TS Tuneup.....

[Jim Fox]

Well, after my "Woodworking is frustrating" post and reading all the replies (thanks everyone).......it dawned on me, before I moved I picked up a dial caliper from the local industrial supply place and made a jig (like below). So, off to the boxes upon boxes that need to be unpacked and sorted.

Below is my jig I built and forgot I had. DUH :o

So, prior to shooting these pics and posting them, I threw it in the runners on the TS. My thin kerf Freud crosscut blade was in, but running the dial indicator across the blade made the dial look like a seismic event. So, I grabbed my latest Freud full kerf blade and put it in. Much better, but still the needle danced a bit.

So I marked a spot on the blade, zeroed out the dial. Moved the point on the blade to the back position and viola...it's out.......can't recall now, but maybe 0.004 or so. So after some bolt loosening and tweaking, it's now at what I would guess to be 0.00025 or so, cause it's not far off of 0, not even a quarter of a tick (tick = 0.001).

So I lowered the blade and tested the fence. It too was off by a little and running the dial along the face was like a seismic event again. So I guess I need to replace the fence. The fence is a beisiemeyer clone for the ShopFox.

Don't have any 1/2 MDF, but I do have some 1/2 Baltic Birch and various chunks of hardwood.

Does the jig look ok? The runner bar is snug in the track, no wiggling. Does my procedure seem ok, assuming the jig is ok?

http://www.planesnsuch.com/Woodworking/shop/calibrationjig1.jpg

http://www.planesnsuch.com/Woodworking/shop/calibrationjig2.jpg

[Art Mann]

Jim,

That setup looks a lot like what I use. I think you are on the right track. How far off from straight was the fence? Be advised that all fences I have checked vary from perfectly straight by several thousandths. You may replace the fence with one that is no better. Before replacing it, I would try to put some kind of facing on it that is flatter than the fence itself. That may very well solve your fence problem.

[Bill Huber]

I think things look good, the jig looks like it will do the trick.
The only comment I can make on the way you have done it is to not pull the Dial indicator across the surface of the fence or the blade. What I was always taught to do was to take a measurement and then pull the steam out and move the indicator and let it gently seat on what you are measuring.

I will say the first cutting board I made were small and then I worked up the the 12x15 boards. It was sure easier to work with the small ones to start.

[Paul Joynes]

Jim

Follow the link to get a guide for tuning up your saw. Very worth the time.

http://store.thesawshop.com/catalogue/docs/tune-up.pdf

Regards,

Paul Joynes

[Bruce Wrenn]

Nice looking jig, but I prefer one that clamps to the head of my miter gauge. John White's book, "Care and Repair of Shop Machines" has such a jig, along with a piece of plywood that takes the place of of a "Master Plate." Total cost, not including the dial indicator, less than a buck. That was for a socket head screw.