Table Saw ARRRGH!

[Greg Tatum]

When attempting to align miter slots to blade on my TS, is it nessasary to remove the 50" rails and extention table? Also, if the blade tooth in the front is 0.008 farther from the slot than it is when in the rear, then which corner or side do you start tapping to bring it into alignment ? Is it right to only adjust it 1/2 the error? If not then it seems that I would only be moving the gap from front to back and I would still have my ploblem.
I think this because I have only loosened 3 of the bolts and one is like a pivit point (the front left). This was the advise of a friend who said I shouldn't loosen all 4....is this true?

In my attempt at alignment I have really put it out of whack. Now my indicator stick won't even go 1/2 way across the body of the blade, front to back, before it is to tight to move. What am I doing wrong? :confused:

On the bright side; I'm in the shop :D

Any help would be greatly appreciated.TIA.

Greg

[Jim Becker]

If you are working on a cabinet saw, you should really only have to do this once...it's rare that they go out once set. If you are working on a contractors' style saw, they can be a "bear" to get right and sometimes need more regular adjustment due to the stresses that are placed on the assembly by the suspended motor and tilting mechanism. The PALS system from Woodcraft can be helpful. And yes, you shouldn't loosen all the bolts beyond just enough to make the adjustment...keep 'em pretty snug.

[Bart Leetch]

If its a contractors table-saw go straight to the manufacture of the PALS system. I used it & it works great.

http://www.in-lineindustries.com/products.html

[Joe Bourbois]

Greg, you shouldn't have to remove the rails and extension table to adjust the miter slot to the blade. Like Jim said, loosen all the bolts, but only so much that top is still "sticky" when trying to move it.

[Lee Schierer]

Some model saws use large toothed lock washers to help hold things in place. Since these washers are generally harder than the cast iron, they can work against you when you move the carriage just a slight amount. Sometimes the teeth will pull the carriage right back to where it started as they slip into the old holes they dug in the cast iron. I had greater success aligning my saw by first looseneing each screw one at at time and rotating this toothed washer so it had to find new places to bite.

If you need to move the front tooth say .008 to the left, then the pivot if any should be the back screw on the right. However, if the front screws are already against the side of their holes in the direction you need to move, then you will need to move the back of the carriiage instead of the front. Be sure to tighten each screw a little and recheck the alignment as you work toward being fully tight.

[Greg Tatum]

Hello and thanks for the replies.....good advise from all...now some from me to others like me (read: people who don't know what they are doing but do it anyway :rolleyes: )...never, and I mean NEVER over tighten a bolt that is in a location that you can't get to if, heaven forbid, you ACCIDENTLY snap that puppy right off :mad: .....I now have a shop floor with various TS parts on it.....You see, the Jet JWCS-10 looks just like a JTAS-10 but its internals are put together like the JCS-10.....I have a contractors saw in a full sized cabinet...it looks like this...Hmm, can't seem to figure out how to insert a pic either....anyway,...this saw has a 2hp motor wired for 220 only....2 solid cast iron wings and a 2 belt pully.....they discontinued this model with the intro of the new contractor hybrid saw.....the trunions are attached to the top and the top to the cabinet...I had to take it all apart to get a drill and extractor bit up into it....at least I think I had to. I'll probably find out different as I put it back together :D ....so now I'll start all over again...anyone see potential problems with reassembly and alignment?

I just hope I don't wind up with a few "extra" parts :confused:

I sure hope I learn something out of this!
Greg

Also, does anyone have a link/URL for a manual for this model..can't seem to find it.