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Trunnion or table top adjustment?

2124 Views 7 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Chipncut, Jul 28, 2009

Cato

Discussion Starter · Jul 27, 2009 (Edited by Moderator)

I have the Ridgid R4511 granite top TS. I guess when I assembled the saw back in May I didn't check my miter slot to blade squareness as close as I should have. I mostly rip cut on my TS.

Anyway I noticed yesterday when cutting some ply at 24" that my fence scale measurement was off 1/16, where when I'm cutting at 6-8 inches the scale reads correct. When I checked the miter to blade squareness I found that the blade tails away from my combination square in the left miter slot about 1/32 from front of blade to back using the same tooth as reference point.

So would this affect my fence scale?? I'm thinking it must and amplify the further the fence gets away from the blade.

Regardless, I want to go ahead and square the miter to blade and then re square the fence to blade and I am wondering if I should loosen the table top and square that way or should this be a trunnion adjusment?

On this TS the trunnion attaches to the cabinet. Any suggestions would be a big help before I start making adjustments!!

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jerryz

· #2 · Jul 27, 2009

Well if the trunion ataches to the cabinet then adjusting it should be a snap.
Before you start Check that the blade is 90 deg to the table with a good quality combination square or a machinist square.
First you loosen the 4 bolts that attach the table top to the cabinet
Check and adjust the measurement between the Miter slot and the Saw Blade making sure to always use the same point (tooth)
After you are satisfied that the slot is parallel to blade tightnen the bolts carefully so that you don't loose your adjsutement.
Now adjust the fence to the miter making it also parallel.
For maximum precision it is recommended to use a Dial Gauge indicator but you can also use a combination square.

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Cato

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jul 28, 2009

Jerry,
thanks, I kinda thought that might be the logical way to do it, only reason I posed the question was the manual suggested some method where you put a block of wood against the blade and pushed it square to the miter. This didn't make sense to me and sounds like it could ruin a blade.
Oh congrats on your new saw!! I have heard nothing but rave reviews from all owners of that craftsman unit.
It was on my shortlist when this Ridgid went on sale and my local Sears did not have a display model of the one you got, otherwise that probably would have been sitting on my floor.

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PurpLev

· #4 · Jul 28, 2009

- unbolt 4 bolts that hold table to cabinet,
- shift table to align blade with miter slot,
- tighten 4 bolts
- done.

I did this when I assembled the saw since I took the table top off. you square the table to the blade, you never touch the trunnion.

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PurpLev

· #5 · Jul 28, 2009

as Jerry suggested - make sure blade is at 90.

also - I wouldn't worry about alignment perfection to within 0.000" .... a couple of 0.001" should be good enough. as long as it's not 1/32", or 1/64" (read- visible gap).

another thing to do - when you tighten the bolts back in, do it in rotation , tighten bolt 1 a little bit (not all the way), then the next…then the next, then the next… and back to the first one, so that you keep somewhat of an even pressure on all of them at all times - helps keep the alignment from shifting while you're busy with the bolts.

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Chipncut

· #6 · Jul 28, 2009

Aligning the blade parallel with the miter slot is correct

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Cato

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jul 28, 2009

Got it guys, and thanks, just wanted to make sure on the trunnion deal as that was the only way to square on my old sears saw, bang the trunnion with a 2×4 and dead blow hammer.

Glad I can pivot the top on this one, and think I have some fine feeler gauges that may help get it closer than just using my eyes.

I must have been too excited in the assembly mode frenzy to fine tune, and since I have just recently started to spend more time on the saw, I can see that I need to take some time and true up everything properly so I can do more than just rip basic rip cuts.

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Chipncut

· #8 · Jul 28, 2009

Like my wife always tells me, "Did you read the directions?"<(;O}#

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