tablesawtuneup

7/30/2019 TableSawTuneUp

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Page 1 of 8DS-038 Copyright Meredith Corporation 2003

It rips, crosscuts, makes

dadoes, and morethe

tablesaw serves as the key

tool for most woodworking

projects. So, you need to

make sure that your machine

puts out straight, square,

smooth results every time.

Tune Up Your TablesawTo Perfection

These quick fixes and minor adjustments will make all the difference.


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To help you achieve the accuracyyouve always wanted, well show

you how to set your tablesaw toeliminate rough or out-of-squarecuts. Well also describe routinemaintenance procedures that willhelp you permanently avoid suchproblems in the future.

Certainly, you can use high-techtune-up tools for these tasks, suchas the ones reviewed in WOODmagazine issue 150, page 74. Buthere well talk about low-tech,low-cost ways to achieve high-levelprecision. Most of the steps shownapply to both cabinet saws and

contractors saws; where theres adifference, well break it down for

you. All you need is a reliabletriangle to measure 90 and 45angles (we used a plastic draftingtriangle, available at most art oroffice supply stores), theappropriate wrenches for yourtablesaw, and a few pieces ofscrapwood. Now, lets get started.

Hows your blade running?You cant make good cuts unless

your blade runs true. Assure thatby checking the arbor flangesurface, pulley alignment, and belttension. And while youre workingin that area, make sure the bevelstops are giving you precise 90and 45 settings. Although all ofthese features are tucked awayunderneath the tablesaw top, youcan access them without removingthe top. Unplug the saw before

you start, and leave it unpluggeduntil youve finished your tune-up.

The flange comes first. Smoothcuts depend on a blade thatsspinning true, not wobbling.Remove your blade, and make surethe arbor flange is clean, as shownin Photo A, so that it serves as asmooth, flat seat for the blade.

Test the pulleys and belts.Pulleys must be aligned to permit

the saw to run smoothly andprecisely. On a cabinet saw, checkthat detail, as shown in Photo B.On a contractors saw, youll needa longer straightedge than the oneshown here. And if you cant fitany straightedge into position,close one eye and carefully sightacross the pulleys with the other.Your saw needs adequate belt

tension to run vibration-free. Tocheck tension on a cabinet saw,push on the middle of each belt(your machine might have one,

two, or three belts) with onefinger. The belt should deflect nomore than " under moderatepressure. Make any necessaryadjustment, as shown in Photo C.

A contractors saw uses the weightof its suspended motor to keepconstant belt tension, and requiresno adjustment.

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Wipe the arbor flange clean with a rag. Ifstubborn resin deposits remain, put onsolvent-proof gloves, moisten the rag withmineral spirits, and repeat. Remove anymetal burrs with a fine file.

Arbor flange

A

A straightedge long enough to span the motorand arbor pulleys reveals any misalignment.Adjust by loosening the setscrew on themotor shaft pulley, and tapping it intoposition.

Pulleys

B


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Now, the blade-tilt settings.Establish a level base by checkingthe throat insert plate, as shownin Photo D. Now, set the bladeto full height, and turn the blade-tilt handwheel until the 90 stopengages. Check its accuracy as

shown in Photo E. To adjust acabinet saw, remove the motorcover, find the bolt that protrudesat the near end of the fronttrunnion, and proceed as shownin Photo F. Next, turn the blade-tilt handwheel as far as it will goin the other direction, and checkthe 45 setting as shown inPhoto G. Adjust it by turning thebolt thats accessible through thecurved slot at the heightadjustment handwheel, as shownin Photo H. On some contractors

saws, you can adjust the stops onthe tabletop surface throughholes that are located over thetrunnions.With the stops set, recalibrate

the blade-tilt scale, if necessary.Crank the blade to 90, loosenthe scale pointer screw, makethe adjustment, and retightenthe screw. Now the scale willprovide accurate readings atevery blade-tilt position from 90(0 on the scale) to 45.

