Shopsmith Forums

I purchased a table saw alignment fixture from Rockler. Knowing that the Shopsmith slot is different; I also bought another miter rail from Shopsmith. Come to find out, the Rockler fits in the shopsmith miter slot.

My problem is the shopsmith slot is too close to the saw blade to be able to use the fixture.

How can i mount this gauge to be able to use on the shopsmith? I hope I didn't just waste $60, but I am thinking I may have. (I am not near a Rockler store)

Is it possible to mount the gauge to the base(blue thingie) reversed so the movable finger points the opposite direction(over the series of holes)?

The length of the base may prevent using it reversed as well.(finger too short?)

First question, do you have a dado insert? Would that allow you to place a blade off center and far enough away from the slot. And if you don't have a dado insert, do you even need an insert in there at all?

You can add an extension to the miter bar in the slot. A rectangle of metal or plastic with a couple of holes attached on top of the miter bar, which I assume has threaded holes, and a threaded hole an inch or two away from from the miter bar to mount the device in. You would end up with the gauge above the table surface by the thickness of the material used, and it has to be thick enough to hold threads.

pilvr83 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 22, 2023 12:02 pm I purchased a table saw alignment fixture from Rockler. Knowing that the Shopsmith slot is different; I also bought another miter rail from Shopsmith. Come to find out, the Rockler fits in the shopsmith miter slot.

My problem is the shopsmith slot is too close to the saw blade to be able to use the fixture.

How can i mount this gauge to be able to use on the shopsmith? I hope I didn't just waste $60, but I am thinking I may have. (I am not near a Rockler store)

IMG_3602 (002).jpg

Can you move the table to the right so that the saw blade comes up along the left side of the table (not in the cutout) and then turn the alignment gauge around. Doing that should give you a variable distance between the miter slot and the alignment gauge (relocate the carriage to the right and/or the headstock to the left).

That looks like a nice stable carrier for the alignment gauge. I have to be careful with mine or it will wobble in the miter track.

Take a piece of 3/4" plywood about a little wider than the blue thingy (assume 5") and 8-10"' long. Mount the miter bar (either the one that game with the gauge or the Shopsmith one) to the underside of the plywood near the 5" inch edge. Drill a series of recessed holes along the long axis of the ply sized for whatever size machine screw bolt is going through the blue thingy. Bring bolt up through bottom of ply, through blue thingy and use a thumb screw to lock it down. Blue thingy is adjusted to blade by choosing whatever hole gets you close enough to the blade that the plunger on the dial gauge can touch it and has some travel in each direction.

I am out in the shop trying the suggestions. The dado adapter still won’t clear the distance. Another picture to show.

Oh wait. Do you mean taking out the insert??!!

I am an idiot!! Thanks to all. If I hadn’t posted, I wouldn’t have saw what the problem was. Taking out the insert did it. Unbelievable.

Let us know how well it works!!!!

pilvr83 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 22, 2023 3:58 pm 7D34DBE5-726A-40BF-A6AE-1A7B1ACD002A.jpegI am an idiot!! Thanks to all. If I hadn’t posted, I wouldn’t have saw what the problem was. Taking out the insert did it. Unbelievable.

The blade looks to be mighty close to the edge of the cut out. Try moving the gauge to the left hand miter track and turn it around, raise the table, move the carriage to the right and lower the table. God to see you got it done.

Think about moving the gauge to work in the left hand miter track --- blade off to the left of the table rather than in the cutout.