Aligning the Powermatic 66 TS

[Jonathan Freinkel]

I need some help!
I spent a good few hours trying to get my tablesaw better than the .006" from square (blade vs slot).

I read on here that many people have .003 or better. So I tool out the dial indicator and started turning wrenches.

I loosened the 3 bolts on the top and couldn't smack the top to getting any better. On average after I loosened the bolts I was around .018" and checked the arbor and plates.

Oddly enough when I tighten the bolts I would get down to .009" but even trying to move the one corner I wasn't having much luck.

After I finished fighting that and surrendered I was checking fence to slot alignment. I was shocked that it ran in and out so much.
Might be time for a new face??

Anyone know any tips?

[Tom M King]

Did you check from both slots? Sometimes the left slot will have more wear in one section from the user using a miter gauge a lot. If you use one miter slot a lot, that might be a problem. If a sled, not much of a worry.

[glenn bradley]

If the top will not move much more than you could ever need it to, something is awry. Could be spoil in the oversized holes taking up all the adjusting room. Could be somewhere in its life it was exposed to something to make the top "stick" to the cabinet. Once loose, there should be plenty of freedom to overshoot in nearly any adjustment direction.

I say all this assuming you do not have the fence rails still bolted up tight and holding things still. It is not a big deal to just go ahead and pull the top to see what's what. The good news is that it should be something pretty simple.

Once you have everything within tolerances at 90*, tilt the blade to 45* and repeat. 90* and other angles use a different plane so alignment of one dos not in any way assure alignment of the other.

[Jonathan Freinkel]

If the top will not move much more than you could ever need it to, something is awry. Could be spoil in the oversized holes taking up all the adjusting room. Could be somewhere in its life it was exposed to something to make the top "stick" to the cabinet. Once loose, there should be plenty of freedom to overshoot in nearly any adjustment direction.

I say all this assuming you do not have the fence rails still bolted up tight and holding things still. It is not a big deal to just go ahead and pull the top to see what's what. The good news is that it should be something pretty simple.

Once you have everything within tolerances at 90*, tilt the blade to 45* and repeat. 90* and other angles use a different plane so alignment of one dos not in any way assure alignment of the other.

Interesting point about the fence rail. I had it bolted up but based on the fact that the top was attached to the cabinet and only 3 bolts connected that structure to the cabinet.

not the case?

[glenn bradley]

Interesting point about the fence rail. I had it bolted up but based on the fact that the top was attached to the cabinet and only 3 bolts connected that structure to the cabinet.

not the case?

Right, I may have misspoken. If the top and wings and fence rails are all one "structure" by virtue of being all bolted together and this assembly is only attach to the cabinet via the saw top's bolts you could adjust it as a whole. The increased mass makes it a bit cumbersome is all. My router cabinet is attached to my tablesaw via the left wing and I have floor standing supports for the right-side table so I have to detach regardless. Didn't mean to muddy the water ;-) I would blast some air in the area of the bolts first to see if there is just some spoil in the way. I always like to take the easiest steps first just in case I get lucky.

[Jonathan Freinkel]

Right, I may have misspoken. If the top and wings and fence rails are all one "structure" by virtue of being all bolted together and this assembly is only attach to the cabinet via the saw top's bolts you could adjust it as a whole. The increased mass makes it a bit cumbersome is all. My router cabinet is attached to my tablesaw via the left wing and I have floor standing supports for the right-side table so I have to detach regardless. Didn't mean to muddy the water ;-) I would blast some air in the area of the bolts first to see if there is just some spoil in the way. I always like to take the easiest steps first just in case I get lucky.

No worries! I asked the question to learn so it's all good!

I had thought about removing the top and having the holes enlarged but that doesn't sound ideal either.

[Jonathan Freinkel]

Anyone else have any ideas before I pull the top off and look?

[Mike Whelan]

Jonathan, I have the same saw and when I aligned mine I loosened 2 of the bolts and left one tight. Smacked it with a wood block and hammer. The bolt that I left tight help keep it from moving to much and let me "fine tune" it. Might want to give it a try.

[Harold Weaver]

Remove the fence rails and wings from the saw, it is almost impossible to move the table around with this much weight attached. Then remove the three bolts holding the top in place and remove the top. Make sure all the trunnion mounting bolts are tight with no play. Your cabinet top flange mounting holes where the table mounting bolts go should already be elongated to allow for adjustment. Remember, you need to adjust your table from all three mounting locations, not just the rear single bolt. Using your gauge, once you are set in at the best that you can get, gently retighten all the bolts, hitting each bolt a little at a time in sequence until all three are tight, just as you would lug nuts on a care wheel. This will keep you from skewing the setting during the bolt tightening. See the attached photo of my 66 and the elongated mounting holes on the cabinet flange

[Doug Ladendorf]

Jonathan, I had a similar experience with my 66. I was having lots of trouble getting it aligned. At one point it occurred to me to check the blade I was using - a quality Onsrud blade. Sure enough, when I lay it on the table one section was not touching and could be pushed down. Once I put on a confirmed straight blade things were better. Just another thing to check.

Doug

[Tom M King]

I got tired of looking for a blade that would measure the same in rotation from the same measuring spot in a slot (no runout on arbor), and ordered one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/MasterGage-MP-1-MasterPlate/dp/B00006RGLC I had three saws to align, and got them all dead on, and they all cut fantastically clean. I should note that I'm not one to buy many expensive tools, such as One Offs, or even new hand planes.

[Edward Oleen]

Damn it!!! Don't sweat the problem so much. You shouldn't have to whang it with anything.

Just call Inline-Industries and see if they have PALS for a '66 saw...

If they do, then the adjustment is a matter of an allen wrench in the setscrews to get it dead on.

When I tried to align my '63 saw with a mallet and a block of wood, I was all over the place for 3 days. I got and installed the PALS and had it dead on in 30 minutes, including the install time.

[Don Jarvie]

Go over to vintage machinery and download a copy of a manual and follow how to set up your saw. You will be surprised how easy it is after you see what to do.

[Len Rosenberg]

I have a Powermatic 66 from about 1987 or so. It had become very difficult to raise and lower the blade.
In researching a cure, I came across a terrific article on cleaning and tuning one of these beasts. I followed it, mostly, and the results were great.
Here is the link. But for your single alignment issue, you should remove both wings before adjusting the position of the table top.

http://www.ggober.com/shop/p66overhaul.htm

Good Luck!

Len

[Jonathan Freinkel]

Thanks guys!

i looked at a blade replacement and scratched my head about it. The concept was great but I think locally the going rate was $70.

i changed my blade today and looks like they are consistent.
I think the next step is to disassemble the top, pull the rails off etc and clean the thing as well as possible!

ill report back!

thanks again!