Shopsmith Forums

db5 wrote:

JPG wrote:First check the set screw in the front of the rip fence base.

Either remove it or fully retract it so it never touches the rail.

Why is that set screw even there?

Way back in the days before conical disk sanders, the screw provided a way to temporarily skew the rip fence(moves rear of fence away from the blade).

Then feeding a workpiece from the REAR(open end of the fence) one could 'sand' joint an edge.

The bandsaw fence has one on each side to allow skewing in either direction to compensate for blade drift.

For a while the 500 fence used the same casting(might still do?).

The original Mark 5 only had one set screw like the 510.


BTW there is more than one version of the 510 fence. The screws and extrusion are different.

twistsol wrote: I can't seem to consistently get the fence to be parallel to the blade after removing it for other operations and then placing it back on for table saw mode. Everything else about it has performed above expectations.

twistol's fence issue was inconsistency - ie; not always being off from paralelism. Therefor the cause may be technique. However, there may be another fence issue. Most likely the rear clamp.

Regardless the screw need be retracted. It can move. It also interferes when adjusting the alignment.


Yes it is a hot button with me, but that is the result of observing all too often that it is not and the lack of general knowledge re it's purpose and effect.

Interesting. My set screw was impacting my alignment. I backed it off and realigned my fence. Never noticed it before I read the post. It wasn't covered in the alignment video I watched.

By my way of thinking, your set screw is still effecting the alignment.

The fact that you COULD ALIGN your fence before you retracted the set screw shows that the set screw CAUSES no alignment issue. Yes, the set screw can alter the position of the fence if not taken into consideration.

dusty wrote:By my way of thinking, your set screw is still effecting the alignment.

The fact that you COULD ALIGN your fence before you retracted the set screw shows that the set screw CAUSES no alignment issue. Yes, the set screw can alter the position of the fence if not taken into consideration.

Come on Dusty! Stop the circular logic.

The set screw was never intended to be an alignment surface. It was intended to be a temporary mis-alignment method.

To say it does not affect alignment is to say it does not work for it's intended purpose.

Sure one can mis-align the fence to compensate for its being out of place, but how is that pertinent or a good thing to do?

Reminds me of the base tube humongous set screw being used to align the left aux table. Same type indirect tweak that negates it's intended purpose. We all know how 'successful' that is!

JPG wrote:...
Reminds me of the base tube humongous set screw being used to align the left aux table. Same type indirect tweak that negates it's intended purpose. We all know how 'successful' that is!

You mean to tell me that doesn't work?

charlese wrote:

JPG wrote:...
Reminds me of the base tube humongous set screw being used to align the left aux table. Same type indirect tweak that negates it's intended purpose. We all know how 'successful' that is!

You mean to tell me that doesn't work?

Depends upon whether you can live with twisted way tubes.(think helix rather than parallel tubes).

Now if the cause of left table mis-alignment was due to tube twist, then the giant set screw adjustment may correct that.

Another 'recommended' reason to tweak that set screw is to gain SPT shaft alignment. Same problem.

I strongly believe that set screw is there to allow way tubes to be adjusted parallel to each other. A very fine adjustment to be sure! However it will affect other alignments to a greater degree.

Also it does no good to adjust it and then not insure the clamp securely seats the tie bar firmly onto both the set screw and the surface on the other side of the casting.

Now bench tube twist due to an uneven floor is a different matter and can cause the end castings to be positioned funky however foot off the floor is a more likely result.

If the tubes are not tightly clamped, this is all moot.

Thanks for your thoughts/explanation!

With regard to the set screw, the alignment procedures for both the band saw and the rip fence tell us in the first couple steps (of the respective procedures) to back the set screw out so as to not be making contact with the rail.