Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 12, 2009 06:09am | #1

   [small correction -- tilting the blade is cutting a bevel, not a miter] That being said, there may be a wide-mouthed throat plate that works, but you'd be better off with a zero-clearance insert made for the operation.  Make several blanks while you're at it, and you can make other ZC's down the line.

   With contractor saws, there's usually a problem setting the blank (uncut) insert because the blade doesn't drop all the way beneath the table.  This may not be a problem with your Unisaw.  (I have an old Uni, but haven't made any inserts yet). 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 
   
2. 
   Dave45 | Nov 12, 2009 08:21am | #2

   I once had a job making walnut cases for stereo components and made my own zero clearance throat plate for cutting the mitered edges.

   I set the miter (ok FG, bevel) to 45* without a throat plate, lowered the blade, put in a "virgin" wood throat plate, held it down with the fence, started the saw and s-l-o-w-l-y raised the blade. It worked like a charm.

   If your 10" blade won't lower far enough, use an 8" blade - or one blade from a dado cutter.

3. 
   oldusty | Nov 12, 2009 08:25am | #3

     C.C.

         I have a very old 1943 Delta Unisaw and the same is true , the blade is in the way of the throat plate when cranked to a 45° .

       Is your saw an old model ?

                regards       dusty

4. 
   knuts | Nov 12, 2009 04:09pm | #4

   Maybe the table is too far to the right?

5. 
   hammer1 | Nov 12, 2009 05:20pm | #5

   I've used a lot of Unisaws of all ages, never a problem. Your top must be shifted. Making your own wood plates will allow zero clearance around the blade, which helps with dust collection and keeping waste cuts from being sucked in.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   oldusty | Nov 12, 2009 05:57pm | #7

   hi Hammer ,

           As I said my old 1943 model does the same thing when cranked all the way to 45° . Really I don't believe the top has shifted or anything else ,but I have no explanation of why this fine old beast is this way .

    For all other angles no problem , it is sort of scary now and then looking down into that big hole .

        BTW maybe I'm wrong but we have always referred to ripping 45s not as beveling , I run a lot of splined miters and we don't call them splined bevels .

             regards from paradise     dusty

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Nov 13, 2009 01:45am | #8

   When aligning the top to the blade, there is a range of adjustment in the right/left direction.  You can be perfectly parallel and still not positioned quite right to handle the full bevel of the blade.  But it just takes a realignment to make it right.  And, that's not a very big deal with a cabinet saw.  I discovered this the hard way after I got my 1946 vintage Unisaw. 

1. 
   oldusty | Nov 13, 2009 08:01am | #9

     Steve ,

            Do you mean the bolts that connect the top to the base ?

                   thanks           dusty

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Nov 13, 2009 03:40pm | #10

   Yes.  When you loosen these bolts you are more than likely to find enough play so that you can re-align the top to the blade with it shifted enough to the right to give you clearance for the fully tilted blade.  It probably won't take a quantitatively large movement. 

2. 
   JohnWW | Nov 13, 2009 04:31pm | #11

   To get the alignment right loosen the top by backing off the corner bolts and then shift the top so that a vertical saw blade is centered in the slot in a factory supplied throat plate. Once you are centered, then make minor adjustments to also get the blade parallel to the miter slot while keeping the blade centered in the slot. After getting the top aligned you will have to readjust your rip fence so it is also parallel to the blade.John White
   Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998 to 2007

3. 
   oldusty | Nov 13, 2009 05:26pm | #12

   Thanks John and Steve ,

         So then threre was never a Unisaw model that would not allow the throat plate while cranked to a 45° ?

             I have only owned this saw for about 25 years or so , this will be amazing if such a simple procedure will make this right .

       I'll let you guy's know how it goes , thanks again ,

                   regards    dusty

4. 
   JohnWW | Nov 13, 2009 05:42pm | #13

   There have been numerous versions of the Unisaw, but I have never run into one that wouldn't allow the use of a throat plate when the blade was tilted. There were some cabinet saws, I can't recall the makers, where the nut end of the arbor would strike the underside of the throat plate when the blade was set to its maximum height while also tilted at 45 degrees, With these saws you could still saw at 45 degrees tilt with the throat plate installed, you just had to drop the blade height a little bit.John White
   Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998 to 2007

6. 
   JerryPacMan | Nov 12, 2009 05:32pm | #6

   Your saw top needs to be adjusted.  If you have never cut bevels before this is probably the problem.  Also, your arbor could have shifted but is a less likely cause of you problem.

    

   Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans.

   When your ship comes in... make sure you are not at the airport.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 11/12/2009 9:49 am ET by JerryPacMan