You said:

After dicking around with the six bolts and wiggling around on the saw
guts
for a couple of hours, the best I was able to accomplish is that there is
still a 0.014" gap between the pencil point and the marked tooth at the
back of the table. I could never manage to get it closer than that and
keep it there while the bolts were tightened back up.

Unfortunately, the gap indicates that the blade is closer to the rip fence
at the back than at the front, which is really seriously not cool. Still,
I don't see what else I can do about it. This was the product of much
fiddling, and it was hard to get it even this close. (BTW, the rip fence
is to the right of the blade. I was using the left miter slot.)

From your post, I infer that you are trying to align a contractor saw.
If I guessed right, go to Woodcraft.com and purchase a PALS alignment
system for your saw (under $30 including shipping). You will now be
able to adjust your contractors saw to the tolerances you need.

I have no ties to the manufacturer or Woodcraft but I am a satisfied
customer who dialed in his Craftsman table saw using the system in
under an hour.