Trunion alignment\Parallel bar?

[matt dumney]

Hello!

I have a problem and I need some help aligning my TS. I have a Grizzly 1022 contractor type TS. I recently purchased a dial indicator to help me align the blade to the miter slot. Originally the front blade measurement to the back blade measurement was off by .012. Specs for the saw list anything above .004 as being out of spec. Using many of the methods I've read about on this forum I got the alignment to approximately .002 front to back and was pretty happy about that. I then proceeded to put it back together. I rechecked and the measurement was off again by about .040! WTH!

I retraced my steps and have found that when I hang the motor on the belt it pulls the assembly out of alignment. I can see the mechanism move when the weight is applied.

So I took everything apart to find out why there is slop in the trunions.

What I see is that the piece that mounts to the cast iron top and the trunion bracket seem to be the culprits. This is the piece where the saw would rotate on. How do I tighten this up? I doubt the pieces are wore out because the saw really hasn't done any work.

At the moment I've got the top flipped over and I'm attempting to align the parallel bars (see pics) and I can't get these parallel and maybe it doesn't need be. The manual for the saw doesn't say anything about this but I've found a post from a delta saw that says this needs to be done.

I put a flat plate on the bars and pull on the motor hanger to twist the bars until the flat plate doesn't rock but as soon as a tighten the nuts on the bars the plate will rock. I can't get away from this. Any suggestions?

The bottom line here is I need ideas to tighten up the slop, align the bars (if this is necessary) and align the miter to blade. Again I've attached pics that hopefully show what I'm trying to do.

[Lee Schierer]

I don't have that brand of saw and your photos don't make it clear to me what moves and what doesn't. You can buy UHMW tape in various thicknesses. It makes great bearings or bushings and can be used as a shim on a shaft.

You can also make shims from aluminum soda or beer cans. You can trim them with scissors if needed. Don't put a twist on any of the cast iron parts as you adjust things as you can break the castings.

[matt dumney]

the pieces in the pics pivot when the lean the blade. The bars attach to what the manual says are trunion brackets and the brackets fit in a groove that allows the saw to pivot. There's too much movement in those pieces. It may just need to be clamped together, align the table and torque down the trunion bolts...then release the clamps. I added the schematic of the parts.

[matt dumney]

So I tinker some with the nightmare and I have the alignment pretty close...the only problem is that I've done all this without the motor hanging on the pulley so I'm sure that will pull it out of alignment.

Has anyone had this problem?

[Robert Andrew]

I spent many hours on a Jet contractor saw fighting the same issue. First of all, you have to do all of your alignment work with the saw upright and the motor hanging on it. No matter how hard you try, hanging a 30 pound motor is going to create some flex and change the alignment.

The other thing I discovered is that once I had the motor hanging I checked to see if the two bars were level. You can put a torpedo level across the two and look down through the throat plate opening to get the view your need. If they are not level you can loosen the nuts on the end of them and then give the cast bracket on the end a twist one way or the other. Watch out for twisting as you re-tighten the nuts on the ends.

Once this is done you can then go about aligning the blade. It is a process, and much harder to get to the front trunnion bolts when the saw is upright with the motor hanging on it but it is the only way i had any success. I have my blade aligned to about .0025".

R0b

[Fred Belknap]

I have had that problem with a Delta contractor saw. I tried everything to try to get it to stay aligned. I posted these problems on another forum and a person whom I respect his opinion suggested using better washers under the bolts in the trunnion. Now I don't know if that will work but it sounds reasonable as I had tried everything else. I solved the problem by moving the contractor saw to the barn and installing a new cabinet saw in its place , a G 1023SL. Mine would move up to a 1/16" when it was tilted. It seem strange but the motor on the 1.5 hp delta contractor weighed more than the 3hp motor on the G 1023.

[glenn bradley]

The problem of consistent alignment in various positions is typical of contractor style saws. The slop sounds like it should be correctable. I would call Griz tech support, they are a pretty helpful bunch.

There are a few contractor models out there that have been taken to the level of performance we would all like. These saws are priced at or above the cost of hybrid saws so they are targeting a very specific market and I don't think its us.

I found happiness by adjusting my saw with the motor weight in place. I got it within spec at 90* and pretty close at 45*. I think it is worthwhile to take your saw to its top limit as long as the cost doesn't get out of control. The eventual cure for mine was the same as Fred's although I went to a hybrid.

[Chip Lindley]

Matt, I feel your pain! Your CS is basically a Rockwell Model 10 clone. I disassembled and completely rebuilt a Model 10 about 20yrs ago. I used an article in FWW #78, p.69, "Tuning Up Your Tablesaw" as my reference. I used that saw until just 2 years ago without ever adjusting it again! One thing I found was that my trunnion assemble could NOT be adjusted perfectly with the miter slots. Enlarging an offending bolt hole in one trunnion allowed me to shift the assembly for perfect alignment.

An accurate tune-up depends on the machined accuracy of your saw's parts. Any slop machined into the trunnions or carriage will negate your fine tuning. But, its worth a try!

[matt dumney]

Excellent...this is the kind of information I'm looking for!

I don't understand how a torpedo level would help align the bars...wouldn't it be measuring if the table was level?

I'm trying to do this with the assembly off of the tin enclosure so getting to the front trunion bolts is easier. I'll hang the motor and see how far it pulls off.

The first problem I had was keeping the trunions tight together at the pivot points...any suggestions here?

[matt dumney]

I was able to hang the motor on the saw and it did pull the alignment out by a good .020. I worked with it for couple of hours but the closest I could get it was .006-.007 out at the rear of the blade. But still with everything tightened up, if I grab the motor I can move the alignment +/- .025 either way. I would think the vibration from the belt would cause this to jump all over.

I really don't understand how this could be an tighter tolerence and I've learned why a contractor saw may the be cheaper route buy but not from a setup perspective.

[glenn bradley]

I've learned why a contractor saw may the be cheaper route buy but not from a setup perspective.

Been there.

[matt dumney]

it certainly suits my purpose...or did. I must be growing beyond it's ability and my patience is certainly wearing thin.