Shopsmith Forums

I've been watching the saw dust sessions and I am wondering if the table alignment needs to be so complicated. Here is my thought... why not use some feeler gauges between the fence and the saw blade. If the two are aligned the blade should cut straight, right? If your fence and sliding miter gauge match up there shouldn't be a problem. Any one care to tell me why this wouldn't be correct? I works out in my head and it seems like it would be way easier than messing around with the dial indicator...
ciao
Logan

You'll find this thread of interest.
https://forum.shopsmith.com/viewtopic.php?t=4409&highlight=dial+indicator

cthulhu187 wrote:I've been watching the saw dust sessions and I am wondering if the table alignment needs to be so complicated. Here is my thought... why not use some feeler gauges between the fence and the saw blade. If the two are aligned the blade should cut straight, right? If your fence and sliding miter gauge match up there shouldn't be a problem. Any one care to tell me why this wouldn't be correct? I works out in my head and it seems like it would be way easier than messing around with the dial indicator...
ciao
Logan

Logan, your proposed method would work exactly the same way as in the thread that Mike referred you to. My feeler gauge being a 7" square piece of milled aluminum that I can lay in place and do NOT have to handle. In your method you have to manage the feeler gauge.

The thread shows the use of a miter gauge to position one side of the aluminum block at an exact 90 degrees to the blade. The adjacent side of the aluminum block are then parallel to a properly positioned blade.

That is achieved by moving the table around on the trunnions. Once in position, tighten the trunnion bolts and you are done.

After you recheck everything to make certain nothing got moved.

Using this method, I have the miter slots parallel to the blade to within .003".

thanks for the thread link. I think I may have to grab some aluminum from my friends shop, I think I will still be grabbing a dial indicator to double check everything and it looks pretty use full for many other things.

cthulhu187 wrote:thanks for the thread link. I think I may have to grab some aluminum from my friends shop, I think I will still be grabbing a dial indicator to double check everything and it looks pretty use full for many other things.

You don't need to invest in the aluminum! A piece of wood will work just as well so long as it is square. The accuracy of the square corners was guaranteed for me (with the aluminum) because they were machine milled.

Cut a piece of wood or 1" mdf and square it (if necessary) with the belt sander or disk sander.

I just trued my Greenie up yesterday. My problem was not my table to blade alignment (.004"), but rather my fence to blade (.040").

I already had a dial indicator from making bamboo fly rods, so I just rigged up a jig to go in the miter slot and tested it that way. By playing around with the fence, I got everything to be as square as I seem to need it.

I'm sure a sub .001" table saw is nice, but I don't do that kind of work yet anyway.

nllaeder wrote:I just trued my Greenie up yesterday. My problem was not my table to blade alignment (.004"), but rather my fence to blade (.040").

I already had a dial indicator from making bamboo fly rods, so I just rigged up a jig to go in the miter slot and tested it that way. By playing around with the fence, I got everything to be as square as I seem to need it.

I'm sure a sub .001" table saw is nice, but I don't do that kind of work yet anyway.

In an extraordinary professional setting, I think you're right about beeing under .001" off would be important, but I would be quite happy with your .004" results for my garage as well.

nllaeder wrote:I just trued my Greenie up yesterday. My problem was not my table to blade alignment (.004"), but rather my fence to blade (.040").

I already had a dial indicator from making bamboo fly rods, so I just rigged up a jig to go in the miter slot and tested it that way. By playing around with the fence, I got everything to be as square as I seem to need it.

I'm sure a sub .001" table saw is nice, but I don't do that kind of work yet anyway.

FWIW, the table(miter gauge slots) are aligned to the quill(blade).

The fence and miter gauge are aligned to the table(miter gauge slots).

JPG40504 wrote:FWIW, the table(miter gauge slots) are aligned to the quill(blade).

The fence and miter gauge are aligned to the table(miter gauge slots).

For the Shopsmith , the quill(or blade) is always the point of reference. But not everyone aligns the fence and miter gauge to the table. I align everything with reference to the blade except the miter gauge which is aligned independently using either the MiterSet or a Wixey.

The Shopsmith procedure (Nick's procedure) is absolutely valid but I have chosen to do this alignment my own way which I find to be quicker.

Note: If you experience difficulty achieving reliable alignments, don't over look the arbor being used. A dirty or damaged arbor can effect your alignments. This is one reason for why I use a dedicated arbor for each active blade that I own.

dusty wrote:For the Shopsmith , the quill(or blade) is always the point of reference. But not everyone aligns the fence and miter gauge to the table. I align everything with reference to the blade except the miter gauge which is aligned independently using either the MiterSet or a Wixey.

The Shopsmith procedure (Nick's procedure) is absolutely valid but I have chosen to do this alignment my own way which I find to be quicker.

Note: If you experience difficulty achieving reliable alignments, don't over look the arbor being used. A dirty or damaged arbor can effect your alignments. This is one reason for why I use a dedicated arbor for each active blade that I own.

Using your square plate method aligning the fence to the blade would be easier than fence to slot. If the slot is aligned to the blade, it is for all practical purposes the same.