table saw alignment

[castor aviles]

Hi All I have a ''dumb'' question :
Do the markings on the dial indicator mean 0.001 each line ?
Im doing the alignment on my tablesaw the blade to the miter slot I have the blade marked at one spot and put the dial indicator to that spot and zeroed then I turn the blade so that the mark is in the oposite side. Then I slide the dial to the back and it now reads 0.007? it goes from 0 to the seventh line towards the number 10
Do I need to adjust the alignment or is that ok?
thanks for the help and sorry for the gramma errors

[Jim Becker]

That's out 7 thousandths...a bit much, IMHO. Remember, that's .007 in just the width of the blade. It's much more when you consider the full depth of the saw and length of the material you might be cutting. Depending on your saw type, it's possible to get it down with careful adjustment. Cabinet saws are easier in that respect than contractors' style saws.

[Peter Melanson]

I have a question I was wondering if you guys could help me out? I just got a new saw and want to check the alignment. I have read a couple of books and articles about this and the say that the blade should be parallel to the miter slit. However at the local WW store they told me to make sure the back of the blade measurement was slightly larger so that the wood "turns out". It kind of makes sense but wouldn't the blade be cutting at a slight angle instead of true straight. Should I listen to the WW store or go buy the books and articles by the pro's

Thanks for any help you can provide

[Ted Miller]

Peter, you can make your fence so it is out away from the back end of the blade by .001, toed out, if you like so the material you are cutting will not bind on the back end of the blade to the fence.

I try to keep my blade to miter within .001 if I can and blades are never perfect, they will have a bit of warp to them, but the better the blade the more true they are, never seen a perfect one yet...

[Jason Beam]

However at the local WW store they told me to make sure the back of the blade measurement was slightly larger so that the wood "turns out".

Are you sure they meant the blade? It'd be a very dangerous situation if you took that advice, if you ask me. That blade should be perfectly parallel. Personally, I think the fence should be dead on as well, but some folks feel that having it toe out .001-.002" or so is okay. I personally feel that if you want it straight, you gotta start with straight tooling.

The slight misalignment of the fence is really meant to try to combat kickback. Unfortunately, it's not a good method because if you can move your "keep" piece to the right a few thou, that means your waste piece is gonna move into the blade that same amount. That's just asking for kickback. There should be a splitter there, also dead nuts aligned with the blade (and the same thickness). Then there's no need for your fence to be out.

[glenn bradley]

Castor, I would try for better than .007 across the width of part of the blade. This difference over 3 feet becomes bothersome. I shoot for .001 but .002 wouldn't kill me if I had worked at it awhile and couldn't get closer.

Peter, some folks like the fence to toe-out at the rear by .001" or so. I prefer straight but it's a preference thing.

Blade parallel to miter slot.
Fence parallel to miter slot (or toe-out if desired)

[Lee Schierer]

First off, look at your dial indicator. On the face it should be labeled .001 or .0005. If it is labeled .001 then your blade is off .007" which is quite a bit.

The blade should align closer than .007 to the miter slot if you want the best cuts. If you take your time and align the saw it will pay dividends later on. I think it took me about 1/2 hour to get my saw blade within .0005 front to rear with the blade at maximum elevation. I trued up my fence right after I aligned my blade and it is set at .000 from front to rear of the table. If you have to have some angle, better to be a bit wide at the back of the table than closer, which will tend to pinch the wood between the fence and the blade which at the least will cause burning and at worst a kick back. The face of most fences are not flat so you may see a variation as you move along it of +/- .002 or .003, which is probably acceptable for most cabinet work.