Checking a TS using a Surface Gauge (Lotsa Pics)

[Bruce Page]

After reading Mark Stutz’s thread on Dial Indicators for the TS Aligner Jr. I thought I would post some pictures on how I align my table saw using a Surface Gauge (pic#1&2).

To check blade/miter slot alignment I raise the blade and mark a dot on the right side of the blade using a Sharpie. Using my surface gauge with the front pins extended into the miter slot, I push the pins against the slot edge and zero out the test indicator (pic#3). Next, I rotate the blade so the Sharpie mark is on the left and slide the surface gauge to the mark while maintaining pressure against the slot edge (pic#4). If the indicator still reads zero, the blade is perfectly aligned.
Checking the fence is just as simple Pic#5&6).
The gauge can also be used to check the parallelism of a planner or drum sander head to the table (pic#7), set blade height, router bit height, etc (it’s a handy tool to have around).
Pic#8 shows my collection of test indicators with accuracy ranges of .0001, .0005, & .001. Pic#9 is my collection of 1” & 2” travel indicators.