Shopsmith Forums

My wife gave me the whole day in the shop today so I could start on my next segmented vessel. Made the plan (killing a couple of hours)and went to start ripping some strips to cut into segments. Set the fence and made the first cut. 3/4+ tapering to 5/8. Checked the blade to table alignment. Results below. Last week it was "perfect"!

These machines don't seem to go out of alignment very easy. Bent blade? Curious ....

Are all the locks tight?

Everett

No bent blades, all locks tight. Something happened and the table moved. It has kept alignment for over a year. Not complaining, but it's time to sit back and enjoy a bourbon (or two). Tomorrow is another day- but i bet i don't get a shop pass!

Relocate the carriage and the headstock. Set all five locks "again". Make sure the blade arbor is tight against the headstock. Recheck all measurements (making certain the gauge (*miter bar) is firm against the miter track.

You can have a lot of variation just by moving the gauge in the track. The miter bar is not tight in the track.

dusty wrote:Relocate the carriage and the headstock. Set all five locks "again". Make sure the blade arbor is tight against the headstock. Recheck all measurements (making certain the gauge (*miter bar) is firm against the miter track.

You can have a lot of variation just by moving the gauge in the track. The miter bar is not tight in the track.

All the things Dusty noted can, does, and will effect the alignment check you made.
That is a fact!
Which leads me to the question why worry about it.
Unless you are going to check each and every time you setup to make a cut those variations can and many times will be there. Yet the SS cuts your wood to your satisfaction. So why bother checking. It will just make you crazy.

0.019" over 8-9" is not trivial.

It remains unexplained however??

How are you repositioning the blade(touching blade. or rotating from the rear hub).

P.S. Loose tip?

Ed in Tampa wrote:

dusty wrote:Relocate the carriage and the headstock. Set all five locks "again". Make sure the blade arbor is tight against the headstock. Recheck all measurements (making certain the gauge (*miter bar) is firm against the miter track.

You can have a lot of variation just by moving the gauge in the track. The miter bar is not tight in the track.

All the things Dusty noted can, does, and will effect the alignment check you made.
That is a fact!
Which leads me to the question why worry about it.
Unless you are going to check each and every time you setup to make a cut those variations can and many times will be there. Yet the SS cuts your wood to your satisfaction. So why bother checking. It will just make you crazy.

Ed, I suspect that if you were doing segment turnings you would not ask that question. But when attempting a beautiful segment turning, .019" gap in a glue joint is like a canyon. I am not a turner but I know what good, tight glue joints look like.

Chris, In addition to all that has been said here, I must ask. Do you tie your main table to the extension tables with extension tubes when you are seeking this sort of stability. If you do not, I strongly recommend that you give it a try.

If you don't have 5' extension tubes, move the headstock and carriage toward one end and use the standard extension tubes

dusty wrote:

Ed in Tampa wrote:

dusty wrote:Relocate the carriage and the headstock. Set all five locks "again". Make sure the blade arbor is tight against the headstock. Recheck all measurements (making certain the gauge (*miter bar) is firm against the miter track.

You can have a lot of variation just by moving the gauge in the track. The miter bar is not tight in the track.

All the things Dusty noted can, does, and will effect the alignment check you made.
That is a fact!
Which leads me to the question why worry about it.
Unless you are going to check each and every time you setup to make a cut those variations can and many times will be there. Yet the SS cuts your wood to your satisfaction. So why bother checking. It will just make you crazy.

Ed, I suspect that if you were doing segment turnings you would not ask that question. But when attempting a beautiful segment turning, .019" gap in a glue joint is like a canyon. I am not a turner but I know what good, tight glue joints look like.

Chris, In addition to all that has been said here, I must ask. Do you tie your main table to the extension tables with extension tubes when you are seeking this sort of stability. If you do not, I strongly recommend that you give it a try.

If you don't have 5' extension tubes, move the headstock and carriage toward one end and use the standard extension tubes

Dusty the point I intended to make but didn't was do we know that we see in the pictures will produce a .019" gap?
I suspect not, BUT I don't know and neither does anyone else until he tries the cut and sees if there is a cut error.

I guess my point is I think we often over think some of this. I have found that I can align my SS to my satisfaction and then move, change, do something to my machine and see that alignment change. That said I have never had mis cut that I could prove to be caused by my machine.

Table has been realigned, all is well. Not sure what made it go out, but it was undoubtedley something I did! While i was at it, i realigned my fense. That was out more that the table, probably because i dropped it and kicked it across the shop floor. Oops!
Anywho... cut out four rings for my next segmented project and all is right with the world. Only 15 more to go!

Dusty, i do tie the tables together. I find if you don't, there is too much play in the table legs and you do not get consistant cuts.