Miter slot to blade at 45° angle....

[Chris Merriam]

Wow, after years and years of reading about table saws I never even realized you had to check alignment at 45 as well as 90, I've learned something new today!

Bill just FYI, I was able to buy brass shim stock locally in a combo pack with different thicknesses. I bought it from a Remote control+Train hobby store. I think (not positive) that Hobby Lobby might have it as well. Sounds like you've ordered yours already, but posting this for anyone else needing shim stock.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Bill,

Professionally when I need shim stock, locally I was able to get it at a local machine shop.

[glenn bradley]

And I'll add that aluminum can cut-outs have been working for me for years . Not much help when you need an in between thickness however.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

[QUOTE=Steve Baumgartner;2378223]Here's an animation that should make it very clear what is happening. Note: depending on browser you may have to click on the gif to see it animate.[/QUOTE

You "da-man" Steve!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

And I'll add that aluminum can cut-outs have been working for me for years . Not much help when you need an in between thickness however.

a skillfully applied hammer to different thicknesses?

[Bill Huber]

Here's an animation that should make it very clear what is happening. Note: depending on browser you may have to click on the gif to see it animate.

Attachment 307232

That sure makes it clear and easy to see.

Thanks for the work...

[Bill Huber]

Wow, after years and years of reading about table saws I never even realized you had to check alignment at 45 as well as 90, I've learned something new today!

Bill just FYI, I was able to buy brass shim stock locally in a combo pack with different thicknesses. I bought it from a Remote control+Train hobby store. I think (not positive) that Hobby Lobby might have it as well. Sounds like you've ordered yours already, but posting this for anyone else needing shim stock.

I have a bunch of shim stock, brass sheets 6"x12" and from .001 tp .015 so I should be in good shape.
The problem now is just getting the shims in, I think Jet made the saw and said lets make it as hard as we can for someone to adjust it....

[Andrew Hughes]

Steve that gif is killer.
This thread should be saved for its the best explanation Ive read and seen yet.

[ian maybury]

Hi Bill. I'm coming in late, but have an especial interest in the issue having been through it myself when setting my Hammer K3 panel saw up. It was miles off out of of the factory. OK in the vertical, but burning cuts badly with the blade tilted to 45 deg.

Several have probably explained it already - hopefully this just confirms what has been said.

Getting in as you say can be a bitch, and is saw specific. I had to make a special tool to access the required nuts, and support the trunning assembly when they were loose. The factory i'm sure builds this stuff up on a bench with the underside of the table upwards and before the table is assembled on to the cabinet. They as a result likely have no such access issue during production - it's a pity they don't bloody well do it right then.

Step by step as i experienced it:

The saw blade in order to cut at angles off vertical has to tilt.

This tilting is permitted by the mounting of the saw spindle in a casting which incorporates semi cicrcular trunnions at each end. (large area bearings - as under many band saws) More budget saws may just use horizontally placed pivot pins to form a hinge, but the principle is the same.

While it slides in the strunnions to tilt, the tilting actually takes place around an axis or line running close to parallel to the line of the plane of the blade - actually passing through the centres of the two semi-circles described by the two trunnion bearing surfaces.

It's relatively simple to see that moving one or other end of the trunnion assembly/of this axis/line to the left or right (usually by use of shims placed vertically in the appropriate gap) adjusts the toe in/out when cutting vertically. (i too like to run with 0- 0.001 in toe out from the rip fence at the rear)

It turns out that shimming one or other end of this axis up or down vertically (by shimming the appropriate end of the trunnion trunnion assembly - it's usually mounted to the underside of the saw table, and the shims are placed horizontally between it and the table) changes the toe out setting when the blade is tilted.

Dropping the infeed end (shimming horizontally between the infeed end of the trunnion assembly and the table) of this axis will cause the rear end of the blade to toe out or move further away from the rip fence, and vice versa.

The very good news if you think it through is that (presuming no other movement) this has no effect on the previously completed toe out adjustment of the blade when its in the vertical.

The result is that it's normally possible (the exact procedure depends on the design of the trunnion assembly - especially on where it's convenient to place shims vertically and in manner that prevents them falling out) to as a first step set the toe out of the blade where you want it when it's in the vertical position. Then having tipped the balde to 45 deg (making sure this first/blade vertical adjustment is not lost) place a second lot of shims horizontally under whichever end of the trunnion as required to deliver the required toe out in that situation.

I've found that using a dial gauge equipped saw gauge like the Woodpeckers item works fine in both situations: http://www.incrementaltools.com/Wood..._p/wpsg-wp.htm

Brass shim stock works nicely. I used a spritz of spray contact adhesive to fix successive shims in place while working up to the correct settings - this prevents adjustments being lost and shims falling down inside the cabinet. Double sided tape might be considered an option, but i've found that it has significant thickness, and tends to compress over time.

The other consideration I'm sure you are well familiar with is that it can be important to set up the toe out by touching the saw gauge off the same marked tooth - rotating it 180 deg to check it in the infeed and outfeed positions. (the plate should be, but may or may not be running in precisely the same plane as the teeth)

This should be a one time adjustment. Once set up the toe out should remain the same for tilted and vertical cuts - so that future adjustments may be made in the normal way by adjusting the alignment of the rip fence.

[Bill Huber]

Well working with it for about 6 hours I gave it up for the day.
I have the blade at 90° still at .001 which is good I think, the problem is still at 45°.

I cannot get the shim under the back left bolt, I can get it under the right one and the center one but just can not get to that back left one. I even took the stand's cross brace off so I could get under the saw but just did not have the room to get my arm and hand to the place it needed to be.

I think what I am going to do is get a die grinder from a friend and cut a slot in the back of the saw. My Jet is the hybrid contractor and the back is closed. I could take the saw all apart and flip it over but I just don't want to do that. The slot will not hurt the saw, there is one in front so I see no problem with putting one in the back. With the slot I can then use needle nose pliers to get the shim under the bolt.

I did prove that the back needs to go down, I lowered the front and that made things a lot worse so that to me said the back needs to go down.

I really would like to thank everyone for their comments and input on the subject, it has all helped.

[Jerry Miner]

Here's an animation that should make it very clear what is happening. Note: depending on browser you may have to click on the gif to see it animate.

Attachment 307232

Steve-- Excellent graphic!! You ARE da man!

[Brian W Smith]

I'd look at cosine error in the measurement process,get that under control and then move twds seeing what range the motion is and where manufacturing,screwed up(ha)........but,have been wrong before?