Riving knife alignment

[rdbjr57]

I'm a complete newby so please take that into consideration when I ask this question!

I bought a 520 about 3 years ago used. I have used it some but not a lot. I recently decided it is time to use it or get rid of it. I've decided to use it.

Attached are three photos showing my riving knife to saw blade positioning (actually one photo showing the positioning, one with the upper guard removed so the "holder" can be seen and one from the left side of the upper guard.) I know about the set screw on the bottom of the lower saw blade cover but that is not fixing my problem (the variance is too much for that set screw to fix it.)

One last piece of information... as I said I've made some cuts on this saw so the alignment has not always been this bad. I also got a band saw with my SS and this weekend I took the saw blade off to hook up the band saw to make a few cuts on that. This "misalignment" occurred after I took the band saw off and was putting the saw blade back on. (Could have have put something back together wrong? I didn't think so but that is certainly a possibility!)

I'm hoping someone can give me some pointers. Thanks in advance!

[JPG]

The arbor does not appear to be fully inserted onto the quill shaft.(third pix)

[reible]

Do check what JPG said, it needs to be fully seated.

From the pictures the alignment seems a long way off so I'm hoping that is the issue. If it is then you still should do a fine adjustment of the guard/splitter using the allen head screw located on the guard below the arbor. That way when you install the guard it will already be aligned to the blade. See the red arrow.

adj screw under here.jpg (298.39 KiB) Viewed 3779 times

Ed

[br549]

I own a 500 (not a 520) so not familiar with its saw guards and riving knives, BUT, could it be the arbor itself? Yours looks similar to one I have for blades with a 5/8" mounting hole. It is at least 10 mm longer than my Shopsmith arbors for blades with 1 1/4" holes.

[rdbjr57]

Thanks for the input! I think y'all have given me good direction (at least got me thinking in the right direction!) The arbor is fully seated against the collar but it looks to me like the amount of distance that the blade and riving knife are off is real close to the amount of space on the collar pointed out by the markings on the two new photos I posted. Could I have the wrong collar on the shaft or the wrong arbor on the blade? (Along the line of what BR549 posted?)

(And I hope I'm using the correct terminology. I'm calling the silver piece the collar and what is mounted on the blade an arbor...)

[dusty]

Your setup does not like right at all. The quill shaft extends too far out of the headstock.

[wa2crk]

Is the knurled nut on backwards. I just looked at my machine and I don't see the step. If the riving knife is out of alignment by the same amount as the step in pic 002-_LI then it may be backwards. I also notice that the set screw in the knurled nut and the arbor are not in alignment and they should be. The flats that they tighten on are in alignment on the quill shaft so the screws should line up. Might be a factory error but a close look at the assembly of the quill is required at this time.
Bill V

[wa2crk]

Dusty
His pic 001 seems to show the knurled nut is on backwards.
Bill V

[br549]

Bingo! What it should look like:

[reible]

I agree with Bill it looks like the quill is not assembled correctly.

I'm guessing but at some point the "silver" ring has been taken off and put on the wrong way. I don't see that happening at the factory since it has been used before and worked.

At this point the simple answer is to removed the ring and turn it around. Since this ring is what keeps the shaft from moving in and out inside the quill I would not use it until this has been done.

And as Bill has pointed out the setscrew needs to align to the flat on the shaft.

Ed