Thread: Which to align the most accurate?

Thats pretty much what i aim for when setting up my TS redshirt. I adjusted the table so that the miter slot was as close to perfectly parallel as i could get it. I then set my fence so that i have a gap of a bee's whisker at the back of the blade. works well for me! Love to hear the opinions of some of the experts here.

I'm not an expert, but from what I have seen and read, your approach is spot on. This also gives accurate cuts when using a crosscut sled. If the slot and blade aren't parallel, the kerf will drift as the sled moves, even though the 'fence' has been set up perpendicular to the blade.

The small rip-fence clearance at the back of the blade prevents burning or marking of the cut surface. As one DVD presenter commented, "There is no reason for the back of the blade to touch the workpiece."

Rob

When it comes to the rip fence, how much of a clearance at the back of the blade is too much & what 'visible' signs appear when the fence is too far off parallel to the blade? While i used a micrometer to setup the miter slot to the blade, i only used my eye & a good ruler to setup the fence. At the moment i would estimate that the clearance at the back of the blade to the fence would be about 0.2 - 0.5mm Too much or fine & not worth fiddling with?????

cheers, Ratty.

Sounds reasonable

Bewdy. Good to know I'm on the right track. Thanks

Ratty,

The recommended method for checking the alignment of the rip fence is
- rip a piece of timber with the straight edge against the fence, unplug the saw,
-place the timber against the fence, beside the blade,
-spin the blade by hand, pick a tooth which rubs the work piece at the front of the blade & mark this tooth with chalk,
- spin the blade by hand until the chalk mark is level with the work piece at the back of the blade,
-check the clearance with a piece of paper or a feeler gauge.

The clearance should be about 1/64 " or 0.4 mm.

If the clearance is too large, you might get noticeable resistance when ripping.

I have been using a clearance of about 0.5 mm for a decade or so and this gives a fairly smooth cut surface.

Rob

Thanks for that Rob. I checked mine this morning & tweeked it a little closer to the back of the blade as it looked like it was getting over that 0.5mm mark. Its now set at about 0.3mm & is ripping like a dream.

Originally Posted by Rattrap

When it comes to the rip fence, how much of a clearance at the back of the blade is too much & what 'visible' signs appear when the fence is too far off parallel to the blade? While i used a micrometer to setup the miter slot to the blade, i only used my eye & a good ruler to setup the fence. At the moment i would estimate that the clearance at the back of the blade to the fence would be about 0.2 - 0.5mm Too much or fine & not worth fiddling with?????

cheers, Ratty.

I was told by a professional woodworker years ago that the alignment of the blade to the rear of the fence is not crucial as some believe, (within reason of course) he maintained if you keep the pressure against the workpiece and the fence just in front of the blade the cut has already been made by the time the workpiece reaches the back of the blade and so long as the fence is not facing in toward the blade at the back end, will not effect the rip of the timber. His contention was that the cut has already been made at the front of the blade.
I have always made sure the blade and fence are not pinching at the back end of the cut but to measure the lead out between the back of the blade and the fence has not been something I do but just eyeball it. works for me.

Thats very much my thinking on the subject John. I tend to feel that it only becomes an issue when i am ripping strips from a board as i was today. I was ripping 19mm stirps from 150mm wide boards & the offcuts which would next be up against the fence was dragging a little too much on the rear edge of the blade giving me a slight bowed straight edge. After readjusting it the fence to close the gap at the rear of the blade the offcut was nice n straight.