I'm having some problems aligning the blade in my Ridgid 3612 (10" contractor model). Raising the blade to 3"+ and using a digital caliper in the miter slot, I'm able to align it to +.oo3" at the rear end: so far, so good. When I drop the blade back down to 1" for cutting 3/4" stock, the alignment dimensions change enough to create a bind at the rear of the blade.

I've confirmed this by cutting a block with the blade at maximum height, lowering the blade, and then checking the clearances with the same block. After the first cut, I shut the saw off, and was able to easily slide the block between the fence and the blade. After lowering the blade, I found it would move past the front of the blade just fine, but would get hung up on the teeth at the rear.

Does anyone know what could cause this?

Thanks,
Jay

PS: FWIW, I've also checked the fence for flatness using the miter slot and digital calipers. My best measuring techniques say that the fence wanders back and forth by +.0005" (away from the blade) and -.0015" (towards the blade) over the entire length, with the area near the blade being a consistant -.001"