SawStop PCS Bevel Issue

[Bao Loi]

Hey everyone,

I'm new to the forum and fairly new to woodworking. My only experience was woodworking in college for architecture class. I recently purchased my 1 3/4 HP PCS from SawStop and been having a hard time with my bevel cuts. SawStop service has been horrible as well after many times calling and emailing and have yet to get no response. I hope to get some advice here. I'm not sure if it's my technique or if the alignment of the blade is off. But here is the issue.

After making the proper alignment check based on the manufacture literature (blade to miter slot, fence to miter slot, and the tilt axis), my rip cuts are not 90 degrees even after checking the blade with an engineer square. I'm getting a small 0.2-0.5 degree bevel constantly when ripping or resawing 3" wide boards. I place the cut edge on the fence and there is a slight rocking. Again, I checked the squareness of my fence with an engineer square. This is also affecting my bevel cuts. I went to cut a bevel at 30 degrees on my 3/4" cutting board with the bevel cut just 1/8 shy from the top of the wood surface. The measurement from the top of the board to the top of the bevel cut is 1/8 on one end and then tapers to 1/32 on the other.

I used a thin kerf blade from Freud. My alignment of the blade to the miter slot is less than .001" and the tilt axis is less than .002". I checked the arbor for runout and it's perfectly fine. I'm using the measuring gauge from A-Line-It to make all these measurements.

[Timothy Williams]

Did you check the Fence alignment to the table - 90 degrees? Are you starting with one edge jointed flat?

[Bao Loi]

Yes, I checked the fence for 90 to table saw top and I did joint one side with a jointing jig.

Did you check the Fence alignment to the table - 90 degrees? Are you starting with one edge jointed flat?

[Adam Herman]

throat plate flat with the table front to back? did you check that the board has perfectly parallel edges?

it sounds like you are beveling an edge. using a router with a bevel bit that includes a bearing will take care of all the problems associated with trying to use a table saw to complete the job.

[Mike Henderson]

If you cut a wide board, let's say 8", and trim maybe 1/4 off of it (to 7 3/4") are you getting a non-square (not 90 degrees) cut. If you're getting a square cut with a wide board, I'd suspect that the insert is set too low and your narrow board is being pulled down a bit as it moves through the cut.

Don't know why you'd have problems with SawStop support. Every time I've contacted them they're very responsive. Other people have reported the same good service.

Mike

[Ben Rivel]

On a side note, SawStop recommends not using any thin kerf blades. Believe its stated in the manual too. They're concern is that should one ever hit the brake it might not stop quick enough to save the flesh or it might bend/break due to the force from the stop.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I agree with Mike Henderson on this, it is possible that the plate is too low or too high.

With a thin kerf blade, I am worried about deflection, which could also cause a problem, but, I would expect that you could make a cut with no deflection regardless of blade thickness.

Stating the obvious, I assume that you measure the angle from the side that is facing the table saw top while cutting.

[Bao Loi]

Yes, the throat plate is level with the adjacent table top. I joint one side of the board with a jointing jig so it should be 90 based on the measurements with the engineer square. I plan on doing the bevel edge with a router in the future, but it still doesn't change the problem if i were to need to make a bevel edge for another project. The issue would compound

throat plate flat with the table front to back? did you check that the board has perfectly parallel edges?

it sounds like you are beveling an edge. using a router with a bevel bit that includes a bearing will take care of all the problems associated with trying to use a table saw to complete the job.

[Bao Loi]

Let me try to rip on a wider board, but the cutting board cut at a bevel is around 12" wide. So I would like to say that the inaccuracy is still happening.

Yea, I'm surprised with the SawStop service...I emailed them twice directly to the service guy. I also called 2 times to leave a message for clarification on the instruction to make the tilt axis adjustment. No response, but I managed to eventually figure it out on my own....

If you cut a wide board, let's say 8", and trim maybe 1/4 off of it (to 7 3/4") are you getting a non-square (not 90 degrees) cut. If you're getting a square cut with a wide board, I'd suspect that the insert is set too low and your narrow board is being pulled down a bit as it moves through the cut.

Don't know why you'd have problems with SawStop support. Every time I've contacted them they're very responsive. Other people have reported the same good service.

Mike

[Bao Loi]

I was worried about deflection as well...more so with resawing. But I feel that deflection on a 3/4" board shouldn't be an issue. The blade is brand new as well so it's sharp.

I agree with Mike Henderson on this, it is possible that the plate is too low or too high.

With a thin kerf blade, I am worried about deflection, which could also cause a problem, but, I would expect that you could make a cut with no deflection regardless of blade thickness.

Stating the obvious, I assume that you measure the angle from the side that is facing the table saw top while cutting.

[Frank Pratt]

So, the edge that is against the fence is jointed, right? Is the face that is against the table jointed & flat?

Don't understand their service being horrible. I've called a couple of times, not because there was a problem, but just for advice & best practices. They were very good, quick to respond & even quite chatty one time.

[Bao Loi]

Yes, the edge against the fence is jointed by using a jointing jig since I don't have a jointer. I can flip it end for end and there isn't a a rock or a gap between the fence and the work piece. And the fence is 90 to the work top using an engineer square. Maybe you're having better luck than I am with SawStop. I haven't received a response yet....

So, the edge that is against the fence is jointed, right? Is the face that is against the table jointed & flat?

Don't understand their service being horrible. I've called a couple of times, not because there was a problem, but just for advice & best practices. They were very good, quick to respond & even quite chatty one time.

[Prashun Patel]

It seems like your 90 degree vertical rips are also not coming out properly. So, I'd forget the bevel for now, and focus on the straight rips.

What kind and thickness wood are you ripping? Can you rip 3/4" plywood straight?

Have you tried a different blade?

Are you ripping with a featherboard to hold the stock *square* to the fence before the blade? When I don't do that, It is possible for the pushed piece to toe towards the blade. Having the right push stick helps with this as well.

(dumb question Is your fence locking to the rail properly?

Also, are you experiencing any burning on the straight cut?

[Bao Loi]

Thanks for the response

I'm normally ripping 3/4 - 4/4 boards. The typical materials I use are walnut, maple, paduk, purple heart, and ash.

I've tried two blades before - one regular kerf and one thin kerf. I went ahead and redid all the testing after I bought a new blade and still getting the same results.

I am not using a featherboard to make the rips. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the featherboard help with keeping the width consistent? would a feather board help with keeping things 90?

No burn from my recent cuts and yea the rail is locked. One thing about the rail is that I read it's best to have the rail .001" off parallel toward the end of the table to avoid potential binding. Is this true?

It seems like your 90 degree vertical rips are also not coming out properly. So, I'd forget the bevel for now, and focus on the straight rips.

What kind and thickness wood are you ripping? Can you rip 3/4" plywood straight?

Have you tried a different blade?

Are you ripping with a featherboard to hold the stock *square* to the fence before the blade? When I don't do that, It is possible for the pushed piece to toe towards the blade. Having the right push stick helps with this as well.

(dumb question Is your fence locking to the rail properly?

Also, are you experiencing any burning on the straight cut?

[Andrew Pitonyak]

One final thought, is the blade parallel to the fence front to back? More accurately, are the fence AND the blade both parallel to the slots in the top?