Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 11, 2004 02:52am | #1

   Dan, your post caught my eye since I just bought a new miter saw.  Are you referring to the "one size fits all" guide? (Model 21369)  I see two downsides to that one:  It doesn't come on until the saw is running, and there are some situations where it won't work with a thin-kerf blade.  (The 3rd problem, it won't fit my saw, LOL!).

   I'm hoping to find one that shines without the blade spinning, preferably showing the kerf rather than one side of the blade.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   SRToolguy | Jul 11, 2004 07:17am | #2

   Yep, you have to hit 500 rpm before those after market buggers come on. Not too good of an idea to be moving the wood around under a spinning blade in my opinion. Seems like a good opportunity to loose a finger or hand if you're not careful. Also, thin kerf blades have a tendency to flutter a bit and that causes the laser line to become too wide to be of any help. I've got them but I rarely sell them.Sincerely;

   The Tool Guy

1. 
   fmanello | Jul 12, 2004 06:05pm | #3

   Save you're money, I had one on my saw for 1 day.  The laser line also must be on the left side of the blade and it causes the line to be 1/16-3/32 to the left of where the blade is going to cut. 

2. 
   forestgirl | Jul 12, 2004 08:57pm | #4

   Yeah, I definitely don't want one that operates only when the blade is spinning.   There's an outfit called Laserkerf that makes one which shines without the blade spinning and shows the kerf (rather than one edge of the blade), but you have to buy it in the size blade-kerf you use (3/32" or 1/8").  I'm not sure I'd spend $79 on it.

   Hmmmmmm, just noticed they have a "Miter Pal" set-up block for tuning a compound miter saw.  $17.95 isn't too bad.  What's your opinion on accuracy:  is 1/4-degree accurate enough?  Seems like if I was making picture frame or shadow boxes of any size, that could add up to a problem.

   Laserkerf:  http://www.laserkerf.com

   Miter Pal:  http://www.laserkerf.com/Miter-Pal.htmforestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   Dan019 | Jul 13, 2004 04:40pm | #5

   Hi FG,

   Thanks for the link to laserkerf. That looks like it'll do exactly what I want. As soon as I get it aqnd try it I'll post back here and let you all know what I think.

   What I'm looking for is the ability to see where the cut line will be on crown molding. I can't use the tooth method w/o cutting b/c it's a CMS.

   I have a SCMS but I keep it in the shop for cabinet making where tolerances are much more exacting. My CMS is stand mounted so I can take it on the road for finish work.

   Dan

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 13, 2004 07:19pm | #6

   You're welcome, Dan.  One of those serendipitous things -- their small ad caught my eye just the other day.  I'm definitely interested in your feedback after you've used it.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   JohnWW | Jul 14, 2004 12:25am | #8

   Forest Girl, 

   Whether or not the saw blade is at an exact 45 or 90 degrees to the fence or table surface, which is what the "Miter Pal" measures isn't important, what you want is for the saw to make the cut end of the board at a perfect 45 or 90 degree angle.  The way to test for that is to actually cut a piece of wood and check the cut end of the board for the proper angle, and if you have an accurate square, the basic necessity in any shop, you already have the tool you need to do the job.  

   The best way to tune up any saw for 45 degree cuts is to cut two pieces of wood at the saw's 45 degree setting and then put the two ends together to make a corner.  Check the resulting corner with an accurate square and adjust the saw's stops until the two pieces make a perfect square corner.  For this technique to work well, the two test pieces must be properly jointed and thickness planed so that they are perfectly square and straight over their length.

   You can use the same approach for the 90 degree vertical and horizontal settings except that all you need to do is cut the end off of one board and check the cut end with a square.

   John W.

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 14, 2004 01:34am | #9

   Hi John.  I'm aware of the tests you described in your post -- have used them to fine-tune my table saw and my new :-) Bosch 12" CMS.  I do have an accurate square and a couple of those drafting triangle thingies but, as I'm sure you know by now, I'm a confirmed gadget lover, and the miter pal has all it takes to be a fine gadget:

   Costs $14.99 (what is it about that number, LOL!?)

   Would save at least a little time

   Small enough to easily fit in a drawer

   So, thanks for the tips.  I'm still trying to figure out how the exactness of the blade to the fence and surface is irrelevant....hmmmm.......  Seems like it'd at least be a good place to start.....hmmm.....

   OK, where did I put that $15 anyway!?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   JohnWW | Jul 14, 2004 02:52am | #10

   Forest Girl,

   I said the alignment of the blade to the fence was irrelevant because it doesn't matter what that alignment is, what you want is to get a perfect 45 or 90 degree angle on the piece of wood that is going into the furniture. 

   When you actually turn on the saw and force the blade through the wood, the forces involved will shift the alignment of several parts on the saw more than enough to make the standing still alignment pointless.  Whether or not you use a tool like the "Miter Pal", you will still have to fine tune the saw by taking actual cuts, the time and money spent on using the "Miter Pal" won't make the final fine tuning process go any faster.

   John W. 

    

3. 
   forestgirl | Jul 14, 2004 08:04pm | #11

   "standing still alignment [is] pointless"  Well, I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.  My standing-still alignment passed the wood-cutting tests with flying colors the other day in pretty thick pieces of test-stock.  My own opinion is that if forces during cutting are going to shift saw parts and change the angle of my cuts, then I'm hopelessly out of luck --- because those forces would never be exactly the same with each cut.

   I totally agree that the wood-cutting tests must be done and are the "bottom-line" as to whether the saw is perfectly tuned, but I disagree with the "pointless" statement.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

2. 
   MatthewSchenker | Jul 13, 2004 08:54pm | #7

   Dan,

   I took a look at a few miter saws with the lasers on them, some with built-in lasers, and some with after-market lasers. My conclusion is, why would anyone need this? I recently bought a Bosch 4410 slider, without a laser.

   One of the great things about miter saws is how easy it is to set your blade to a line. The laser, in my opinion, actually makes it more difficult. Some lasers are off by 1/16" or more, some of them don't come on until the blade is spinning. And the beams on others get "broken" if you try to shift the board around, so you can't "sneak up" on the line.

   Forget the laser. Just bring the blade kerf down on your line and you have a wonderfully reliable method for making very accurate cuts.

   That's just my conclusion.

   
   

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   Edited 7/13/2004 1:57 pm ET by Matthew Schenker