Acceptable Tolerance for Ridgid TS3650 rip fence?

[Philip Florio]

When I get my rip fence aligned the best I can with a dial indicator, I'm still finding a piece 10" to 15" being off from .008" to .012" thousandths from end to end?

Coming from a machine shop experience I don't know if I'm being too exact with woodworking?

Phil

[Myk Rian]

One one hundredth isn't much. Is it possible you aren't keeping the stock against the fence? Is the fence deflecting?

Is the large font necessary?

[Philip Florio]

I am keeping it tight against the fence and the fence isn't deflecting.

Phil

[Myk Rian]

Check to make sure the arbor isn't moving in and out.

[Philip Florio]

The only issue is when using the rip fence.

Phil


One one hundredth isn't much. Is it possible you aren't keeping the stock against the fence? Is the fence deflecting?

Is the large font necessary?

[Joe Chritz]

How is the blade with said dial indicator? I am wondering if the blade isn't true 90 to the fence and the back is closer than the front. A few thosandths wouldn't suprise me but .008 - .012 seems a bit large.

I haven't adjusted mine in a few years (since I got it), I will go try a piece and see what I get and post back at lunch.

Joe

[Jason White]

You might be expecting too much.

That said, I had some initial trouble aligning the blade to the miter slots on my TS3650. I loosened all the trunnion bolts except for one in front to "pivot" on, then used the lever at the back to fine-tune the alignment (the manual for the saw explains this somewhat). I then tightened the rest of the trunnion bolts all the way. I used a combination square to check distance from blade to miter slot at both back and front of the blade (make sure you're referencing off of the same tooth on the blade for both front and back). A dial indicator seemed like overkill for the type of stuff I do. After the blade is aligned with the miter slots, align the fence with the miter slots.

If this still doesn't get you there, remove the bevel wheel on the right side of the cabinet and remove the bracket screws that hold the acme screw. Some of the RIDGID saws bind up there when trying to dial in the alignment of the blade. Once the blade is aligned, retighten the bevel wheel hardware. After doing all this and the blade is aligned, you might find the bevel wheel hard or even impossible to turn, so squirt some lube in the trunnion where the blade bevels and don't be alarmed if you see some metal shavings for the first couple of turns until the bevel action loosens up. You won't hurt the saw by doing this -- just don't force it.

Jason


When I get my rip fence aligned the best I can with a dial indicator, I'm still finding a piece 10" to 15" being off from .008" to .012" thousandths from end to end?

Coming from a machine shop experience I don't know if I'm being too exact with woodworking?

Phil

[Rod Sheridan]

Another item to check is whether the fence is straight.....Rod.

[Joe Chritz]

Ok, I just did two tests with a piece of 1/2 plywood.

The specs..... 26" long, one edge jointed straight. Ran the piece through at 4.5 inches. The measurements were 4.484, 4.482 and 4.489 from end, middle to end. How I held the dial calipers changed the reading about .001-.002.

The second rip was set at 4" and I got 3.998, 3.996 and 3.998 respectively. Again I could change .001-.002 by the way I held the caliper.

Those fence settings were off the tape on the fence. It is still remarkably accurate if I make sure to read it from the same angle every time.

Have you ran a dial indicator on the saw blade? Something set in the miter slot so you can check runout at the teeth.

Joe