Bosch 4100 fence alignment issue… is this the best this fence can do?

[Alexander Prikhodko]

Recently I picked-up a Bosch 4100 table saw. After a painless initial assembly, I started working on calibrating and aligning various moving parts; this is where I ran into a problem. It seems that no matter what I did I could not get my fence to be perpendicular to the table surface. I turned every adjustment screw I could find, double-checked that the surface is flat, and consistently the fence is out of alignment.

The fence is perfectly square and perpendicular when it is not locked, but when I engage the locking mechanism I can feel the fence rise up a bit, and it’s at that point that it goes out alignment. Also, when unlocked, there seems to be 1/8” of slop where the fence can be wiggled side to side.

So, am I simply too anal and expecting too much out of this fence, after all this is not a cabinet saw, or do I have a legitimate problem? I am open to suggestions and feedback.

Thanks in advance!
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[michael case]

I guess the question would be how much out of line? Also does this happen no matter where the fence is positioned along the table? ie when 6" from the blade does is it out the same as when its 10"? The idea is whether its the locking mechanism which is out of whack or the fence rail onto which it locks. Have you tried over compensating your adjustments so that it goes true when it locks?

[david brum]

Did you make certain that the table top is completely level in both directions? Those aluminum tops can twist very easily if not. A twisted/warped top will produce all kinds of problems with fence alignment.

[Harvey Pascoe]

Design wise, I can see all kinds of problems with that fence design. First off, the carriage base is far too narrow to provide good directional stability, so I'd say you shouldn't expect too much. OTOH, for the price you should expect to do some fiddling to get it right. If you intend to keep it, take your time finding out what throws it off and then see if you can figure a way to make it right.

For example, I bought a Kreg aftermarket band saw fence and every time I'd adjust it and tighten it down, it'd jump out of position. Rather than going to all the trouble and cost of sending it back and finding a better one, I found a fairly simple way of solving the problem by adding two nylon adjustment screws at the front of the carriage to take out the slack that caused the jumping. All I had to do was drill and tap two holes. Now it works perfectly.

[glenn bradley]

The Bosch is one of the top tools of this type. It is a job site saw designed for portability. I would not kill myself trying to make it a cabinet saw. To satisfy my personality (admittedly very anal) would try for as good as I could get. In my own self defense I would then make peace with the fact that I gave it all the attention I could and then use the tool and enjoy myself. Constanly agonizing over a job-saw that is very, very good for what it is designed for but, is not something it is not breeds discontent.

[frank shic]

i briefly owned a bosch 4000 before reslling it on craigslist because of the flimsy fence. i much prefer the rack and pinion fence on the dewalt and the beefier fence on the ridgid portable table saw.

[Abi Parris]

My Bosch has the very same issue and no amount of fiddling performed thus far has corrected it.

[David Kumm]

I would make a sub fence to correct the problem. If you move the table out the width of the subfence the reference to the tape will remain correct. The fence is a little short in the front anyway so a subfence helps that as well. Dave

[Alexander Prikhodko]

So I spent a few more hours fiddling with the thing this morning to no avail. Finally, I decided to take my fence to Lowes where I bought the saw, and try it out on their floor model. Yep, the fence was defective. Even the floor model after all of its abuse from being on the sales floor was more accurate. Thankfully Lowes was willing to swap-out my fence for another one, so I am back in business.

Thanks everyone for your feedback and suggestions.

Cheers, Alex

[Harvey Pascoe]

If you just examine a problem long enough, the right answer eventually is found. Your persistence paid off although perhaps not the way expected.

[glenn bradley]

Alexander that is excellent news. Also glad to hear that Lowe's took care of you.