blade that came with the saw.

The problem is when I rip wood. Example, last night I was ripping a piece of 3/4 x 48" red oak. About half way through the piece the blade started to try and bind. Ended up leaving a few burn marks.

I am at a loss. Tried to find an ansewer in the Delta manuel. No luck. Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Bob

1) Please don't buy another blade until you need one....the blade ain't your immediate problem at all....and the stock one will work fine, then there are plenty of good choices out there without shelling out ridiculous money for a hand-tuned Forrest. Freud and General both make good blades, and good Freuds can be had on Ebay for very little.

2) Your problem is very likely merely your fence adjustment. You don't want it dead parallel to the miter gage slot, you want it one or two playing card thicknesses "out" or away from the sawblade at the far end. That way the workpiece has a little more room to move at the far end of the blade during the cut than the near end.

Also make sure that you keep the saw blade set at the correct height above the workpiece with every cut, that you are standing directly behind the blade with your push arm aligned perfectly with the fence...not off to the side to avoid a kickback like some recommend....and that you are using a push stick that also holds the workpiece down like the one pictured below:

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/4959362/70035116.jpg

Try that and holler back if that don't fix it....then the splitter gets attention next.