Squaring up a table saw fence - need help

[Brian Sommers]

I have the Dewalt 7491RS and just now noticed that the WHOLE face (and when I say face, I mean the side that sits parallel to the blade, the side toward the side of the blade) top to bottom is not square to the table.

The top edge is but there is a gap toward the bottom of the fence.

Is this intentional?

Shouldn't the whole face of the fence be square to the table?

My blade is square to the table.

I'm calling dewalt now.

[glenn bradley]

The face of the fence should be true and perpendicular to the table surface. That being said, the saw model you mention is a job-site saw and not intended for precision work. It is probably within the design spec but, I would push them for better; what have you got to lose.

[Brian Sommers]

This is what I'm thinking.

so is there such a thing as a finishing ts? when i googled it all i got was a finishing blade and I do have that.

[Terry Beadle]

Hello !

The fence should show no light at the bottom or the top. You can use shims to adjust the fence squareness. I've seen using masking tape as a quick fix and copper automobile shim material as a permanent fix.

Some times there is a gap put at the bottom of a fence to allow sawdust to clear but that's not the best system. Table saw cuts are not expected to meet furniture grade joints.
So you can adjust the squareness of the cut with a hand plane very easily, or as easy as some modest practice will allow you to obtain.

I hope this helps.

Good Luck and Happy New Year !

[Brian Sommers]

GRRRR!

After a lot of song and dance. I had to call the Dewalt Factory Service Center and will have to send my old fence back in.

I'm thinking there has to be a fix of some sort.

I'll take some pix and you can see, what I'm talking about.
Maybe I don't have something setup correctly.

[John Schweikert]

There are machine screws which hold the aluminum extrusion (the fence face) to the front and back fence mounts. Can't those be loosened to adjust the face for vertical square to the table top? That's a common method for jobsite saws.

[Brian Sommers]

Yeah, I finally got to those, problem is as I begin tightening them back up, it goes out of square again.

here are some pix.

as it is now
328565

Hopefully if I can square it up and keep it there.
328566

odd, why they are rotated is weird to me.

[John Schweikert]

Can you clamp the extrusion part to the table top once square, then tighten the hardware down?


Yeah, I finally got to those, problem is as I begin tightening them back up, it goes out of square again.

here are some pix.

as it is now
328565

Hopefully if I can square it up and keep it there.
328566

odd, why they are rotated is weird to me.

[Brian Sommers]

Very frustrating day, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I flipped my fence 180 degrees over and it's much better.
again the image rotates left 90 deg. but anyway. I can work with this.
it's tight top and bottom with a little light coming through in the middle.

328590

I then found out, that my cross cut jig that I made for my TS is out of whack a little as well.

I think I will scrap that and get the Incra miter gauge with the telescoping fence. I'll use that and make me a better one out of good hardwood instead of 2x4's, etc.

[Randy Rose]

[QUOTE=Brian Sommers;2512031

I think I will scrap that and get the Incra miter gauge with the telescoping fence. I'll use that and make me a better one out of good hardwood instead of 2x4's, etc.[/QUOTE]

Good idea, IMO making any fixture out of construction grade material is just asking for disappointing results.
Best of luck with tuning your saw & jigs.

[Lee Schierer]

No offense, but your square looks like a die cast aluminum speed square. If it is it isn't exactly a precision instrument. I would suggest checking things with something a bit more precise.

[Brian Sommers]

A light bulb went on!

I can use my existing crosscut sled.

All I would have to do is cut a new piece and re-register it 90 deg. and glue and screw that down.

Wouldn't this work? I wouldn't need to make a new sled.

[Fred Voorhees]

No offense, but your square looks like a die cast aluminum speed square. If it is it isn't exactly a precision instrument. I would suggest checking things with something a bit more precise.

Precisely what struck me when I looked at the pics Lee.

[Greg R Bradley]

I have that exact saw and it is excellent for what it is, which is a JOBSITE saw. It's a $300 saw on a $200 stand. You can buy almost the same exact saw from HD right now for $229, without the base and the earlier narrower rip capacity: DW745.

Like any saw, it needs to be adjusted to be accurate. Dewalt makes mostly junk but this is one of their gems.

[Justin Ludwig]

It's a $300 saw on a $200 stand.

Exactly. You're splitting hairs with a bald man. Adjust the fence as close to perpendicular as you can, align it square, and make saw dust.

[Brian Sommers]

No offense, but your square looks like a die cast aluminum speed square. If it is it isn't exactly a precision instrument. I would suggest checking things with something a bit more precise.

What would you recommend?

[Rod Sheridan]

What would you recommend?

Hi Brian, this is what I use.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=32601&cat=1,42936,42941&ap=1

There will be other vendors of this sort of item as well.

regards, Rod.

[David Eisenhauer]

Most folks have at least one "good" square that they use for checking/adjusting machine setups, fabbing jigs and checking important measurements with. This particular "good" square is taken care of and stored in such a manner that it is not beat up or otherwise mishandled. It is not commonly used for normal squaring tasks. There are various vendors (and you can spend however much you want to) of various sized squares out there. It is not automatic that the square you have now is not truly "square", but you can check for that. Lee Valley is always good to start the search for any woodworking tools and then there is Starret (to name one) for precision measuring/squaring tools. Another popular source for quality squares (in various configurations) is Woodpeckers. If Festool is accused of offering the green Kool Aid to drink, then the Woodpecker crew indeed offers the red Kool Aid. As to your saw, make it as square as you can, but there will be a finite limitation to how square it can be adjusted to and be able to hold that adjustment throughout daily use. Only you can decide how much effort you want put into it. Good luck and have fun.

[glenn bradley]

Very frustrating day, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Looks like great progress. I also think you can re-use your sled base with a new rear fence if that is what you were saying. I make my sled fences adjustable rather than glue and screw. This is an old thread (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?50581-Sled-Purpose-Specific-1) and my method has refined a bit but, the sled made in it is still in use.

[John TenEyck]

Plastic drafting triangles are really square - and cheap. I use them all the time to make sure my jointer fence is square to the table. No need to spend much money.

John

[Justin Ludwig]

Plastic drafting triangles are really square - and cheap. I use them all the time to make sure my jointer fence is square to the table. No need to spend much money.

John
To echo the cost coefficient:

A piece of plywood/mdf/melamine/laminate/etc cut square works great. Measure corner to corner with a rule to ensure squareness. Bam, $.01 and you're golden.

I suppose the only way that wouldn't work is if you cut your material with a tool that has severe run-out.

[John Donhowe]

Another cheap accurate square is a CD jewel case.

[Dave Zellers]

Hi Brian, this is what I use.

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=32601&cat=1,42936,42941&ap=1

There will be other vendors of this sort of item as well.

regards, Rod.
And free shipping over $40 for 2 more hours...

You know you want one............

And dozens of other things...

Tic-toc...

[Dave Zellers]

As others have said, this is a job site saw- you can't expect too much. That said, you can tweak / tune it up yourself. Screw a sacrificial wood fence to it and then use a plane on the back side to adjust it square to the table. You will want the sacrificial fence anyway, it's incredibly useful.