tango
11-02-2009, 02:19 PM
Well after considerable effort and quite a bit of head scratching I finally figured out why my fence wouldn't align to the blade.
I adjusted everything I could think of. I tried adjusting the fence time and time again, but no matter how much I tried it just wouldn't straighten out. Then I figured the problem had to be somewhere else. I removed the four bolts holding the table to the carriage and this is what I found :eek:
6409
Three of the holes looked like the shot on the right, but the forth was just big enough for the bolt to fit through (shot on the left)
Has anyone else discovered this with theirs?
6410
This is the front of the blade (right) and the rear of the blade (left) prior to fixing the problem. You can see a slight difference, but that made a huge difference when cutting.
6411
Once I found the problem I was able to adjust it properly. Now, here is the front of the blade after adjustment; measured from the rip fence to the blade.
6412
And here is the back of the blade after adjustment with the same measurement. You can see that it is still slightly out of adjustment, but it's going to have to do for now. I don't do much on the saw that requires a great deal of precision, so I'm not too concerned.
I have to admit though, once the table and blade were aligned the result was astounding. I ripped a 32" piece of lacewood and it cut like a hot knife through butter. The back of the blade didn't bind on the wood nor did it give me a poor cut, wow what a difference.
It was the forth bolt holding the table to the carriage that was causing all the trouble. Every time I adjusted the four bolts the one would just pull the table back out of alignment. I had no choice but to remove that bolt for good. Now there are only three bolts holding the table to carriage assembly. It's probably not the best way to do it but it works and I'm sure that the safety of the saw hasn't been compromised.
I could've tried drilling it out, but there's a lot of metal there and I didn't want to risk a ruined bit, or any sort of injury, so I just left well enough alone.
For now I'm back in business and running like never before. I've got a lacewood block being glued up right now just dying to be turned into another pepper mill. I'll post pics when she's all complete.
I want to thank everyone who contributed to the solution of this problem. There were a lot of good ideas submitted, and the support was overwhelming. You guys really are good e-buddies ;)
Tango
I adjusted everything I could think of. I tried adjusting the fence time and time again, but no matter how much I tried it just wouldn't straighten out. Then I figured the problem had to be somewhere else. I removed the four bolts holding the table to the carriage and this is what I found :eek:
6409
Three of the holes looked like the shot on the right, but the forth was just big enough for the bolt to fit through (shot on the left)
Has anyone else discovered this with theirs?
6410
This is the front of the blade (right) and the rear of the blade (left) prior to fixing the problem. You can see a slight difference, but that made a huge difference when cutting.
6411
Once I found the problem I was able to adjust it properly. Now, here is the front of the blade after adjustment; measured from the rip fence to the blade.
6412
And here is the back of the blade after adjustment with the same measurement. You can see that it is still slightly out of adjustment, but it's going to have to do for now. I don't do much on the saw that requires a great deal of precision, so I'm not too concerned.
I have to admit though, once the table and blade were aligned the result was astounding. I ripped a 32" piece of lacewood and it cut like a hot knife through butter. The back of the blade didn't bind on the wood nor did it give me a poor cut, wow what a difference.
It was the forth bolt holding the table to the carriage that was causing all the trouble. Every time I adjusted the four bolts the one would just pull the table back out of alignment. I had no choice but to remove that bolt for good. Now there are only three bolts holding the table to carriage assembly. It's probably not the best way to do it but it works and I'm sure that the safety of the saw hasn't been compromised.
I could've tried drilling it out, but there's a lot of metal there and I didn't want to risk a ruined bit, or any sort of injury, so I just left well enough alone.
For now I'm back in business and running like never before. I've got a lacewood block being glued up right now just dying to be turned into another pepper mill. I'll post pics when she's all complete.
I want to thank everyone who contributed to the solution of this problem. There were a lot of good ideas submitted, and the support was overwhelming. You guys really are good e-buddies ;)
Tango