Tablesaw Blade Alignment On The Cheap...

[Bruce Barker]

So: I'm trying to align the blade on my Delta contractor's table saw without spending much money. It has been giving me warning signs because the BACK of the blade has been cutting the wood a little.

Only moderately impressed with my results, can you suggest a better way of accomplishing this alignment without spending much (any) more money?

What you see is a piece of "angle iron" (not sure what it's really called, it's thin flexible metal in the shape of an L with holes cut all over it) bolted with one bolt to the open bolt hole at the front of my miter gauge. On that is placed a HF magnetic base and dial indicator, which has been tilted downward so it contacts the blade. (In the photo it looks like the large chrome indicator support bar is hitting the blade but it's not, just the tip of the indicator probe.) I slide the miter gauge back and forth and try to get the same portion of the blade parallel, front and back. (By "same portion of the blade" I mean the area just behind the teeth. It appears the blade is actually a little dished, thinner in the center.) I think I am within about 2 or 3 thousandths. (Was 10 thousandths or more when I started.)

Would be nice if I could get the gauge lower, so it contacts the blade at a right angle, but I don't see how I can with this setup. The gauge is placed as low as I can get it, so must tilt down to encounter the blade nearer the table.

Should I call this good enough, or can it be made better with some creative thinking? I was thinking that two bolt holes in the miter gauge would help a ton, and maybe some of that ultra-high-molecular-whatsitcalled tape on the bottom of the "angle iron" so it slides easily.

But maybe there are better solutions I have not thought of...what say you?

http://www.cmp-usa.com/interest/tablesaw%20alignment.jpg

One more question, when tightening up the 4 trunnion bolts, how tight? I gave it a good hard crank with the 3/8 ratchet you see, which is not going to allow me tons of torque, which is why I chose it. Would hate to break a bolt up there.

Please forgive any bad nomenclature, not sure what all these parts are called. Will edit if I have misnamed something. Thanks.

[Justin Leiwig]

Take all that junk off the and just use the chrome bar with the dial indicator attached. Just drill a hole in a piece of hardwood that fits the chrome bar. Also when aligning make sure you use the same tooth on the blade at the front and the back.

[Pat Germain]

The problem you will likely run into is the trunnion moving as you tighten the bolts. This is wear a PALS comes in handy. I wasn't able to get my Craftsman contractor saw lined up until I installed a PALS. It wasn't very expensive; under $30.00 as I recall.

If you've never heard of a PALS, do some searching here on SMC.

Also, be sure to align your fence as well. You'll want to reference the same miter slot you used to align the trunnion/sawblade. A little Loc-Tite on the bolts will help to keep things aligned once you get there.

[Lee Schierer]

The problem you will likely run into is the trunnion moving as you tighten the bolts. This is wear a PALS comes in handy. I wasn't able to get my Craftsman contractor saw lined up until I installed a PALS. It wasn't very expensive; under $30.00 as I recall.

If you've never heard of a PALS, do some searching here on SMC.

Also, be sure to align your fence as well. You'll want to reference the same miter slot you used to align the trunnion/sawblade. A little Loc-Tite on the bolts will help to keep things aligned once you get there.

I had a similar problem with my craftsman, teh lock washers under the bolts kept pulling the trunnions back to the original location. I had to rotate tehm slightly to get them out of the grooves in teh trunnion ears so the alignment would stay put as I tightened the bolts.

I use a wood screw to attach my dial indicator to a piece of wood so the dial faces up, getting the indicator rod very close to the table surface. I then clamp the piece of wood to my cross cut guide. This gets you the most spread from front to rear on the blade when it is at full height. I tightened up the fit of my miter bar in the miter slot by sticking on a piece of .003" thick uhmw tape. Now I have zero play and it still slides smoothy.

Don't waste your time trying to adjust the craftsman fence if it is the style that locks front and rear on the table. They never lock up square any way. I recommend upgrading to a Biesmeyer.

[Myk Rian]

I attach the dial indicator to a piece of scrap, and clamp that to my miter gauge.
One trick I heard was to align the saw with flat washers under the bolt heads. When it's aligned, swap the flat washers for lock washers one-at-a-time.
The PALS also works.