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To tighten the belt or belts, loosen the motor bracket bolt thatallows vertical movement of the motor. Press down on themotor with one hand while retightening the bolt with the otherhand.

Place a triangle or other straightedge over the throat insertplate, and check to see if the insert sits flush with thetablesaw top. Most inserts have four leveling screws that youadjust from above with an allen wrench. If your saws insertdoesnt have leveling screws, you may have to file theunderside of the insert to lower it, or use layers of maskingtape to raise it. After making the adjustments, slide thestraightedge across the plate at several points to check thatits flush.

Motor bracket

C

D


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Use your triangle to set your blade to 90,keeping the vertical edge against the bladeplate, not on the teeth.

The bevel limit on most saws is 45, soyoull find a stop bolt for that angle, too.Use your triangle to check the setting.

To adjust the 90 setting, remove the motorcover if necessary to gain access to the stopbolt. Crank the blade-tilt handwheel until you

can easily reach the stop bolt with a wrench.Loosen the jam nut, and then turn the stopbolt in or out as needed. Turn the handwheelto the 90 (or 0) setting, and then recheckthe blade angle with your triangle. When itsright, retighten the jam nut.

To correct the 45 setting, turn the blade-tilt handwheel until you can reach the stopbolt through the slot at the blade-height

handwheel. Adjust the stop, and recheckthe setting as before.

90stop

45 stop

Heightadjustment wheel

Jam nut

Front trunnion

E G

F H


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Align the table, fence, and

miter gaugeNow that you know your blades

will run true, install a new ornewly sharpened blade, and makea test cut or two. If problemsremain, its time to deal with stillother alignment issues.Your blade must sit parallel with

the miter-gauge slots and rip fenceto produce perfect crosscuts andrip cuts. Misalignment results inout-of-square cuts, rough surfaces,and burn marks on the cut edges.If you see such flaws, check all of

these possibilities, not just one ortwo. Its better to spend a littlemore time than to miss a problem.

Check the blade/table alignment.Start by making sure thetablesaws miter-gauge slots sitparallel with the blade. Do this

with a simple jig, as shown in

Photos I, J, and K.The design of a contractors saw

calls for different alignmentprocedures. See Photo L forinstructions on how to adjust thetrunnions, which are bolted to theunderside of the table, andsupport the saws workingmechanisms.

Inspect the rip fence. Once thetable is in position, turn yourattention to the rip fence. Usingthe same piece of wood that

served to check the tablealignment, or any scrap that fitssnugly into a miter-gauge slot,proceed as shown in Photos Mand N.

If your fence is out of alignment,consult your owners manual forthe necessary steps to adjust it. In

most cases, youll loosen bolts or

setscrews, set the fence correctly,and retighten the fasteners.

Next comes the miter gauge.Its simple to check the mitergauge, as shown in Photo O. Ifnecessary, adjust your gauge, asshown in Photo P. Some mitergauges dont allow for adjust-ment, relying on precisemachining to provide accurateresults as long as the tabletop andblade are aligned.

If the gauge sits too loosely in

the slot, use a center punch todimple one edge of the bar, orbuy an adjustable gauge that youcan set to fit the slot snugly.Finally, youll find its handy tokeep one miter gauge set for 90cuts, and adjust a second one asneeded for other angles.

To check the alignment of your blade and table, first remove your splitter/blade guard. Raisethe blade to maximum height. Then, select a piece of straight scrap about 12" long, and drive abrass roundhead screw partway into one end to make an alignment bar. Place your mitergauge in either of the saws slots, hold the alignment bar against the miter gauge so the screwlightly contacts a tooth that leans toward it, and clamp the bar to the gauge. If the gauge isslightly loose in the slot, hold it firmly against one side while you turn the screw in or out tofine-tune the setting. Mark the tooth with a felt-tip pen, and rotate the blade slightly, so thetooth just ticks the screwhead. Slide the bar/gauge assembly to the other end of the throatplate, and rotate the blade by hand so the screw touches the same tooth. If the amount ofcontact is the same as before, the blade and miter-gauge slot are parallel.

