Setting track saw dead plumb

[ear3]

Someone shared this method a couple of years ago on the FOG which I suddenly remembered earlier today because I'm doing a project where I'm Edge joining wider boards and so want to be sure that my cut is truly 90°. Very simply it just involves removing the cover and then using a digital angle gauge to check the blade relative to a trusted flat surface in this case my table saw bed.

Turns out it was off .3 degrees. Not a lot, but if I can get it to 90, why the heck not? Adjustment is made through the set screw at the front of the song. In my case it was a quarter turn at most.  Now it's dead Plumb 90.  Incidentally, this adjustment was not available on an earlier version of the TS 55 i owned and which was the source of a lot of complaints on the fog about getting it set to 90.  They have since updated it as of 2 years ago to include a set screw.

My only question/concern is this: given that the adjustment is only made on one side of the saw is it an issue the front and back of the saw going out of alignment? Meaning as you're pressing down on the side during the cut would there be a chance of the back flexing down a  bit because there's a little more space underneath it? I made a few Cuts in and it seems to be fine.

By the way, as you can see from the pictures at the end it's a good idea to occasionally clean out the blade housing.

 

[mrFinpgh]

Thanks for sharing this.  It reminds me that I need to adjust this again, as my cuts are coming out a little greater than 90 degrees.

I don't have an angle gauge (or a table saw), so I just cut some mdf and check it with my most accurate square to see how I'm doing.

I'm curious if there are other factors to consider.  For instance, I've been wondering whether moving the splinter guard over can eventually cause the saw to cut a little bit out of plumb. 

-Adam

 

[Michael Kellough]

If you can accurately measure the bevel on the wood that the saw cut then you don't need to remove the saw's cover plate. Just clamp the digital protractor to the saw housing (while the saw is sitting on the guiderail) and adjust the angle of the saw. One could argue that this is a better procedure since the blade is potentially less than dead flat.

 

[Naildrivingman]

I'm curious how your digital scale functions.  Is it based off a known level surface (in this case your saw bed) or how does the gauge determine what is the variation?

 

[Bob D.]

The way I use mine is to set in on the table and zero out the angle gauge. Then when you place it on the blade the angle displayed is relative to the surface the gauge was zeroed out on which in this example was the table saw. So even if the table of the saw was not perfectly level, the measurement will be x number of degrees to the table, not to level as you would do with a bubble level.

It's a handy gadget, depending on what brand you but anywhere from $15 to $50. Wixey was the first one I remember, and the model I have. Kids gave it to me on Fathers Day a few years ago. I keep it at the table saw and use it for setting the TS blade, quick and easy.

Long story short you need one.

 

[ChuckM]

If you can accurately measure the bevel on the wood that the saw cut then you don't need to remove the saw's cover plate. Just clamp the digital protractor to the saw housing (while the saw is sitting on the guiderail) and adjust the angle of the saw. One could argue that this is a better procedure since the blade is potentially less than dead flat.

I'd agree with this that it is more accurate to set a saw at whatever angle using the saw itself as the reference, not the blade itself.

I have also found, for example, even though my blade on the tablesaw can be set dead square to the table, the edges may still not be cut square because the boards (especially wider one) may not be dead flat. My experience with working with lots of rough lumber tells me dead flat boards rarely exist, no matter how you thickness plane it. The next morning you come back to the shop, some of the freshly planed boards still in the stickered pile may have already changed.

Working with manufactured sheets line MDF is a different story.

 

[Naildrivingman]

The way I use mine is to set in on the table and zero out the angle gauge. Then when you place it on the blade the angle displayed is relative to the surface the gauge was zeroed out on which in this example was the table saw. So even if the table of the saw was not perfectly level, the measurement will be x number of degrees to the table, not to level as you would do with a bubble level.

It's a handy gadget, depending on what brand you but anywhere from $15 to $50. Wixey was the first one I remember, and the model I have. Kids gave it to me on Fathers Day a few years ago. I keep it at the table saw and use it for setting the TS blade, quick and easy.

Long story short you need one.

Of course I NEED one....are you gonna break that news to my wife??