Has anyone made the PALS CTS alignment fit the SS?

[benush26]

I'd not heard of the PALS CTS until Wood Magazine had it as one way to tune up a table saw

Since they have a 3/8, system what mods would should could be made to teh SS table to make this system work?

http://in-lineindustries.com/products/c ... -saw-pals/

A video showing its use

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9OeVk8-Y3M

Thanks for any info

Be well,
Ben

[dusty]

It looks like a slick system for the table saws that it was designed to work with. Remember, though, that those saws all have tables that are rock solid and the trunnion is moved to accomplish the alignment. The blade moves with the trunnion. With the Shopsmith, the blade is the reference surface and the table and trunnions are moved to achieve the alignment.

The principles are the same. I have toyed with the concept using the extension table as the mounting point for my micro adjuster; moving the table with the micro adjuster.

NOT very successful. Locking the Shopsmith trunnion bolts is always my pit fall.

[algale]

Back when I owned my contractor saw, I bought a set of PALS to align it and it worked well.

I thought about trying to adapt the PALS to the Shopsmith but I could not figure out how to do it because of the major difference between contractor saws and Shopsmiths as to where the trunnion bolts are located.

The trunnion bolts on most contractor saws sit on an exposed flat part or ear of the trunnion casting, which give plenty of space to install the PALS system and something for the adjustment screw to push against. See the 2:37 point of the installation video to see what I am talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9OeVk8 ... e=youtu.be

On a Shopsmith, the trunnion bolts sit inside the trunnion casting. There isn't enough room for the PALS. And even if there was space inside the Shopsmith trunnion for the PALS, there'd be nothing for the adjustment screw to push on.

[benush26]

Thanks to both of you for the replies! I had a feeling after reading what little I could find that the PALS system was just not plausible for SS.

Next thought...

Dusty, you had mentioned a zero clearance adapter made when all was aligned perfectly.

However, what if a jig is made modifying a standard throat plate used when a sanding disc was installed (without sandpaper. The plate has blocks attached with horizontal holes drilled and tapped to accept cap screws or set screws (sorry, in a hurry I didn't show the screws, but I think you get the idea).

tbl align jig1.jpg (304.61 KiB) Viewed 6812 times

Once the table is aligned, this plate replaces the one in the table. The set screws screwed in until they touch the sanding plate, those places are marked on "THAT" plate for future reference and you have a repeatable reference.


In the future when you want to check the alignment, install the dish and orient it correctly, raise the table, install the throat plate and begin lowering it. If it catches, loosen the bolts under the table, drop the table and align with the jig, tighten the table bolts, raise the table and voila you are ready to go.

You do give up a sanding disk and throat plate for single use (alignment) but I think it might be reasonably reliable.

Just a thought. Ideas? changes?

Be well,
Ben

[dusty]

benush26:

The blocks (permanently attached to the table insert) with adjusting screws as you describe would certainly work to tweak the table's position (align the table) SO LONG AS the plate that is shown in lieu of a saw blade is stiff enough. The sanding disk might meet that requirement.

I have made a couple table inserts (ZCI) that are 3/4" thick. These were cut at a time when I thought the table was aligned as accurately as I am ever going to align it. When I use it, I loosen all four trunnion bolts, remove the table insert completely, set the table for maximum depth of cut, lock the table in the horizontal position (90° to the blade) and then drop the 3/4" insert down on the blade til it rests on the table. If the table is properly positioned, the insert will fit snugly into the table cut out. If not, the table needs to be moved until it does. Tight the two trunnion bolts that you have access to and the 'alignment is done'. Don't forget to tighten the other two trunnion bolts.

[charlese]

Interesting - BUT- - - ?
(EDIT- every time you red .05" think .005" - - My bad!)

Sorry! I just fail to understand the reason for setting the miter grooves parallel to the saw blade any closer than .05".

We are working with wood, and the thickness of a piece of bond paper error is not something we need to be concerned with when dealing with the width of a saw kerf. By adjusting the parallelism of the blade to the miter slots, we are only talking about increasing saw kerf by .05" - not the possibility of creating a multiple number of mis shaped parts of a project.

.05" is a tolerance that is fairly easy to reach on a Mark 5 by using Shopsmith's normal procedures. Even by using an Allen wrench locked into the miter gauge.

So -- using a 1/8" kerf saw blade - my wider kerf may be .175" wide rather than .125". (This is assuming my blade does not have a tooth or two that is less than perfect.)

My wider kerf of .175" also assumes that the saw blade was very sharp and there was no tearout during the cut.

If a woodworker really enjoys tuning his saw and other machinery to professional metal working standards, fine!!! Enjoy!

A narrower kerf will be something you can smile about, but result in ????

[algale]

Given the results you get in your finished projects, Charlese, no one can doubt your set ups.

Maybe we lesser mortals try to get our machines set up as close to perfect as we can to make up for our imperfect woodworking skills!

[JPG]

.05"?????

That is almost 1/16"!

I think much closer is possible with the SS tool kit in the miter gauge.

Actually a square would get it better than that.


I also think the SS tool kit way is close enough.

[reible]

I think I would agree at .005". That is what I shoot for and if I get better it stays, off by more then that I do a do over. I don't use the fancy gauge I purchased except to check the settings.

I have a method that is different then I use to use and I'll post it sometime when I need to do another adjustment, which is pretty far between. It is very fast and so far my re doing has dropped to never. It did cost me the price of a master plate but it has been worth it.

I might be upgrading another one of my machines to a powerpro in the months to come and if that happens I will be doing a realignment to that machine. Or I might find that I've lost alignment on the one I have but that doesn't happen very often, and I mean years between and my one shopsmith moves around in and out of my garage and driveway....

Ed

[charlese]

NUTS! Lost an important Zero. Darn things to the right of the decimal point

I really can't blame the little goose egg The fault is mine! Thanks for the correction!

Guess I shouldn't get so aggravated about one of my major pet peeves - Which is over calibrating wood working machinery.

Theory was right - numbers, not so much.