tablesaw setup - help plz

ok, i have the 2325 cabinet TS assembled in the shed
the manuals about as much help as a "you know what" in a "you know what"
grizzly helped.

i've figured out how to align the blade with the mitre track, mine was 1mm out. now just have to do it.
i've checked the blade is 90 degrees to table top when it says it is

I have to chamfer all the edges of the casting,
i read i should remove the blade and sand all parts (washers, blade etc) that fasten the blade onto trunnion to ensure they're flat and no swarf caught up in there.

now to the fence - i've seen 2 schools of thought concerning the fence. some say parallel to blade, other say 1 mm leadout at far end to stop chance of wood binding between fence and blade

what's the generally accepted practise ?

should the fence be LH or RH side of blade or doesn't it matter, or depends upon job ?

i need to check the mitre stops are accurate for 90, 45 etc.
i also need to check the saw is aligned with mitre track at 45 degrees and 90.

anything else i need to do/ check before i start cutting some real wood ?


thanks
tonysa

First thing is to set the blade parrallel to the miter slots, from there all else come easy. As for the fence, it should be exactly parrallel to the blade (front and back teeth) (Which will result in the fence parrallel to the slots. If it is a parrallel the there should be NO binding. Always use a splitter when ripping to prevent any bind or kickback.

If the fence is parallell to the blade and slots then it won't matter which side of the blade you use the fence. I prefer Fence right but have a lefty friend who prefers fence left. doesn't matter, its your saw so...

BTW what is this sanding and filing? should have come from factory ready for use. With blade parallel to slots.

If you set the fence 1mm out then every piece you cut will be 1mm off. Set the machine square, parallel, & Plumb The operator prevents the bind and othe crap by using splitters and correct pushers, jigs and fixtures, and good safety practices.

.Theorectically if the fence is paralell to the blade this is correct setup.Many users use either a short fence when ripping ( fence is a piece clamped to original fence to the far side of blade) or move the fence out of paralell.If the fence is absoulutely straight and paralell to the blade you won't have a kickback. Personally I would move the fence out 1/32" or whatever that is in milimeters.Your rips will be consistent in width,either way.
mike

Hey

this debate about exactly aligned or bit off seems be split down the middle by hobbyists and experts alike.

My 2c is that if u run a piece of timber, say 4" wide x 1" thick x 2ft long until the cut is about half way thru. Stop the saw and most times the ends will be wider at the open end than at the saw blade, as if the timber is spreading.

So from this I adjust the fence so that it is slightly (less than 1mm) offset. It does not seem to upset the accuracy nor do i get any binding which is why some offset.

So in a nutshell my exp is by offsetting it slightly I have no negative results so I stick with that.

I always use my fence on the right for no good reason other than thats where the tape measures are.

Good luck

dazzler

My understanding was that the fence should be opposite the tilt of the blade eg: if the blade tilts left, fence is on right so offcuts fall to the 'underside' of the blade.
I cut on both sides depending upon what I am doing but for the most part I stand to the left of the blade with the fence on the right and hope the pawls will arrest any kickback, if there is any.

There's a similar thread dealing with this issue at the moment. Here's my two bob which as everyone knows, is worth two bob:
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...2&postcount=26

Damien

I'm sorry but its paralell to the blade for me.
If you are going to make it 1mm why not 10mm.
I've seen timber open up 4 or 5mm so 1mm dont do any thing for me.
You've baught an accurate machine whay intriduce an error.
If you think you might use the fence the other side of the blade it must be paralell.
I do ocasionaly use my fence on the other side too.
cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hickory

BTW what is this sanding and filing? should have come from factory ready for use. With blade parallel to slots.

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I filled the edges of my Jet soon as i got her. They are always sharp and when you rip or cut and you drag the board back towards you, the sharp edges always mark the timber. File em smooth and slightly round and problem solved:)

interesting comments - thanks

Everything so far has been approx 1mm out of alignment, first the blade to the mitre, the fence to the blade, the blade at 90 degrees. Must have a bad day machine, at least its given me the opportunity to see how and where things fit.

The edges weren't too bad but I put 1mm chamfer on them anyway.
found i mounted the rear fence guide just proud of one of the mitre tracks. I wondered why the mitre got stuck down that end.

I'll try setting the fence at 90 and see what happens. I'm attempting a small melamine crosscut sled with zero clearance out of some spare melamine covered chipboard and jarrah floorboards. i love the accuracy of this machine, set the fence to mitre track width (can't remember measurement), ripped the jarrah floorbaord and she's a near perfect fit as a runner. Few passes with some sandpaper, bit of wax and she slides like a dream.

Just need to run the sled across the blade a few times at 6mm deep for rebate for runners. Should be easy, just watch the fingers, no dado so can only take 3mm at a time. hmmm 7 passes.

I'll need 2 sleds, 1 for straight and 1 for 45 bevel.

With sacrificial block on sled should be able to make neat cuts.
I'm into making a few boxes at the moment, once I get the beast all tuned and raring to go LOL.

Just need a better combo blade with a few more teeth. How does 60 sound or should I go 80 for neat cuts on both aussie hard and soft woods ? Gotta make the mitres as neat as possible with minimum cleanup. Can't run to dedicated cross/ rip so will have to be combo.

Thanks again for the tips.

Cheers
Tony