Shopsmith Forums

Heath, I'm curious about what you would do.

If I needed to make a 45 degree cut, right now, I would get up and go to the shop. Set the table at 45 degrees and make the cut. I would not stop and verify the basic table alignments. Why? Because I know that they are as accurate as they need to be.

Now if, for any any reason, I have doubts about the accuracy I would definitely make those preliminary checks.

Do you verify table to blade as a preliminary check every day when you begin to work?

dusty wrote:Heath, I'm curious about what you would do.

If I needed to make a 45 degree cut.......

My guess is like I, heathicus would have first verified that the table to blade alignment was 90° prior to adjusting the table. Is the reason you don't make that verification because based on your experience, your confident on your trunnion set screw / stop plunger doing it's job?

mickyd wrote:My guess is like I, heathicus would have first verified that the table to blade alignment was 90° prior to adjusting the table. Is the reason you don't make that verification because based on your experience, your confident on your trunnion set screw / stop plunger doing it's job?

Yes I have that confidence.

This may simply be because I use the Mark V nearly every day and I have learned that day to day verifications are not necessary. Unless something unusual happens, the Shopsmith holds its precision with great reliability.

Some may doubt that. One thing I have learned is that the locks (all or them) are critical to maintaining precision and repeatability.

dusty wrote:Yes I have that confidence.

This may simply be because I use the Mark V nearly every day and I have learned that day to day verifications are not necessary. Unless something unusual happens, the Shopsmith holds its precision with great reliability.

Some may doubt that. One thing I have learned is that the locks (all or them) are critical to maintaining precision and repeatability.

I am on Dusty's side of the fence. I feel Nick is also. Because all three of us are 'correct', verifying the blade to table is an unnecessary step for a normal operation with the table saw.

As Dusty said, if nothing indicates a problem(mis alignment) it IS unnecessary. If it ain't broke don't fix(check) it!

dusty wrote:Heath, I'm curious about what you would do.

If I needed to make a 45 degree cut, right now, I would get up and go to the shop. Set the table at 45 degrees and make the cut. I would not stop and verify the basic table alignments. Why? Because I know that they are as accurate as they need to be.

Now if, for any any reason, I have doubts about the accuracy I would definitely make those preliminary checks.

Do you verify table to blade as a preliminary check every day when you begin to work?

I understand what you are saying and I'm not disagreeing with you. We all should know our equipment well enough to know when the basic alignments should be double-checked. But if Nick's video is to be taken as a step-by-step guide for using an inclinometer or a Wixey to check the table tilt and verify accuracy of the venier scale, then that initial step of checking the table alignment with the blade was skipped. And if that is off, everything else will be off.

heathicus wrote:I understand what you are saying and I'm not disagreeing with you. We all should know our equipment well enough to know when the basic alignments should be double-checked. But if Nick's video is to be taken as a step-by-step guide for using an inclinometer or a Wixey to check the table tilt and verify accuracy of the venier scale, then that initial step of checking the table alignment with the blade was skipped. And if that is off, everything else will be off.

Plus heath, with the speed of the Wixey, your thinking "Why not check it!". I'm the same way. Bet you a dozen donuts that when we get in as many hours woodworking as dusty and jpg, we'll be jumping right into the cut also. That's where the experience comes into play.

heathicus wrote:I understand what you are saying and I'm not disagreeing with you. We all should know our equipment well enough to know when the basic alignments should be double-checked. But if Nick's video is to be taken as a step-by-step guide for using an inclinometer or a Wixey to check the table tilt and verify accuracy of the venier scale, then that initial step of checking the table alignment with the blade was skipped. And if that is off, everything else will be off.

Heath, I do not disagree with you. If Nick was presenting what is to be used as "step by step" procedures for verifying accuracy, those basic alignments need to be checked too.

In reality, I check them too. I check them as frequently as I feel they need to be checked to guarantee that my Mark V is properly prepared for use. I hardly ever use the vernier, though, so it gets adjusted(checked) only when I do a complete alignment. Due to physical limitations, it is difficult for me to get into position where I can accurately read the vernier. I have developed other habits to compensate. I use the Wixey for all table tilt adjustments except those that rely on the hard stops.