I would square blade to miter slots first
then every thing to slots
then every thing to slots
Table saw alignment issue.......HELP
I have a craftsman 113.298721
Just purchased this saw…
I get it home and start doing some alignment. Measure from fence to blade then check the measurement indicator of the fence rail, it's out about an 1/8 inch and the indicator is maxed out on the adjustment.
What now? Can I put a spacer on the blade to move it that 1/8 inch.?
Just purchased this saw…
I get it home and start doing some alignment. Measure from fence to blade then check the measurement indicator of the fence rail, it's out about an 1/8 inch and the indicator is maxed out on the adjustment.
What now? Can I put a spacer on the blade to move it that 1/8 inch.?
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
If your blade is mounted separate from the table loosen the bolts holding the table to the bottom of the saw. Gently bump the table to lign up the blade. On my cwmi the blade is bolted to the table so i had to loosen the bolts holding it and shift the whole blade arbor assembly slightly to align it. Most saws can be aligned by gently moving the table but be careful and dont hit the cast iron hard out of frustration nothing good can happen.
But its much more important u line it up to the slots not the fence. Your fence can be checked for squareness to the table with a really good square but the blade needs to run true with the slots or u wont crosscut anything without binding and burning. If your fence is trash buy a vega or another good fence and lign it up carefully
Woz, if this is your first saw, you should start a tune up from the beginning as Groovy suggests, you can get your Owners manual here and Kelly Mehler has a very good book for how to tune your saw, that was a great help for me. Also in the category of lessons learned, I found that this tool is very slick for making adjustments and while not cheap, it's simplicity and speed of use have made me realize that even though I found a good deal on it, I would have paid full price.
Welcome to LJ
Welcome to LJ
Don't ever use the indicator on the fence rail, always measure direct from the fence to a tooth on the blade.
Here's a thread that I started when I was having issues getting my blade square.
As others have said, get the blade parallel to the miter slots first.
There should be 4 bolts that attach the blade assembly (aka the trunion) to the bottom of the table. Loosen those up and get the blade parallel to the miter slots. Then tighten the bolts back up. That will make the trunion move a tiny bit and you won't be parallel anymore, but it will be better. Repeat again and again until the bolts are tight and the blade is parallel with the slots. It's a fiddly and tedious process, but once done you shouldn't have to do it again.
The fence should have some sort of adjustment mechanism built into it. So once the blade and miter slots are parallel, then you can adjust the fence to be parallel to both.
As others have said, get the blade parallel to the miter slots first.
There should be 4 bolts that attach the blade assembly (aka the trunion) to the bottom of the table. Loosen those up and get the blade parallel to the miter slots. Then tighten the bolts back up. That will make the trunion move a tiny bit and you won't be parallel anymore, but it will be better. Repeat again and again until the bolts are tight and the blade is parallel with the slots. It's a fiddly and tedious process, but once done you shouldn't have to do it again.
The fence should have some sort of adjustment mechanism built into it. So once the blade and miter slots are parallel, then you can adjust the fence to be parallel to both.
Wait, wait, wait. We may be WAY over complicating this.
When you say, "measurement indicator of the fence rail," do you mean the little red line on a piece of clear plastic on the rail of the fence with the tape measure underneath?
If so, then you should be able to peel the ruler off the rail and re-position it where it should be. Just be careful pulling it off. And clean the rail with alcohol before sticking it back down.
I know you can also get new adhesive tape measures from Amazon and Rockler and all of that for less than $10.
When you say, "measurement indicator of the fence rail," do you mean the little red line on a piece of clear plastic on the rail of the fence with the tape measure underneath?
If so, then you should be able to peel the ruler off the rail and re-position it where it should be. Just be careful pulling it off. And clean the rail with alcohol before sticking it back down.
I know you can also get new adhesive tape measures from Amazon and Rockler and all of that for less than $10.
Yes Tony…..the clear plastic measurement thing on the fence.
I was wondering if I could buy one some where.
I have checked the blade vs the miter slots, same point on the blade front and back, it is dead on!
So with that said do people generally trust the rule on the fence for accuracy or just measure fence to blade and lock it down?
I was wondering if I could buy one some where.
I have checked the blade vs the miter slots, same point on the blade front and back, it is dead on!
