Request to borrow Saw Gauge

[Damienol]

Hi WWF,

i have spent most of my evenings last week trying to tune my Carbatec Contractor Table Saw. I have used
http://www.woodworkforums.com/attachments/f153/283677d1378153436-table-saw-woes-ds-038free.pdf as a reference and can't for the life of me get the saw to cut straight.

I might and probably am doing something wrong but can't for the life of me work out what it is. Perhaps the old screw in the end of a piece of scrap isn't as accurate as the article makes out. I am loathed to spend $100+ on a saw gauge if the table just isn't of high enough quality to cut straight (and I am short on cash at he moment)

if someone in Sydney's Lower North Shore would be kind enough to lend me a saw gauge for an evening so I can do some tests that would be greatly appreciated. I know it is a stretch....

[Damienol]

Thought it would be a stretch.

Back to the screw

[Christos]

Are you certain that the mitre gauge is not moving and 100 secure?

[Damienol]

Are you certain that the mitre gauge is not moving and 100 secure?

Hi Christos,

I have an incra Mitre Gauage that I tuned at the start of the whole process to ensure zero movement in the mitre slot.

cheers

[NCArcher]

The screw in the piece of scrap should get you close enough to cut pretty well. It sounds like you have a different problem. Maybe some movement in the arbor or a twist in the blade.
Check the that the blade is flat with a good straight edge.
Do you have a riving knife/splitter fitted? This may be slightly out of alignment.
Get the blade parrallel to the mitre slot then adjust the fence to suit. Is the fence locking down solidly? Could it be flexing or moving as you make the cut?
Let us know how you get on. If you can't get it right there might be someone in the North Shore who can give you a hand. Two heads etc.

[Damienol]

The screw in the piece of scrap should get you close enough to cut pretty well. It sounds like you have a different problem. Maybe some movement in the arbor or a twist in the blade.
Check the that the blade is flat with a good straight edge.
Do you have a riving knife/splitter fitted? This may be slightly out of alignment.
Get the blade parrallel to the mitre slot then adjust the fence to suit. Is the fence locking down solidly? Could it be flexing or moving as you make the cut?
Let us know how you get on. If you can't get it right there might be someone in the North Shore who can give you a hand. Two heads etc.

Thanks for your time NCArcher

i will have another crack on the weekend.

- what I can say is I have a new blade (Freud) installed and it appears to be perfectly flat when I lay it on the saw table. Maybe I will try with a different blade in case there is a twist too small for me to see.
- i do have a crappy riving knife on the table however my tests have been on a 70mm board so it doesn't come into play
- i am not using the fence as yet (again crappy fence with mm of movement). Testing has been cross cuts on 70mm board using my incra mitre gauge

[rrich]

I suggested this to someone else that it might be that the splitter / riving knife may be out of alignment, elsewhere. The problem is most apparent when switching between full and narrow kerf blades.

We tend to align the safety device with the side of the blade when it should be aligned with the arbor and not the blade. The side of the blade that is next to the holding washer and nut tends to change position with every blade change. (Blade disk thickness varies every blade change.)

Make the cut with the splitter or riving knife removed. If the cut accuracy improves, you have found the problem.

This alignment procedure is exceptionally difficult. I have been begging a business to make the jig but my requests have fallen upon deaf ears. All it requires in an aluminium bar with one end offset the exact thickness of the bar.

No mates, it ain't rocket science.

[Damienol]

Had another crack today.

Put my square against my mitre gauge and check for square again. The blade seems to dip slightly in the middle.

line the blade up to my square and tightened the bolts. After tightening it was off again. Bloody thing moves when you tighten it. Tried again this time aligning it slightly off square to accommodate for the move when tightening.

Bingo. :q