Adjusting a Delta 10 inch Miter Saw to Cut Perfect 90 Degree

[Rick Hubbard]

Much to my dismay, I’ve discovered that my old reliable 10 inch Delta miter saw is no longer cutting perfect 90 degree angles. It’s off by just a tiny fraction of a degree- not even enough to notice until I attempt to create a 4 cornered frame and then it is REALLY noticeable. It looks like there are two bolts where the pivot attaches to the saw base and I suspect this is where I should make the adjustment, but I also suspect once I loosen them there will be a BUNCH of trial and error attempts to get it prperly adjusted. Does anybody have any tips for doing this with a minimum of hassle and a maximum of accuracy?

Thanks

Rick

[Bill White]

but, on my old cast iron Delta miter monster, I adjust the small set screws in the fence adjustment. Never have fiddled with the base/arm mechanism and I get pretty darned good results.
Bill

[Larry Edgerton]

Are you talking about the cast iron 10 inch that weighs about 70 pounds? The one with the jackshaft under the motor?

[Rick Hubbard]

Are you talking about the cast iron 10 inch that weighs about 70 pounds? The one with the jackshaft under the motor?

Actually. mine is not quite that old- I've owned it about 10 years and it has been an amazing little saw for a "cheapie". Here is a pic of one that is similar to it.

Rick

[Tom Hargrove]

Rick -

Delta made several different miter saws. What is the model number of the one you have?

[Dustin Lane]

i own the older cast iron 36-220 model and the owners manual references how to set the 90* and 45* properly. i would imagine this is the easiest/best way to do this. however i dont have any advice beyond that. i can provide the manual in pdf form if needed though.

[Rick Hubbard]

Rick -

Delta made several different miter saws. What is the model number of the one you have?

I will need to go home and find that tonight, but FWIW I think I have found out which bolts to loosen to make the adjustment. What I really am looking for however is a fool-proof way of determining the proper setting with out making dozens of test cuts. I think I remember seeing a way to do that on table saws in some WW mag.

[Rick Hubbard]

As I said in the OP I first noticed the setting was off on this saw this weekend when I attempted to assemble 4 pieces of 1x2x14 stock into a square frame. It was obvious that something was out of whack, and when I went to the saw and cut a piece of 1X2, then inverted one of the pieces, I could easily see that the saw was off on the 90 degree setting.

I really don’t know exactly how much it is off (in degrees), but I just did a little experiment with Visio and determined that if an end cut is off by just ½ of a degree, that would translate into almost a 1/4 inch in a 24 inch square box. Can this be?

Rick

[Dave Norris]

I have a Delta 10" in miter saw similar to that, except mine has a two part fence. Each part of the fence has two large bolts that hold it in place. It is a bugger to set, because once you get it where you want it, it moves when you tighten it down. I put washers under the screws, and it helped but it still moves. My solution was pretty much keep the bolts tight, and pound the fence firmly on the back with a hammer. That gets one side aligned, and then I fuss with other side trying to judge the amount of "drift" that will happen when I tighten the other side. A lot of the time on-site I only align the left side, and just loosen the right side and push it back out of the way. Sounds dumb, but it works ok for me...

[Rick Hubbard]

I have a Delta 10" in miter saw similar to that, except mine has a two part fence. Each part of the fence has two large bolts that hold it in place. It is a bugger to set, because once you get it where you want it, it moves when you tighten it down. .

Hi Dave-

You are right- it IS a bugger to set up the fences.

After I went home last night I dug out the user manual and the instructions innocuously said to "loosen the fences and adjust till the blade is square to the fence(s)". YEEEESH . I messed around with those fences for over an hour and encountered all the problems you describe. I think I have finally gotten the fences properly aligned, however. I'm eager to see how the alignment works when I do some actual production cuts!

[Dave Norris]

Hi Rick,
I forget where I read it, but it was in a "how to install trim" article about hitting it with a hammer. At first I thought "no way I'm hitting an aluminum fence with a hammer". After an hour or so I thought "where's the hammer!". A couple solid but controlled taps later and it was right on. I take my saw down and set it up a lot, so now, I can make a test cut, see how far it's off, and almost always get it aligned with one or two taps. And it's amazing how little you actually use the other side of the fence when you get used to working without it.

I don't understand why they don't put a dial mechanism on fences somehow, although I'm sure it would make the cost exorbitant.

[Rick Hubbard]

Hi Rick,
I forget where I read it, but it was in a "how to install trim" article about hitting it with a hammer.

I thought about a "Hammer Option" last night too (maybe with just enough force to launch the whole thing through the shop wall and out into the Piscataquis!)

Rick