Do you consider 0.5mm (1/50") off significant?

[Handplanesandmore]

Someone was considering between a Festool saw (TK80) and a Mafell Erika. A couple of guys in the forum were saying that it's acceptable that the tablesaw is 0.5mm off in its cuts.

Is that kind of discrepancy a concern to you in your woodworking?

Simon

[lift mechanic]

Not in my shop. That is .020" off a little more than 1/64"

[jteneyck]

Someone was considering between a Festool saw (TK80) and a Mafell Erika. A couple of guys in the forum were saying that it's acceptable that the tablesaw is 0.5mm off in its cuts.

Is that kind of discrepancy a concern to you in your woodworking?

Simon

Define "off in its cuts."  Means nothing to me w/o context.  

John

[Handplanesandmore]

Define "off in its cuts."  Means nothing to me w/o context.  

John

I suppose the guy was saying whatever he was cutting, the result was off by 0.5mm. To correct that, he said this (about the festool saw):

"Yep, and as far as that half a mil is a problem, use this trick: cut the part, flip it toward you and push it along the blade a second time. Problem solved."

Simon

[jteneyck]

I suppose the guy was saying whatever he was cutting, the result was off by 0.5mm. To correct that, he said this (about the festool saw):

"Yep, and as far as that half a mil is a problem, use this trick: cut the part, flip it toward you and push it along the blade a second time. Problem solved."

Simon

Hmm.  Does that mean it's out of alignment vertically or not square to the fence?  In any case, it sounds like an alignment problem, or perhaps a blade problem.  From my perspective, 0.020" out in either plane is no big deal cutting construction lumber, but huge if cutting furniture parts.  

John

[MstrCarpenter]

When I measure and mark using a normal Stanley tape measure for cuts I want to be reasonably perfect, I visually divide each 16th into three parts. So i.e. 9/16 strong is not the same as 5/8 shy. There's about .020" difference, which is verifiable on the cut piece of stock; and that's off a 15" chop saw. I expect my Uni-saw to be much more accurate. If a saw repeatedly produces cuts that are .020" off, I think it could be adjusted closer to something I can't see or feel is off. If you could easily slide a matchbook cover into a miter joint, would that be acceptable? They're only .017" thick.

[Alan S]

It sounds as if they may mean that if you set the fence to a given size and make a cut, and later reset the fence to the same setting you can be off by .5 mm. But on a table saw with an ordinary fence you often plan your cuts so you don't move your fence between cuts that need to be the same, so the discrepancy should be less. Another way to say this is that on a tablesaw the precision of repeated cuts is higher than the accuracy of the cut setting.

Those who depend on a track saw rather than a tablesaw need to deal somehow with repeated cuts to the same width. There are ways to do it with precision, just as there are ways to reset the tablesaw with high accuracy.

I'm impressed with the way people can make a track saw do what they need, but I still prefer a tablesaw for what I do.

[Tapper]

In my experience (no expert here) in building things for many, many years, as John says when building furniture items it needs to be as perfectly aligned as the equipment can be calibrated. Most quality equipment can be calibrated to give square cuts in every plane. Errors eventually show up in one place or another when the tool is not cutting squarely.

Life's too short to have to deal with equipment that won't cut square IMO - YMMV.

Doug

[FS7]

I don't, but I don't have many (any?) particularly precise tools. Someday when I update my tools, that might matter, but if you're dealing with looser tolerances (like on a contractor saw) or inherently imprecise tools (like a compound miter saw) it is often a fool's errand to demand perfection.

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

I think it depends on your project and what you’re happy with. A miter off that much on a jewelry box lid wouldn’t please me and I’d most likely cut it again if making a hopeful heirloom piece. A gum box for my daughter too use and abuse is a different story.