Can anyone offer some wisdom?

I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
seems flat. BUT...

When I rip a board, the cut is off by a couple of degrees. On a
standard 3/4inch board, (run through flat), one side of the cut is
about a sixteenth higher than the other side?

I bought a new blade with no change.

Any advice? Thanks!

DS

"largecorp" wrote in message
Can anyone offer some wisdom?

I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
seems flat. BUT...

When I rip a board, the cut is off by a couple of degrees. On a
standard 3/4inch board, (run through flat), one side of the cut is
about a sixteenth higher than the other side?

One would have to say that, despite what your square says, your blade is not
90 degrees to your "flat" table.

Another check: lay a straight edge, perpendicular to the blade, across the
table and see if you don't have a swale/valley where the throat is.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/6/06

largecorp wrote:
Can anyone offer some wisdom?

I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
seems flat. BUT...

When I rip a board, the cut is off by a couple of degrees. On a
standard 3/4inch board, (run through flat), one side of the cut is
about a sixteenth higher than the other side?

I bought a new blade with no change.

Any advice? Thanks!

DS

I don't think I understand exactly what the error is, but there are
several things that matter:

1) The table should be flat. If it is a cast table, this is more or
less guaranteed, at least within reason. You can get usable performance
from a very ****ty table.

2) The blade MUST be parallel to the miter gauge slots. Usually setting
this means shifting the table relative to the saw arbor, which in turn
involves loosening bolts holding either the arbor to the table or the
table to some mounting which holds the arbor, and is a fiddly operation.
It is important, however; rip cuts will bind against the fence or wander
away from the fence.

3) The fence MUST be parallel to the miter gauge slots.

4) If you want the face of the cut to be a right angle, then the blade
should be perpendicular to the table. If your square says it is, then it
is (again within reason. But a sixteenth in 3/4" is a 5 degree angle,
which is like a wart on the end of your nose--you could easily see it is
cockeyed.)

largecorp (in )
said:

| Can anyone offer some wisdom?
|
| I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
| double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
| I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
| seems flat. BUT...

Not sure about the wisdom part; but I think I'd take a few minutes to
check the steel square by fitting it to _both_ sides of the
fully-raised blade.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto

One would have to say that, despite what your square says, your blade is
not
90 degrees to your "flat" table.

Maybe his square is out of square.

Lee
--
To e-mail, replace "bucketofspam" with "dleegordon"

_________________________________
Lee Gordon
http://www.leegordonproductions.com

largecorp wrote:

I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
seems flat. BUT...

When I rip a board, the cut is off by a couple of degrees.

Sounds like the blade is not square to the table.

Fastest way to find out:

1) Raise blade to full height.

2) Place a piece of say 1/2" plywood, about 4"x12" against miter gage
on the 1/2" edge that is installed on left slot and make a cut that
will be about 3" high.

3) Move miter gage to right slot, turn plywood 180 degrees, line up
cut with blade, make 2nd cut thru first.

When the cut edges are parallel, blade is square to table.

Adjust blade as req'd.

Lew

PS: I repeat the above EVERY time I adjust the blade to make an angle
cut. I don't trust stops.

On 23 May 2006 14:27:50 -0700, "largecorp"
wrote:

Can anyone offer some wisdom?

I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
seems flat. BUT...

When I rip a board, the cut is off by a couple of degrees. On a
standard 3/4inch board, (run through flat), one side of the cut is
about a sixteenth higher than the other side?

I bought a new blade with no change.

If you cut a groove does it make a straight groove but at an angle, or
does it angle out in both directions? If it's the former something
is screwy with how you are squaring the blade. If it's the latter
you've got problems - and if you aren't exaggerating how off it is you
shouldn't be using the saw until corrected.


-Leuf

In article .com,
largecorp wrote:
Can anyone offer some wisdom?

I have a decent old Craftsman saw with a Unifence. I've checked and
double checked the blade tilt (zero, according to my steel square),
I've fine tuned the fence so it's 90 degrees, the table itself
seems flat. BUT...

When I rip a board, the cut is off by a couple of degrees. On a
standard 3/4inch board, (run through flat), one side of the cut is
about a sixteenth higher than the other side?

I bought a new blade with no change.

Any advice? Thanks!

DS


Suggestion #1: Check your square and make sure that it is really
square.

Suggestion #2: Adjust the blade tilt, make test cut in scrap, readjust
and repeat until satisfied.


--

Larry Wasserman Baltimore, Maryland

Also, maybe the square is not sitting on the table, but on the
throat plate, and the throatplate is NOT perfectly level with the
table top

More of a problem with SMALL squares, larger ones typically/hopefully
will be able ot sit on both the table top AND the throatplate.

Lastly, maybe the square he is using is NOT totally accurate as to
square, definitely should use the square on both sides of the blade
and also make sure the square is sitting LEVEL on the tabletop, NOT
just on the throatplate

John

On Tue, 23 May 2006 18:58:47 -0400, "Lee Gordon"
wrote:


One would have to say that, despite what your square says, your blade is
not
90 degrees to your "flat" table.

Maybe his square is out of square.

Lee

"Also, maybe the square is not sitting on the table, but on the
throat plate, and the throatplate is NOT perfectly level with the
table top

More of a problem with SMALL squares, larger ones typically/hopefully
will be able ot sit on both the table top AND the throatplate. "



Actually, maybe the square is sitting on the throatplate AND the table,
but the plate is a hair lower, causing the perpendicular part against
the blade be at more then 90 degrees. In which direction is the cut
off? Is the top or bottom of the cut accurate to what is measured?

-Jim

More strangeness:

Here's a follow-up question to my original post: when I cross-cut,
the cut is perfect 90 degrees; it's only when I'm ripping that
something weird is happening and creating a bevel cut of a few degrees.

Any ideas?

largecorp wrote:
More strangeness:

Here's a follow-up question to my original post: when I cross-cut,
the cut is perfect 90 degrees; it's only when I'm ripping that
something weird is happening and creating a bevel cut of a few degrees.

Any ideas?


Possibly the boards you are ripping riding up a bit off of the table as
you push them past the blade. I'd imagine you put a decent amount of
downward pressure on a board you are cross cutting with a miter gauge
or sled, something that is less likely to happen when ripping. Of
course, to apply downward pressure safely when ripping one needs an
appropriately designed push stick.