On Wednesday, October 2, 2013 11:31:30 AM UTC-4, DJ Delorie wrote:
For most people, words are simply a way of *relating* to ideas, not

*defining* them. As long as the right idea is communicated,

communication has happened successfully.



Perhaps they mean "[...] the cut made by your blade by moving the sled

along the miter slot" but abbreviate it to "[...] the blade" because

everyone's blade is true enough that it doesn't matter?


I only wish that were true. There is a common misconception that is quite wide spread (in my encounters w/ folks discussing alignment) that the 5-cut method aligns the fence with the blade to 90 degrees.

A common criticism that I receive from folks when I discuss using a dial indicator and a square to align a sled fence to 90 (see link below for an example in the comments) is that the 5-cut method is superior BECAUSE it aligns the fence to the blade while the dial indicator only aligns the fence to the miter track. While their logic is flawed as discussed in my original post, it is also flawed in other ways as well. Assuming they are correct, they would still need to have a blade aligned with the miter track regardless.


See he
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTlpY_chcio

Alignment method is at 5:30. See first comment.







Also, to true the blade to the cut it makes, I cross-cut some hardwood

and inspect the teeth marks in the wood, to make sure I have as deep

marks from both "front teeth cutting down" and "back teeth cutting up".

Just an FYI aside :-)