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+-- Thread: table saw issue (/showthread.php?tid=7328680)
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table saw issue - Tony Z - 03-13-2017
This is an informational post only-not asking for advice on how to fix!
I received a ShopFox cabinet table saw late last year as a gift from my kids. Saw set up and runs very smooth and powers through any ripping I give it, with 2-1/2" cherry being the thickest to date. In setting up the saw, I used a rule, measuring between the miter gage groove and the saw blade. Was still getting some burn marks though! So I invested in a Woodpecker saw gage, and the closest I could get the blade in was .015". At this point, I thought I could do better than measuring against the saw blade and ordered a Master Gage saw plate. Still couldn't do better than about .010". Finally, I started removing the bolts that held the cabinet to the table. With the rear two bolts removed, I got the saw indicated in to between .001" and .002". Looking through the holes where the rear bolts go, each hole was off enough, in the same direction, to not let the bolts be threaded back in. Seems when the saw was built, the rear holes were not drilled correctly, or when the table top was constructed, it was not drilled and tapped correctly.
I cinched down the front two bolts, and in the coming days, when I have another person with a strong back and weak mind, will lift the table off, and ream the holes, to permit proper alignment.
RE: table saw issue - EricU - 03-13-2017
that's really interesting. I swear whenever I try to line the top up on my PM66 it moves as soon as I tighten it up again. Could just be my wrenching technique, but I wonder if I have a slight hole misalignment like yours.
RE: table saw issue - Bob Vaughan - 03-14-2017
Misaligned holes are rare but not unheard of at all. Elongating the holes is a permanent solution. Its often not an easy solution depending on the weight of the top or the construction of the saw.
RE: table saw issue - Roly - 03-14-2017
Can the front of the saw be shifted enough to the side that needs reamed in the back ? If so that would be easier than reaming. Roly
RE: table saw issue - knotscott - 03-14-2017
Since you're already pretty darn close, it might be easier to squeeze that last couple of thousandths by adjusting the fence very slightly to make it parallel to the blade within your desired tolerance range. In theory, this could slightly skew the miter gauge at 90°, but it should be too small of error to notice if you're margin is already very close to parallel. Not necessarily a better fix than elongating the wholes, but an easier one.
(before the Tweaks have a stroke, this suggestion is not intended to compensate for gross mis-alignment...just that last little bit).
RE: table saw issue - Tony Z - 03-14-2017
Elongating the holes will not be difficult, as the two must-drilled holes are both on the back of the cabinet. I'll simply unbolt the top, shift it forward a bit and correct them.
Close could be close enough, but I'm OCD about stuff like this. I figure it will take about an hour to correct the saw, start to finish, and then about another half hour to align. Then it should be good for many years to come!
RE: table saw issue - Phil Thien - 03-14-2017
(03-14-2017, 10:12 AM)Roly Wrote: Can the front of the saw be shifted enough to the side that needs reamed in the back ? If so that would be easier than reaming. Roly
^^^ THIS.
RE: table saw issue - Downwindtracker2 - 03-15-2017
It's done all the time in industry. We rate machines on how well they line up. I've spent many an hour with a die grinder.
RE: table saw issue - Tony Z - 03-15-2017
Did mine last night (Shopfox 1819). Quicker than I estimated, good to go-used a Lennox stepped electrician's bit.
RE: table saw issue - Steve N - 03-15-2017
Glad you got it working properly. Another thread where OP asks if he should worry because his TS table isn't flat. < $1K saw. There was a day when these problems weren't, but that ship sailed. Hardly get an adjustment anymore unless the tool is $3k or more. Unfortunately the fix is often beyond all owners to do.