i would look more closely at the bottom wheel and drive train
something sounds wrong there

That's my thought as well. Are the two wheels lined up in all 3 axis?
If you've got a riser block, they can sometimes make it difficult to get
the two halves of the saw aligned properly because of the pin.

The lower wheel sits about 1/2" or so farther back then the top wheel. The
only way I have been able to get the upper and lower wheels close to
coplaner is to shim out the lower wheel. I currently have three shims
behind the lower wheel, for a total thickness of about 3/8". The blade now
tracks in the center of both wheels, the first time since I bought the saw.

Grizzly suggested shimming the riser block, or removing the alignment pin
and shifting the upper half. I thought shimming might tilt the blade and
guards at another angle, front to back. Right now they're perfectly
vertical.

If I removed the alignment pin I was worried it might be difficult to line
up the upper and lower half and keep them there over time. The only thing
holding the two halves together is a single big bolt. It would also be odd
to have the riser block shifted from the lower half of the saw.

I just installed the poly tires and the third shim this last weekend, so
maybe I'll try adjusting the fence for drift again.

Anthony Watson
www.mountainsoftware.com
www.watsondiy.com