table saw cutting tapered when blade on an angle
Scott13251
| Posted in General Discussion on
I was making a raised panel on my table saw. Its a Ridged saw shop model with a cast iron table & the blade & fence have been adjusted. It cuts great for straight cuts & they are square.I had my blade (60 tooth Dewalt) set to 11 degrees & made a sled for my rip fence, so I could safely cut the bevels. My issue is that they started off exactly where I wanted, yet they tapered down narrower towards the end off the cuts. My stock was clamped solid & the jig was at 90 degrees to the table. Im at a loss as to why its making this taper ? Please help me understand what Im doing wrong !
Replies
Some saws lose fence alignment when the blade is tilted. Check for square with the blade tilted by measuring from a front tooth to the fence, then rotate the same tooth to the back and measure again.
Ill definitely check that ! Thanks, I was absolutely confused what was causing it
Another possibility is a dull blade or a less than optimal blade. The depth of cut on such a bevel cut is probably pushing a light duty saw to its limit and you 60 tooth combo blade is not the best choice. Since it also probably a thin kerf blade it is more prone to deflection when it is strained and gets hot. The type of cut you are making is a rip cut not a cross cut and a better choice of blade would be a dedicated glue line rip blade with 20-30 teeth.
I'm a big believer of using specialty blades on small underpowered (compared to a cabinet saw with a 3-5hp motor) saws. The boost in performance and reduced strain on your saw is worth the minor inconvenience of switching blades occasionally.
More work, but consider making many smaller bevel cuts on all four sides to sneak up on the final dimension. With less stress on the saw and blade, you might end up with straight cuts.
I'll cut to the chase, somethings clearly out of alignment.
How much are they tapering, over what distance, what kind of "sled for your rip fence" are you using, how id the wood secured to the sled?
These are just a few of the questions/variables that need addressing.
The more information you can provide the better, otherwise we're only guessing.
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