Shopsmith Forums

My 520 rip fence is creeping and I believe the locks need adjustment. I'm looking for the procedure in my manual and can find it. Obviously there are nuts near the lock mechanisms that can be tightened and loosened, front and back, but what is the proper adjustment procedure? Should the handles go all the way down when in the locked position?

Mine snap all the way down. If the nut is too tight then the handles will not snap all the way down.

I think I've adjusted the fence before-I'll have to think about where I found the adjustment procedure...

b

Yes the lock handles should go all the way down. It is kind of like an over center action. Tight, tight and then it snaps down all the way.

jsburger wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2023 3:23 pm Yes the lock handles should go all the way down. It is kind of like an over center action. Tight, tight and then it snaps down all the way.

lol, I was just reading an old post of yours about this where I understood you to say a properly adjusted fence handle does NOT go all the way down and basically you just want the flat of the cam to snap down on the fence -- but the handle is still a bit horizontal.

I cannot for the life of me find anything in my 520 manual talking about adjusting the rip fence locks.

Well, playing with both front and back locks, I think I've got the fence locks as solid as one can. The problem surfaced while horizontal boring. First thought it was the table carriage moving but I tied the main table to the extension table with tubes and could clearly see the fence moving laterally. No lateral movement now.

I put some graphite dry lube (aerosol) on the locks. Got rid of the squeak I was also getting. But made a bit of the mess. So what's the solution for removing dried spray on graphite lube? Mineral spirits don't seem to have the oomphf.

algale wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2023 3:36 pm

jsburger wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2023 3:23 pm Yes the lock handles should go all the way down. It is kind of like an over center action. Tight, tight and then it snaps down all the way.

lol, I was just reading an old post of yours about this where I understood you to say a properly adjusted fence handle does NOT go all the way down and basically you just want the flat of the cam to snap down on the fence -- but the handle is still a bit horizontal.

I cannot for the life of me find anything in my 520 manual talking about adjusting the rip fence locks.

The term all the way down is the question. I didn't think when I responded. I meant all the way down when properly adjusted it won't go any farther. Too lose and the handles will go down farther and almost point at the floor. Too tight and you won't get the over center feel. The picture shows a properly adjusted fence in my opinion. The nuts are tightened to the point that the handles get tighter up to the point just before the end. Then you get that over center feel where the last little bit has less tension. At that point the handle is "all the way down" for that adjustment. It will not go any farther. Notice both handles are in the same angular position. Each one has the same tension and over center feel when locked. I use spray dry lubricant on them other wise they get a little sticky.

Bottom line you want that over center feel at the end. If you don't feel that you are either too tight or too loose on the adjustment of the nuts.

Thanks, John. This is more or less what you said in that old post I found and it helped me get things tightened up properly.

Here is another trick I use to get exact blade to fence distance. Slide the fence to get it close. Then I use the lower handle to make the final adjustment. Holding the handle and either pulling or pushing on it will mover the in feed end of the fence a very small amount ( 1/16 or less). Push down on the handle till it just starts to get tight . That will square up the fence and then measure again. Repeat as necessary. Much quicker and more precise than physically pushing, pulling or bumping the entire fence manually because it will get slightly out of square until you lock the lower handle and then your measurement will be off.

I often will move the quill a tiny bit once the fence is close.

algale wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2023 4:02 pm Well, playing with both front and back locks, I think I've got the fence locks as solid as one can. The problem surfaced while horizontal boring. First thought it was the table carriage moving but I tied the main table to the extension table with tubes and could clearly see the fence moving laterally. No lateral movement now.

I put some graphite dry lube (aerosol) on the locks. Got rid of the squeak I was also getting. But made a bit of the mess. So what's the solution for removing dried spray on graphite lube? Mineral spirits don't seem to have the oomphf.

Seems horizontal boring is the ultimate stress test for the fence. Lots of threads here on that subject. Just clamp a block of wood to the table behind the fence to solve the problem. Not sure if any table saw fence can stand up to that pressure. We will never know because no other table saw on the market can do horizontal boring.

As for the dry lube cleanup, II don't know. I don't use graphite. I use Boeshield T-9. No clean up required.