How Do I Get My Blade To 90*?
- Thread starter darita
- Start date
The surface you put the device and combo square on doesn't look flat enough for me. Could you redo it on your table saw cast iron top? For that kind of accuracy test, you need "real flat" as a starting point.https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...ing-and-measuring/32526-granite-surface-plate
waho6o9
Member
Maybe put your Festool saw on the Festool rail that you're using and then use the magnetic protractor.
Michael Kellough
Member
darita said:
The results of your quick test are interesting. To get the angle of the sloped part of the combination head you could just tape the device in place. Not enough engagement in the photo.
To test the angle of your cut you’d just have to hold the device in place, and make a mental note of the readout. Then (without moving the stock) put the device on top of the work, square to the joint. The difference, one readout subtracted from the other, will be the angle of the cut.
darita said:
Yes this is what you need to do. The saw cannot be calibrated using that grub screw. On the opposite side there is a slot that barely allows the saw to go between 45 and 90. The pin with the green handle rides in this slot. You can make an adjustment for the pin but the further toward 90 the further away from 45. The tricky thing is you can't ignore the side with the grub screw when calibrating as the saw will flex if the grub screw isn't supporting it. Both sides need to be adjusted together and then you must check 45 to see if you are making too much of a compromise to get a perfect 90. Also, I would not rely on a digital inclinometer but instead use a machinist square like has been said above. Even a small twist of the linclinometer will throw off your reading and that is assuming your unit is accurate to the tolerance you are trying to achieve.
Crazyraceguy
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TomK_2 said:
This is 100% true. I don't even know how many times I have seen videos of guys just sticking their magnetic gauge onto an already tilted blade to check the angle.
This does not give you an accurate reading. I aways start with the blade at a true/known 90 degree to the table point. Stick the magnet to the side of the blade, zero it while everything is touching,(bottom and side/throat plate and blade) then tilt to the desired angle without ever touching the tilt box again.
You also want to do this while the crank/screw is pushing the mechanism, to keep the slack out of the reading. If you go past your angle, back up and come up to it again, so the angle doesn't change from the natural droop that would be allowed by the slack.
All points taken. I made a cut and checked it with a square and found it was indeed not square. I was able to make the adjustment to square. Now, which black knob do I tighten first...the front one or the back one? I seem to recall there's a sequence to follow.
Crazyraceguy
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I generally do them both at once. Turn the saw sideways to you, sitting flat on it's base, tighten them both at the same time. It really shouldn't move, fowling your adjustment, either way though, assuming that it is "resting" on the stops.
