Nissim Avrahami
02-24-2008, 12:18 PM
Good day
Well, it's almost spring and I started to "warm-up" the machines...well, table saw and router table...that's all my "machines".
I don't have all this expensive equipment to align the blade to the miter slot so, I used a "Lo-tech" method just to bring the blade as parallel as I can, to the miter slot. I call it "Static alignment"
In my opinion, all the "Hi-tech" (and Hi-price) instruments can be "super-duper" accurate but, I think that the blade itself "knows" better if it is aligned to the miter slot or not.
I call this check, "Dynamic alignment"...I just clamp a strip to the sled (or the miter gauge) and cut...when the strip reaches the back teeth, I listen to the noise...
If it's "cutting" noise, I know that I have to turn the blade clockwise.
If I don't here any noise, I know that I have to turn the blade counter-clockwise.
If I hear a "scratching" noise (I mean, the back teeth are just touching the strip) I know that the alignment is good.
Later, I check the fence alignment to the miter slot (Static check), rip some thin board and listen to the noise of the back teeth (Dynamic check)....and, same as above...
Actually, you can omit all the "Static test" and align the blade only by using the "Dynamic test"...especially if it's only minor correction, but the "Static test" will save some time and if you are lucky, the "Dynamic test" will prove good on the first time.
Regards
niki
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/01.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/02.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/03.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/04.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/05.jpg
And here is the "Dynamic test"
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/03-1.jpg
Listen to the noise of the back teeth
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/04-1.jpg
Bring the rip fence close to the miter slot and check the distances at one end...
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/05-1.jpg
....And the other end
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/06-1.jpg
Cut a test piece and listen to the back teeth noise...
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/07.jpg
Well, it's almost spring and I started to "warm-up" the machines...well, table saw and router table...that's all my "machines".
I don't have all this expensive equipment to align the blade to the miter slot so, I used a "Lo-tech" method just to bring the blade as parallel as I can, to the miter slot. I call it "Static alignment"
In my opinion, all the "Hi-tech" (and Hi-price) instruments can be "super-duper" accurate but, I think that the blade itself "knows" better if it is aligned to the miter slot or not.
I call this check, "Dynamic alignment"...I just clamp a strip to the sled (or the miter gauge) and cut...when the strip reaches the back teeth, I listen to the noise...
If it's "cutting" noise, I know that I have to turn the blade clockwise.
If I don't here any noise, I know that I have to turn the blade counter-clockwise.
If I hear a "scratching" noise (I mean, the back teeth are just touching the strip) I know that the alignment is good.
Later, I check the fence alignment to the miter slot (Static check), rip some thin board and listen to the noise of the back teeth (Dynamic check)....and, same as above...
Actually, you can omit all the "Static test" and align the blade only by using the "Dynamic test"...especially if it's only minor correction, but the "Static test" will save some time and if you are lucky, the "Dynamic test" will prove good on the first time.
Regards
niki
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/01.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/02.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/03.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/04.jpg
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/05.jpg
And here is the "Dynamic test"
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/03-1.jpg
Listen to the noise of the back teeth
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/04-1.jpg
Bring the rip fence close to the miter slot and check the distances at one end...
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/05-1.jpg
....And the other end
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/06-1.jpg
Cut a test piece and listen to the back teeth noise...
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb151/matsukawa/TS%20blade%20Lo-tec%20align/07.jpg