Table saw blade alignment - Lo-tech / Hi-tech

Niki Avrahami

In Memoriam
Messages
267
Location
Poland
Good day

Well, it's almost spring and I started to "warm-up" the machines...well, table saw and router table...that's all my "machines".

I don't have all this expensive equipment to align the blade to the miter slot so, I used a "Lo-tech" method just to bring the blade as parallel as I can, to the miter slot. I call it "Static alignment"

In my opinion, all the "Hi-tech" (and Hi-price) instruments can be "super-duper" accurate but, I think that the blade itself "knows" better if it is aligned to the miter slot or not.

I call this check, "Dynamic alignment"...I just clamp a strip to the sled (or the miter gauge) and cut...when the strip reaches the back teeth, I listen to the noise...

If it's "cutting" noise, I know that I have to turn the blade clockwise.

If I don't here any noise, I know that I have to turn the blade counter-clockwise.

If I hear a "scratching" noise (I mean, the back teeth are just touching the strip) I know that the alignment is good.

Later, I check the fence alignment to the miter slot (Static check), rip some thin board and listen to the noise of the back teeth (Dynamic check)....and, same as above...

Actually, you can omit all the "Static test" and align the blade only by using the "Dynamic test"...especially if it's only minor correction, but the "Static test" will save some time and if you are lucky, the "Dynamic test" will prove good on the first time.

Regards
niki


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And here is the "Dynamic test"
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Listen to the noise of the back teeth
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Bring the rip fence close to the miter slot and check the distances at one end...
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....And the other end
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Cut a test piece and listen to the back teeth noise...
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I do the same also on the long fence
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To check the squareness of the sled, I took a piece of thin board (floor panel)....
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And cut it to 4 pieces
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I alternate the pieces and checked them on a straight edge...any mistake will multiply itself...
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Niki
Could you show us your modifications to the dial calipers. Looks interesting I think I see what you did but still would be interested in your description.

Thanks
Keith
 
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