Table Saw Setup

[Mark Kristan]

I have had the saw for a few years now but my problem at the moment is it needs some tweaking and I don't remember how I used this tool to set it up a few years ago. I am trying to check the distance from the blade to the fence and miter slots at the front and back of the saw. Has anyone ever used this tool from Power Fist (Princess Auto)? My problem is with making the dial sit securely in position, there doesn't seem to be a way to tighten it in place so it just freely rotates on the shaft. If I just hold it roughly at a right angle to the base, this is obviously inexact. Princess Auto cannot supply me with a manual for this tool. What I'm doing is running the back of the base against the fence, from the front to the back of the blade, then I'd adjust the blade such that the distance is the same at both ends (and doing likewise with both miter slots) - I'm pretty sure this is the way to use this tool.

[John Hays]

I have that exact base (except I got it at Harbor Freight) and found it absolutely useless for table saw alignment.

What I did is screwed the dial indicator to the end of a 12" long piece of 1x2, then clamped it to my miter guage (with the dial indicator facing the blade). To measure the fence, just filp the 1x2 around so it faces the fence. Works great!

I'll try to find a link to the instructions if you need them.

[glenn bradley]

I also have that base in a drawer carefully packed in the original box (probably for all eternity). I went this way and found it much faster, more reliable and just simpler.

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Remember to use the same slot to measure blade and fence.

[Denny Rice]

Don't even use the dial indicator, there is a much simpler way to do this. Put it away and pull out your 12" combonation square. By using a 12" square and both miter slots in the table top you can measure and adjust the fence front and back at very close tolerances. The same thing with the saw blade front and back of blade. The only thing that dial indicator might do is going to tell you is how much runout your saw blade has on your saw.

[Denny Rice]

I also have that base in a drawer carefully packed in the original box (probably for all eternity). I went this way and found it much faster, more reliable and just simpler.

253193253194253195

Remember to use the same slot to measure blade and fence.
Glen I do like the jig you built to hold the dial indicator. I might steal your design to check runout of my saw blades.

[Mark Kristan]

Thanks for the replies, I'll get those adjustments made the next time I'm home for a few days. Now, if I can only get he angle gauge of the saw to remain and 90 degrees to the table top when the pointer is at "0".

[Lee Schierer]

Thanks for the replies, I'll get those adjustments made the next time I'm home for a few days. Now, if I can only get he angle gauge of the saw to remain and 90 degrees to the table top when the pointer is at "0".

I gave up on that pointer and purchased a Beall Tilt box now I just set it on the table top zero it and then move it to my blade and run the blade back to zero tilt.