On May 7, 11:17*am, Jim Wilkins wrote:
If the part of the blade guide that holds the ball bearings is bolted
to the slotted extension bar then they can be tweaked to cut straight.
Put the saw on a flat level floor when you do it so the bed doesn't
twist. The cast iron flexes a lot more than you might think.

How can I tell if the Harbor Freight has this? (It is the red one). I
am not sure what you mean by "slotted extension bar"

And how "straight" is "straight"?

stryped wrote:

On May 7, 11:17 am, Jim Wilkins wrote:

If the part of the blade guide that holds the ball bearings is bolted
to the slotted extension bar then they can be tweaked to cut straight.
Put the saw on a flat level floor when you do it so the bed doesn't
twist. The cast iron flexes a lot more than you might think.


How can I tell if the Harbor Freight has this? (It is the red one). I
am not sure what you mean by "slotted extension bar"

And how "straight" is "straight"?


The HF saw can be adjusted for straight cuts by adjusting the blade
guides. The manual is pretty straight forward.

Jim

On May 7, 1:28*pm, stryped wrote:
On May 7, 11:17*am, Jim Wilkins wrote:

If the part of the blade guide that holds the ball bearings is bolted
to the slotted extension bar then they can be tweaked to cut straight.
Put the saw on a flat level floor when you do it so the bed doesn't
twist. The cast iron flexes a lot more than you might think.

How can I tell if the Harbor Freight has this? (It is the red one). I
am not sure what you mean by "slotted extension bar"

I should have hung up, gone downstairs and looked before writing that.
The blade guide bar is solid, the slot is in the casting. Mine is a
Delta and a few parts are different from the HF model. The blade
guides can be rotated slightly to square up the blade to the table.

And how "straight" is *"straight"?

I can get it to cut square within 0.005" per inch vertically but I
have to use it where I adjusted it because my basement floor isn't
completely flat. Usually I cut a piece at least 1/16" oversize and
mill or belt-sand it square.

I've cut steel 1/2" thick and 6" wide, lying flat, with a well-used
10/14TPI blade. Took about half an hour. My saw occasionally jams so I
stay near enough to hear it and shut it off.

Your 3/16" triangles shouldn't be a problem as long as the stock will
fit flat in the vise. I'd angle the vise and cut one triangle off each
end, then square it and cut the next two. If you need more than 4 you
can set the vise at 45 and flip the stock over after each cut. Free-
hand angles and notches on small pieces are easier and safer if you do
them before cutting the piece off the bar.

Jim Wilkins

On 2008-05-07, Jim Chandler wrote:
stryped wrote:

On May 7, 11:17 am, Jim Wilkins wrote:

If the part of the blade guide that holds the ball bearings is bolted
to the slotted extension bar then they can be tweaked to cut straight.
Put the saw on a flat level floor when you do it so the bed doesn't
twist. The cast iron flexes a lot more than you might think.


How can I tell if the Harbor Freight has this? (It is the red one). I
am not sure what you mean by "slotted extension bar"

And how "straight" is "straight"?


The HF saw can be adjusted for straight cuts by adjusting the blade
guides. The manual is pretty straight forward.

Also -- the blade needs to be tight enough. Basically, as tight
"as you can get it" is on the low side of "tight enough". So just grab
that tension knob and crank on it. :-)

Enjoy,
DoN.

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