Thread: Left vs Right tilt

Well, the difference is that one tilts to the left and the other tilts to the right. What you probably want to know is the pros and cons of each. I have heard a few, here are the ones I know of:

Left tilt con: the motor is on the left and so if you change the blade thickness the fence setting needs to be adjusted.

Right tilt con: the blade tilts into the fence, so bevel rip cuts are more dangerous because the board being cut can be trapped between the blade and the fence/table. To get around that, owners of right tilt saws put the fence on the other side of the blade. This means you lose ripping capacity.

I've yet to hear anything that would absolutely convince me one way or the other and I'd be looking at other features of the saw and not deciding based on direction of tilt.

Its all a matter of choice and whether the operator works to the left or right of the blade and or rip fence. If you are cutting a bevel on an edge I believe it is safer to have the waste under the blade so it drops onto the table. If the waste is on top there is a very high risk that the waste will be thrown back into your face. I tend to work to the right of the blade and would therefore prefer a left tilt blade, although I have a TS which is right tilt.
For the odd time I need to cut bevels I do as SilentC has sugested I move the fence to the left. the TS can be setup to the left for people who are left handed or prefer to work to the left of the blade.

Masher, current issue of FWW #191, pg30, gives a full explanation of the left vs right tilt tablesaw question.

Issue 63 of Shopnotes, pg 63, also gives additional information.

Have sent you a PM.

Originally Posted by speedy

For the odd time I need to cut bevels I do as SilentC has sugested I move the fence to the left. the TS can be setup to the left for people who are left handed or prefer to work to the left of the blade.

The problem with that is that a correctly aligned fence should very slightly runout away from the blade in its regular position to the right of the blade. Assuming that both sides of the fence are exactly parallel (or near enough) the work piece will tend to bind against the blade. Therefore greatly increasing the chances of a kickback.

As for the changing of blade thickness, this problem is more of an issue with a dado than a regular blade. This is because the same problem occurs with a right tilt saw as well but the problem is more subtle, which is actually worse.

A TCT blade has teeth that are wider than the blade plate. If you look at a saw blade catalogue, this can vary from 1.6mm (thin kerf blades) to 3.2mm, or somewhere in between. Add in to that mix that each time a blade is sharpened the kerf size also changes as TCT teeth are not straight sided.

The net effect of that is that on a right tilt saw, a portion of the TCT tooth will be overhanging the arbor flange. The amount that overhangs depends on the kerf size of the blade. Therefore the distance between fence and right side of the TCT teeth will vary, assuming the fence in the same position.

This also means that you should re-align the cursor on the rip fence to the tape measure whenever you swap a blade, or just measure the distance with a tape measure anyway.

Assuming that both sides of the fence are exactly parallel (or near enough) the work piece will tend to bind against the blade.

Hmmm, if, as you say, the teeth on a TCT blade are wider than the blade plate, as we know they are, then how can it bind on the blade? There seem to be two contradictory pieces of information there.

For what it's worth, my fence is ever so slightly aligned away from the blade, so that it the work peice doesn't bind on the splitter, which is aligned with the right hand side of the blade. Because the splitter is thinner than the blade kerf, the very slight kick in that the fence gives when cutting on the opposite side does not cause any binding on the blade. I do it fairly often, although bevel rip cuts are not a common thing for me.

I have had this happen to me.

Perhaps the fence was not as well aligned as it could have been. That fence was not easy to keep in alignment, not aided by kids who thought that twiddling those screws might be interesting.

On one occasion, I found myself pushing real hard on a regular rip cut before I hit the kill switch. That's when I found the rip fence leaning into the blade by a couple of degrees (at least). The adjustment screws had almost fallen out!

I then got into the habit measuring front and back of the blade before cutting. Next saw will have a very different fence to my last one. (I'm still sans workshop)

Masher,

One difference I recently discovered is the additional difficulty in adapting a non-factory sliding extension table to a left tilt saw because of the position of the motor/cover. I looked at a couple with a view to adapting one for my TS-10L 1PH and it appears those that have a support bracket connected to the saw cabinet will foul the motor cover.

In the end I fitted a Triton Maxi Extension Table using a jig similar to that described by Sturdee. It all works fine and I have been using it all day. Only problem - which Sturdee would not have had on his TS-10HB - is that I cannot open the cover to the motor with the jig in place. I managed to get it off by lifting the cover off its hinges which I can put up with because the benefit of have the extension table far outweighs the the struggle to get to the motor.

It's a minor difference, especially if you are getting a factory fitted extension table or not interested in one at all, but so to are all the other differences we've heard about.


Bill

Note that it seem that only the americans seem to think it is an issue.

It may seem safer if you arent using a riving knife or splitter.

Can anybody tell me of a european saw that is left tilt.

I recon its all a pile of hot air.

someone has MADE a deal out of this left tilt thing to get a market advantage.

I can't see any advantage to it at all.... afterall you can move to the other side of the blade for most operations if it is a problem.

there are a lot more important issues with a table saw than left tilt..... like does it have a riving knife.

cheers

Couldn't agree more with you Soundman.

Thats why the first thing I did when I got my 12"TS was to fabricate a riving knife that follows the blade when tilting and raising/lowering. Of course I had to also whip up an overhead guard too......dont laugh, its not finished yet. one day.

Soundman, you raise a good point.

Most Euro saws have a fence that can have two positions. In the lower position, you tilt the arbo even over the fence if needs be.

The Delta Unifence also has this ability, but it is no longer available here from Carbatec.

Originally Posted by soundman

someone has MADE a deal out of this left tilt thing to get a market advantage.

I can't see any advantage to it at all.... afterall you can move to the other side of the blade for most operations if it is a problem.

Soundy im curious, have you ever used a left tilt saw?

And what. if like me. you can not move the rail to the left of the blade.

I have been using left tilt for last two years and have hated the times i have had to use right tilt on other peoples saws. Once you use one you will love it

Originally Posted by soundman

someone has MADE a deal out of this left tilt thing to get a market advantage.

I can't see any advantage to it at all.... afterall you can move to the other side of the blade for most operations if it is a problem.

cheers

Soundman, have a look at the specs of most machines on the market and you'll find that the maximum ripping width to the left of the blade is usually less than half than that to the right.

The question I have though is how often do you need that much ripping capacity when making a bevel cut. Can anyone give a practical example of it? Not saying there isn't such a thing, just curious.

Nope I hav'nt used a left tils machine... & see no reason to.

Of course almost all american derived benches have considerably more ripping capacity to the right of the blade.

But how often do you need that much capacity......and mitre


interesting that the americans are almost totaly fence oriented.
Where the europeans are very much rolling table driven.

I have used a mates euro panel saw many times.... you hardly ever use the fence..... so left tilt isn't an issue.

cheers