I J


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If your blade and miter-gauge slots dont align,adjust the table position. On most cabinet saws,

youll find a bolt at each corner of the cabinet,extending up through the flange and into thetable. Leave the right rear bolt snug as a pivotpoint, and loosen the remaining bolts. Tap on theappropriate corner of the table with a mallet, andrepeat the alignment test. When the table lines upwith the blade, retighten the bolts, and recheckthe alignment.

In most cases, each of the two trunnions on a

contractors tablesaw is held in place with twobolts. Working through the back side of the saw,loosen both of the bolts on the rear trunnion, andone bolt on the front trunnion. Leave the fourthbolt snug to serve as a pivot point. Place a pieceof scrap against the rear trunnion, and tap it with amallet. Recheck the blade/table alignment. If itsgood, tighten the rear trunnion bolt thats diagonalfrom the pivot bolt. If the alignment is still good,tighten the remaining bolts.

We recommend setting your rip fence

perfectly parallel with the miter slots andblade. To do this, hold a piece of scrapnear the front end of your right-hand miter-gauge slot, and slide the fence against itas shown in the upper photo. Lock thefence, then move the scrap to the back endof the slot. If it fits snugly there, too, yourfence sits parallel to the blade. If not, youneed to adjust the fence.

K

L N

M


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The typical tablesaw miter gauge has adjustablestops at 90/0 and both 45 settings. Each stopconsists of a screw that butts against a flip-upplate on the miter-gauge bar. To adjust a stop,loosen the handle or knob that holds the gaugehead in place, loosen the stop screws jam nutwith a wrench, and then turn the screw in or outas necessary. When the setting is dead-on,retighten the jam nut and the handle.

Once the table and blade are aligned, checkingyour miter gauges 90 setting is a snap. Use areliable drafting triangle, and place it against theblade plate, not touching the teeth. You can usethe same triangle to calibrate the two 45settings.

O

P


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A little work on the top andyoure ready to goThe steps above guarantee goodcuts, but theres more to be done ontop of your tablesaw to make it saferand easier to use. Its time to look atthe splitter/blade guard assemblyand the table surface.

Fine-tune the splitter/blade guard.Designs vary among different sawmodels, but the basic consid-

erations remain the same. Makesure the splitter sits at 90 to thetables surface and lines up with thecenter of the blade. Properalignment eliminates the risk ofbinding and dangerous kickback as

your workpiece travels across thesaw. See Photos Q and R fordetails on checking and adjustingthese safety devices.

Keep everything on the level.Next, level the extension wing or

wings with the tabletop to eliminateraised edges that can catch a

workpiece as you slide it across thetable. See Photo S for help withleveling extension wings.

If you have added a woodextension table at the right side ofthe saw, check to make sure itsflush, too. To make an adjustment,

you might need to enlarge the

mounting holes in the extensiontable. Then realign.

Written by Jim Pollockwith Chuck Hedlund

Use the 90 corner of yourtriangle to make sure your

splitter stands perpendicular tothe table. Most splitter/bladeguard assemblies adjust in asimilar fashion: Loosen a boltor setscrew, as shown, allowingthe support bracket to pivot asneeded, and then retighten.

A couple of straight piecesof scrap help center your

splitter with your blade. Usepieces long enough toextend from the front of theblade to near the back end ofthe splitter. Clamp them tothe blade, and examine thegaps on either side of thesplitter to make sure theyreequal. If not, loosen thebracket bolts and tap thesplitter/blade guardassembly into alignment.

Check the joint line betweenyour saws main table and

each extension wing with astraightedge. If you find thatthe parts are not flush, reachunderneath the table, andlocate the bolts (usuallythree) under the wing thatattach it to the main table.Back the bolts out justslightly; dont loosen themso much that the wing dropsdown. Now, tap the wing intoalignment with a mallet andstraight piece of stock, andretighten the bolts.

Q R S

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