Question about table saw alignment

woodhead52 · Post by **woodhead52** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:26 am

beeg wrote:YES YES use your speed reducer. Use a twist drill bit for metal and START with the bit that is the same size as the existing hole. That way ya can get the hole lined up and clamped down. Then switch out the bit to the next size bit that's 1/64" larger. Till ya get to the final size of 1/2". Don't forget to use lube on each of the bits.

Thank you, good info for what I need to do.

reible wrote:I drilled my own but then I had a second shopsmith to use to do the drilling. This seems so long ago now but I located my post.

http://www.shopsmith.net/forums/showthread.htm?t=4458

It might give you a few ideas/answers. If you happen to be near another owner here they might offer to do the drilling for you or let you use their machine. I'd offer but I'm located near Chicago, well 35ish miles west but you get the idea...

Nice thread, nice set of drill bits too. Me Jealous!

reible wrote:... I might be the only one here but I purchased a master plate

http://www.amazon.com/MasterGage-MP-1-M ... ster+plate

and this is what I now use for my alignment. A lot of pluses for this but then there is the cost. I for one think it is worth it.

I have a new way of do my alignments, and no I have not posted it here yet. The problem comes in that you need the master plate to do it so I figured most people here were not going to pay the price for one....

Maybe next spring I'll show how I do it when I swap tables on one of my 520. Though I'd get that done this year but didn't. To give you a hint the master plate fits in the miter slot....

Ed

I checked out the link. I'll be looking forward to a nice post on this.

woodhead52 · Post by **woodhead52** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:32 am

joshh wrote:Aluminum is VERY easy to drill with the right speed. The rpm for aluminum with a twist bit is 600 divided by bit diameter. 1/2" bit would be 1200 rpm and 1/4" bit would be 2400 rpm, but if you are nervous you can use 750 rpm (slow setting WITHOUT the speed reducer). Do use some type of lube (WD40 or 3-in-1 oil both work well). If your rpm's are too slow it will be difficult to cut/feed or won't cut as cleanly. I would be happy as long as it drills cleanly.

Here is a good drill press chart by Fermilab:
http://www.fnal.gov/pub/takefive/pdfs/D ... _Chart.pdf

Do make sure your bits have limited wobble and use a twist bit as stated above (you can also get away using a sharp standard but but the rpm should be about half or a little less than a twist bit.

Here is the setup I used to update the set screw location when making my own double-tilt: (I used a standard bit so I used 750 rpm)

Thanks a lot for this post. The drill bit and drill speed chart is great I've booked marked it. The pictures are very helpful. Much easier than trying to visualize this set up.

Pete

woodhead52 · Post by **woodhead52** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:36 am

[quote="wa2crk"]Dusty]

Is this what some of you were talking about earlier with regards to run out or is this something different. If so how do you check for this?

Sorry to have so many questions, but questions are about all I have at this point.

Hopefully is a couple of years I'll be a quarter as knowledgeable as this group.

Pete

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 1:55 pm

woodhead52 wrote:Is this what some of you were talking about earlier with regards to run out or is this something different. If so how do you check for this?

Sorry to have so many questions, but questions are about all I have at this point. Hopefully is a couple of years I'll be a quarter as knowledgeable as this group.

Pete

Both shaft runout and blade warp create wobble that can affect this adjustment. For this situation the warp is accounted for by always referencing the same point on the blade/disc/whatever. Not much you can do about compensating for runout, but it likely is too small to affect the outcome.

Runout refers to the deviation from a true circle that the shaft produces as it rotates. That causes the axis of rotation to become skewed. Bearing play is the usual cause of excessive runout. It is reduced by using more than one bearing separated by a small distance. In a single bearing quill the quill shaft and main shaft provide 'anti' wobble, but bearing play becomes the determining factor. The single bearing quills have that 'top hat' washer to center the quill shaft so it more easily aligns with the coupler. The far end of the quill shaft will move considerably off axis even with new bearings.

wa2crk · Post by **wa2crk** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 2:59 pm

I just re-read some of the posts regarding the smaller mounting holes. If I were doing it I would leave the pivot hole a smaller size. The reason being that the smaller hole would permit that bolt to act as more of a true pivot point.
If it were made larger then the table would have play on all four mounting bolts making alignment more difficult. (adjusting the table from the front would cause it to shift at the rear) Just a thought.
Bill V

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:12 pm

wa2crk wrote:I just re-read some of the posts regarding the smaller mounting holes. If I were doing it I would leave the pivot hole a smaller size. The reason being that the smaller hole would permit that bolt to act as more of a true pivot point.
If it were made larger then the table would have play on all four mounting bolts making alignment more difficult. (adjusting the table from the front would cause it to shift at the rear) Just a thought.
Bill V

You make a very good point. However, the location of that hole would become critical.

The table is moved around to achieve two different objectives. Parallelism to the blade being one. When I do an alignment of the table, I also strive to locate the table with respect to the axis of rotation (the drill line when in the drill press mode).

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 8:05 pm

dusty wrote:You make a very good point. However, the location of that hole would become critical.

The table is moved around to achieve two different objectives. Parallelism to the blade being one. When I do an alignment of the table, I also strive to locate the table with respect to the axis of rotation (the drill line when in the drill press mode).

Centering the table 'front to rear'?

woodhead52 · Post by **woodhead52** » Thu Nov 21, 2013 11:57 pm

I'm going to need a couple of additional drill bits to complete this operation. Who are the good drill bit manufactures, in this groups opinion?

Pete

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 9:54 am

woodhead52 wrote:I'm going to need a couple of additional drill bits to complete this operation. Who are the good drill bit manufactures, in this groups opinion?

Pete

Look for 'made in USA'.

Look for higher prices.

Look for material code. HSS A2

Look for a 'real' hardware store.

Look for a machine tool shop supplier.

orrr just go to Lowes, HD, Ace ...

IIWM, I would get a good set(1/16" - 1/2" by 64ths) and be set for future use. Take a fat billfold. Properly used, they will last!

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri Nov 22, 2013 11:26 am

JPG40504 wrote:Look for 'made in USA'.

Look for higher prices.

Look for material code. HSS A2

Look for a 'real' hardware store.

Look for a machine tool shop supplier.

orrr just go to Lowes, HD, Ace ...

IIWM, I would get a good set(1/16" - 1/2" by 64ths) and be set for future use. Take a fat billfold. Properly used, they will last!

We so often disagree and this is no exception. Unless he does a lot of metal work, it is unlikely that he'll use these drill bits again for a long time. With that in mind, I would simple go to a big box (anywhere that sells singles) and buy two bits of the correct size.

I mean, after all, two holes. That is all, two holes both of which have been predrilled. Now I do realize that some people use just about anything as an excuse to buy tools but I don't. I am a cheap sucker. I spend without hesitation for something I really need but "two holes".

I have a set of good bits (probably very expensive) (we won't discuss why I have them or how I came to have them) but two thirds of them have never been chucked.