Alignment Question

Mike Gabbay

Member
Messages
180
Location
Herndon VA
Ok so since I have not provided pictures of my new saw this never happened! :D

I was tinkering with my General 650 this weekend. Calibrated the 45 degree and 90 degree settings (90 was dead on and the 45 needed 1 degree more), adjusted the miter gauge etc. I checked for alignment and found that the back side is off by .003. No big deal since all of my cuts are dead on at 90 when using a 6" board and Starrett combination square.

Well being as AR as I can be, I decided to realign the table. So I loosened 3 of the 4 bolts and left the 4th one a little snug to act as the pivot point. I used a rubber weighted mallet to tap the corner to move the table. No change in the dial indicator. So I gave it a fairly good smack. No change in the dial indicator! :eek::huh:

So I finally used the front rail as a lever to persuade the top. No change in the dial indicator!:huh: :huh:

Question - Do I have to take the rails off? I would not think so. Any thoughts on why the top is not moving?

Thanks
 
Sorry, Mike, I must be missing what you're trying to adjust ...

It sounds like you're trying to adjust the trunion underneath the saw to align with the miter slot, is this right? If so, the reason it hasn't moved could be that the 4th bolt is too tight, or that you're out of "play" in the direction you want to go. If so, you'll have to loosen the 4th bolt and move it one direction or another to get it aligned. Sometimes the front is "bottomed out" so to speak and you have to tweak it the other direction.
 
Heck.. I thought being out .003" (more open in the back of the cutting blade) was desirable, It helps keep wood from binding between the blade and the fence?
 
Dave - it's ok to have the fence off but the blade and miter slots should be as close to 0 as possible so you get square cuts

Jason - I checked the clearance on the cabinet flanges and they appear to have room. I'm not sure why it would not move. Maybe the pivot bolt was too tight but I kind os doubt it. :huh:
 
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Dave: Having the fence out is considered, by some, to be a decent thing. I personally shoot for .001" or less if I can get it in all alignments on the TS. If it moves straight, it can't be off - if it moves un-straight(?) the chances of it being off are higher. Not much higher, but higher.

Mike: That's weird ... Can you maybe shift it from the opposite end (the opposite direction, too)? Unless there's a 5th bolt! Wouldn't that be just like those canadians? KIDDING! :rofl:
 
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