So with that said do people generally trust the rule on the fence for accuracy or just measure fence to blade and lock it down?
'Trust but Verify' (Russian proverb used many times by Ronald Reagan)So with that said do people generally trust the rule on the fence for accuracy or just measure fence to blade and lock it down?
- Wozment22
So with that said do people generally trust the rule on the fence for accuracy or just measure fence to blade and lock it down?
Trust it? I don't even look at it. Measure fence to blade only.
Trust it? I don't even look at it. Measure fence to blade only.
different thickness blades will make the measurement rule not be accurate-always measure!
My indicator piece over my scale is adjustable left/right by about an 1/8th. When I change a blade that will be used more than for just a couple of rips, I adjust and measure the fence to zero and then adjust the indicator back to the 0 mark of the scale. Everyone has their own way and this one works for me, + the magnifier bubble over the scale makes it easier than squinting at a tape…LOLSo with that said do people generally trust the rule on the fence for accuracy or just measure fence to blade and lock it down?
Trust it? I don t even look at it. Measure fence to blade only.
- bondogaposis
Yes mine has an adjustment also. When i goe the saw home I was doing some alignment, the fence was about a full 1/4 off from what the indicator read. So I adjusted it to the correct direction but it's still out about 1/8" now.
Is it safe to assume that you bought your table saw used? If so, I'm not so sure re-aligning the ruler or buying and placing a new one is worth the effort.
I don't have years of experience with any of this so take this all with a grain of salt.
I just bought a new Ridgid R4512. I got the blade and fence all squared and got the measuring window dead on. Being a new saw, and me being new to this level of woodworking, as well as a little anal about accuracy, I still double-check the measurements. When I measure the work piece, post-cut, I'm finding the measuring window to be dead on, which always gets me a little giddy when I think about the job I did setting up the saw as a newbie.
I'm happy I can trust my fence, but I still check it. And this is with a brand new saw.
The point is, you can spend a few bucks on a new ruler and then spend a day trying to get it right, but in the long run, you'll probably still not be 100% trusting of it and will spot-check it, at the very least. I'm certainly making an assumption about you as a person, as I don't know you from Adam, but if it were me, I wouldn't fuss so much with a convenience feature on a used saw.
If your saw is brand new, then I'd be complaining to the manufacturer that you can't get the ruler lined up out of the box.
I don't have years of experience with any of this so take this all with a grain of salt.
I just bought a new Ridgid R4512. I got the blade and fence all squared and got the measuring window dead on. Being a new saw, and me being new to this level of woodworking, as well as a little anal about accuracy, I still double-check the measurements. When I measure the work piece, post-cut, I'm finding the measuring window to be dead on, which always gets me a little giddy when I think about the job I did setting up the saw as a newbie.
I'm happy I can trust my fence, but I still check it. And this is with a brand new saw.
The point is, you can spend a few bucks on a new ruler and then spend a day trying to get it right, but in the long run, you'll probably still not be 100% trusting of it and will spot-check it, at the very least. I'm certainly making an assumption about you as a person, as I don't know you from Adam, but if it were me, I wouldn't fuss so much with a convenience feature on a used saw.
If your saw is brand new, then I'd be complaining to the manufacturer that you can't get the ruler lined up out of the box.
If you can not adjust the sight panel to align with tape, replace the tape. Super easy.
Costs is about $10 for top of line Starrett self adhesive tape.
Costs is about $10 for top of line Starrett self adhesive tape.
Yeah, I bought a Vega Pro fence for my old Craftsman 113. It came with a tape already attached to the front rail. The instructions specifically said it would probably have to be peeled up and moved depending on the saw and how the fence rail was attached.If you can not adjust the sight panel to align with tape, replace the tape. Super easy.
Costs is about $10 for top of line Starrett self adhesive tape.
- CaptainKlutz
That said, I've never done it. I always measure from the blade with my ruler. I've only used the indicator to move relatively. I set the fence with my ruler. Then if I need to move 1/2" or something, I can use the tape on the fence rail just to measure out the 1/2".
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
A forum community dedicated to professional woodworkers and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about shop safety, wood, carpentry, lumber, finishing, tools, machinery, woodworking related topics, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Top Contributors this Month
View All
bandit571
168 Replies
Desert_Woodworker
146 Replies
JackDuren
59 Replies
Recommended Communities
