Blade to table adjustments

Hi guys.... I have about a 12-13 year old 3 hp Delta Unisaw. I've always have had some sawdust coming back off the front of the blade. I know fence is parallel to the miter slot as I set it with a dial indicator. I put a Master Plate on the shaft and run the dial indicator along the length of the 8" plate. I zeroed the indicator over the shaft and took measurements front to back. The reading is telling me the trunnion is skewed a total of 4 thousands (2 forward and 2 back of the shaft). I've never attempted to adjust this saw before but finally getting tired of eating the dust. :D Has anybody done this chore before? Is it a real bear to do? Big question, am I just being too anal about the amount the blade is skewed to the table?

Thanks

Royall
 
i think i know you??? arent you the guy who built a new home on the island and then got into cooking for awhile? if so welcome back dude.. as being anal well we all have some of that.. just to flaber gasted to here from you again to be able to answer tech questions:)
 
I be dat haole Larry... Yeah, has been awhile. Woodworking isn't a hobby anymore for me and not quite a job either. Basically I'm a handyman doing what ever to help people out here. I work in the shop to do anything from kitchen cabinets to a custom child's art easel. A little plumbing, wiring, cement work.... I'll tackle most any job asked of me, as long as I feel I'm doing right by the customer. When the afternoon shadows start stretching out, I head into the house and don't even think of shop work. Now I need to either adjust the saw or keep putting up with the assault on my face. LOL The other thing going now, is what to do with my shop if the lava keeps heading my way.... If old age don't get me the lave might :)
 
Hi Royall man its just great to see you back here. I have wondered what happened to you. Glad to see you not covered in lava. :) Sorry i am no use at any suggestions for your saw.
 
Thanks Rob... The lava has slowed down over the weekend. Just never know with Madam Pele..

I've been looking at Youtube. I found a Saw setup video by the Wood Whisperer. He is setting up a Powermatic and it has the same 4 bolt holding the top to the cabinet. I didn't try that because the Tech guys at Delta told me that the trunnions were bolted to the top. Well I thought he was smokin a little too much pakalolo on lunch break but then started second guessing myself. Does anyone know if the top of a Unisaw is free floating to the trunnions? I looked under there but couldn't really tell. If it is free floating, then I know what to do... Heck, my just give that a go in the morning just to see what happens.. I could have sworn that I took the top of the TS when I moved over here... After 9 years on this rock the brain goes into neutral easier everyday!! ;)
 
I assume the Unisaw has cabinet mounted trunnions. If so, its a snap. I remove my wings and fence rails when I align but, some folks prefer to fight them. Four bolts hold the table to the cabinet. You loosen them a bit and the table will shift about. I leave one corner snug and pivot from there first just in case I get lucky. If I run out of adjustment room before I get what I want I snug another corner and use that for a pivot. I know that is real general but, there's a lot of posts on here that go into painful detail on this. Here's one by some knucklehead.
 
Royall, you and I know each other from the Wood forum (I think it was there, if not maybe Woodnet?) many years ago. It is good to "see" you again. Anyway, I have that same saw. I doubt you will ever elimate the dust from the blade unless you install an overblade DC pickup. But if you want to tune it closer (though .004 wouldn't bother me) it couldn't be easier, just do what Glenn suggested (I seem to remember that is a true Unisaw, not one of the hybrid models they were selling some years ago). Anyway, good to see you around, hope your move has worked out as well as you planned.
 
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I have been too busy with life to do anything except lurk, but seeing your post makes me find the time to say hello. Good to hear from you, Royall.
 
Add another "Welcome Back!" to the list, Royall! :wave:

I'll add to what Fred mentioned by saying I didn't think blade alignment really had much to do with how much sawdust is spit back at the operator on a tablesaw. (Unless the blade is WAY out of whack...much more than 0.004".) I think it has more to do with the blade and the tooth geometry than it does the alignment.
 
Royall, you and I know each other from the Wood forum (I think it was there, if not maybe Woodnet?) many years ago.

Yes Fred, I was on Wood for a long time. As with so many forums now days, they reach a point where, if you're not politically correct in every statement, you get beat up by one member or another. I did learn a lot there. I don't remember the name but I believe it was "Jim" something that I learned about 50/50 wipe on poly. The formula was 50% naphtha and 50% poly and I used that on most of my mission style furniture I built for the house in Oregon. Marlen Kemmit (spl?) even sent me an advanced copy of some new plans for the Morris Chair that was featured on the cove of Wood, for me to put together. He wanted feed back from a novice woodworker as to whether the plans explained things well enough for a novice. I got it built but never used leather for the upholstery, just fabric. Sold all of the mission furniture when I moved over. Most went to a period B&B in Northern California... I didn't thing the joints would have made the transision to such a humid place a the east side of the big island.... Sorry about the ramble!! Just finishing the morning coffee LOL
 
Well, went out to the shop today and did a little bump here, and a little bump there, and Dog gone if it did get better! Just barely .001 across the 8" plate. Put the blade back in and fired her up and run a piece of stock through. It is almost dust free now. What little there is I can live with better than what it was doing before. The stock that I ran through was a 1x4 strait grain fir (clear fir/trim fir) and the edge came out about like I had run it over the jointer. I'm running a Freud thin kerf blade. I'm going to try my old Forrest II later. I don't use the Forrest too often as it is just too noisy for my old ears but it gives a nice finish on the wood when the saw is working good.

Thanks to everybody that chimed in to help!!
 
Hey, old man, one thing I forgot to tell you is that I have to wear ear muffs when I run most any of my machines. The "Tinnitus" I have just makes things worse when I hear loud noises, so, the protectors. (I hate it when the military jets fly over.)

Oh well, nice talking to you again.

Aloha.
 
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