Accurately Changing Table Tilt

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:10 am

Many times we need to cut a beveled edge or sand an edge using the conical disk.

How do you accurately position the table tilt to achieve this; especially if the resulting angle is not to be 90°?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:05 am

I think a Wixey or equivalent is a method of choice. The ones capable of 'relative' angle indication would allow zeroing on the disc and then tilting the table while the wixey is setting thereon.

claimdude · Post by **claimdude** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:28 am

[quote="dusty"]Many times we need to cut a beveled edge or sand an edge using the conical disk.

How do you accurately position the table tilt to achieve this]

+1 what JPG said. I use a wixey. Works great.

Jack

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:44 am

A Wixey or any other digital angle gauge will give you an indication (accurate to some minute degree) BUT what if you don't have it right on and want to tweak it. How do you do that accurately?

saminmn · Post by **saminmn** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:25 pm

dusty wrote:A Wixey or any other digital angle gauge will give you an indication (accurate to some minute degree) BUT what if you don't have it right on and want to tweak it. How do you do that accurately?

Does 'it' refer to gauge? Zero to whatever surface you want then set angle from there. For example, zero against conical sanding disk and tilt table to 90 degrees.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:21 pm

Given that you'd need to measure minute changes in the angle of the table, I'd expect you could rig up a dial indicator to measure the changes being made and then make test cuts and adjustments until you reach the level of accuracy required. You could make a platform of sorts to mount on the ways and then use a magnetic base to hold the dial indicator for measuring the adjustments needed.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:44 pm

saminmn wrote:Does 'it' refer to gauge? Zero to whatever surface you want then set angle from there. For example, zero against conical sanding disk and tilt table to 90 degrees.

"It" was intended to refer to the angle of the cut (the bevel).

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 3:48 pm

pennview wrote:Given that you'd need to measure minute changes in the angle of the table, I'd expect you could rig up a dial indicator to measure the changes being made and then make test cuts and adjustments until you reach the level of accuracy required. You could make a platform of sorts to mount on the ways and then use a magnetic base to hold the dial indicator for measuring the adjustments needed.

Yup, that would certainly work.

Another way would be to use the Wixey as suggested and tweak using the adjustable stop collar to vary the tilt angle. This is what I have been doing on recent projects.

[ATTACH]18603[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]18604[/ATTACH]

I use the aluminum block as a square. It is as accurate as my engineer's square.

The left side of the block is pressed up against the conical disk.

In reality, I would not normally use the Wixey for this setup unless I wanted something other than a 90° edge.

Note the relative angle of the conical disk is not 4°s.

A Fact Worth Remembering: A .1° change in degree of table tilt changes the relative position of the right side of the main table (on a 505/510/520) by 1/32" with respective to the left side. In other words, to change the table tilt by .5° either raise or lower the right side of the table 5/32". The adjustable stop collar comes to mind.

I'm not sure this works through the entire range of table tilt. My math skills are being challenged at this moment. Example: Changing the tilt 9.2° results in a relative position change of 2 51/64".

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Sat Sep 29, 2012 2:28 pm

dusty wrote:Yup, that would certainly work.

Another way would be to use the Wixey as suggested and tweak using the adjustable stop collar to vary the tilt angle. This is what I have been doing on recent projects.

[ATTACH]18603[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]18604[/ATTACH]

I use the aluminum block as a square. It is as accurate as my engineer's square.

The left side of the block is pressed up against the conical disk.

In reality, I would not normally use the Wixey for this setup unless I wanted something other than a 90&#176]I'm not sure this works through the entire range of table tilt. My math skills are being challenged at this moment. Example: Changing the tilt 9.2° results in a relative position change of 2 51/64".

[/SIZE]

It doesn't, but it is proportional to the sine of the angle.

keakap · Post by **keakap** » Fri Oct 05, 2012 11:54 am

[quote="JPG40504"]I doesn't, but is proportional to the sine of the angle.]

Oh-oh. Woodworking by sine language.
This is where I drop my wixey in the drawer and grab a small hammer.

;-)