Tablesaw rip out of alignment
user-7094555
| Posted in Power Tools and Machinery on
I have a rigid R4511 tablesaw. My fence is aligned with the miter slots (as far as I can tell). When I rip a board, though, I am left with the slightest of bevels along the length of the board.
I do not have a jointer so I rely on the tablesaw to joint the edges of my boards. I’m not sure what my issue is, though, since the blade seems to be pretty square to the table. Any advice on anything I could try to determine the cause of the bevel?
Thanks.
Replies
Do you mean that the ripped edge isn't square to the face?
Sounds like the blade is not 90° to the table. I've found that a digital angle finder works better for me in getting that setting right rather than using a square. I can check a blade with a square and it looks OK, but the angle finder says it's 0.1° off. That's plenty to see the edge not square to the reference face.
Right, exactly. The edge isn't square. A digital angle finder might be a good idea here rather than assuming my combination square can do the trick.
@woodreb, have a look at the igauging squares from chipsfly.com - they are good enough to pick up that much difference. I find with a top quality (and very cheap) machinists square, these small changes are easy to pick up. They also sell top digital angle gauges.
Any measuring device will lie.
1. Take a piece of scrap a foot or two long. Draw several pencil lines across the width in the middle.
2. Rip the board, middle-ish.
3. Saw off. Put the two halves back together. Pencil lines will line up. Look at the end grain. Boards should go together perfectly.
4. Flip one side only, end for end, so that the two ripped edges are still together. Pencil marks will be up on one side, down on the other.
5. Look at the end grain. Is it still a tight fit? If it is, the blade us a perfect 90 degrees. If there is even a slight "V," the blade is not at 90, and you will have problems gluing up wide panels.
I don't own a jointer, never have. I get my glue joints right off the saw. This is how I make sure the blade is square.
I have a Starret combination square and I still get "it looks OK to my eyes" but the angle finder says not. Note - not blaming the tool so much as my vision at this point in my life.
When you say bevel, we're thinking face to edge, which has to do with the tilt of the blade. I've found it better to use a digital angle cube rather than my Starrett.
Sounds like you're talking about a taper - along the length of the board, IOW one end of the board is wider than the other after sawn, correct?
If so, this is a fence-to-blade misalignment. Fence, blade and miter slot all need to be parallel.
I recommend a dial indicator. The blade-to-fence at the rear of the blade should be about .003" wider than the front. Be sure to use the same tooth when measuring.
That the blade, fence, and miter slot should be parallel is correct.
To then say you would intentionally put the fence out of parallel is a dangerous idea. Moving the fence to the other side of the blade means you've set up a pinch.
Just to clarify, I did mean that my blade seems to have a slight tilt (not that I was ripping a taper). I messed with it a bit more today but no matter what I do, I always seem to end up with a slight blade tilt in one direction or another so that there is a “v” between edges.
Placing the fence at an angle to the blade will not make a tapered cut. The plank will measure the same width as the shortest distance between the fence and the blade, either in front or rear of the blade but you will be pushing the wood at an angle to the blade so you are getting cutting both at the front and rear of the blade, hence getting a wider kerf, concave edge, burn marks and high odds of getting a catch.
Good advice above. but also check for the simple and obvious. Is your board laying flat on the table? All the way through the cut? If your throat plate is a little high, it will give you the bevel you described. Excess sawdust can have a similar effect.
>>>>>>.....but no matter what I do, I always seem to end up with a slight blade tilt in one direction or another so that there is a “v” between edges
>>>>>>
Boy does that sound familiar! I had an early 1990's Craftsman that did that. The blade tilt handle was anchored to the side of the sheetmetal cabinet and sometimes the sheetmetal would flex and that would change the tilt angle of the blade.
This usually happened when the saw was under heavy load like when ripping thick hardwood or using a dull blade.
Craftsman updated the saw by adding a steel reinforcement bar inside the cabinet and that fixed the problem.
I'm not saying your modern Ridgid saw has the exact same problem, but it's worth checking the tilt mechanism for any looseness or play.
I would not assume that a digital angle gauge, even if zeroed out properly, is more accurate than a Starrett square. Read the specs for the angle gauge, 0.1 degrees may not even he within their stated range of accuracy.
“[Deleted]”
I have noticed on my old Rigid TS3650 (before the quality went downhill) that the casting that mounts the blade, etc. collects a bit of sawdust on the flat spots that then register on the upper housing when I move it to 90 degrees after a bevel cut. I always make sure to blow the dust out after bevel cuts.
That's probably not your issue here, but I thought I would mention it for anyone who has one of this series saws. Otherwise it is an outstanding saw.
I have an old Rockwell which had the same problem because the base was sheet metal and would flex so I added a steel bar across to make it rigid. Problem solved.
though, since the blade seems to be pretty square to the table.
Pretty square is not square. Work on making sure it is square.
Sounds like a friend of mine who I have done some wood work with who often uses the expression “it’s good enough” which drives me crazy. Good craftsmanship is never good enough unless it is perfect.
"Just to clarify, I did mean that my blade seems to have a slight tilt (not that I was ripping a taper). I messed with it a bit more today but no matter what I do, I always seem to end up with a slight blade tilt in one direction or another so that there is a “v” between edges."
There should be an adjustment for the 45 & 90° stop.
I recommend an angle cube rather than using a square to set the angles.
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