Axminster TS-200 Setup

[j]

It's been a while since I've touched the saw, as I've had other commitments, but hopefully I'll be back on it soon.

I don't follow your description of the blade alignment procedure, maybe I need to read it while I've got the saw in front of me.

I'll continue to add to this thread if/when I do any further setup.

 

[lazy_pete]

If anyone has any pictures of how to align the blade correctly (where to tap etc) that would be really handy. I've just put the Axminster upgrade fence on my ts250 mk1 and now that it's square to the slots, the blade is a wee bit off. I've loosened off the front bolts and hit the ends of the two metal plates that I think carry the blade carriage, but no movement. Is that the bit that needs the blade to be tilted to adjust?

I'm just trying to finish up the fettling before buildings station to put it on with a bigger top around it. I was also wondering if the extraction hose from the internal blade guard to the suction port on the rear does any good? I'm planning to seal the various gaps with expanding foam and then extract from below as dust falls down a chute - I sucked a huge pile of dust out from inside, despite using the shop vac on the suction ports, so not convinced it adds much, and might even hinder clearing dust from below.

Any more hints from the experts would be great !

 

[Eric The Viking]

Enjoying this - been there; have half the T-shirt (mine still isn't totally right!).

Riving knife:
Once you've altered it, you might want to extend the hole for the guard bolt down and towards the front, into a "J" shape. That way you can mount/un-mount the guard easily without removing the bolt completely, and it won't come loose easily if a piece of kickback stock hits it. The Kity ones fit the TS 200 and vice-versa (identical shape, but the Kity one that originally came with my (very secondhand) saw is thicker than the Axminster one. Note that if you ever change the blade for a thinner or thicker kerf you might need to change the knife. I have a Freud blade for the Kity and need to use an Axminster knife with it because the Kity one is way too wide. Also the Kity one has a VERY slight bend in it, so small it's almost impossible to see except on a surface plate, but it's enough to be a nuisance, and too thick to attempt straightening. The Axminster ones are cheap enough to keep a spare, AND using a thin kerf blade puts a lot less strain on the motor. I have yet to find a downside to thin kerf, but I'm sure there is something!

Order of work (IMHO), to avoid needless frustration:

1. Mod anything you think needs it.
2. Check the two mitre slots for parallelism if out, either complain or pick a favourite(!)
3. Check blade is running true: mark a tooth, turn it by hand, keeping the dial gauge in the same place. If it isn't, you need to diagnose & fix this first...
4. Align blade to slot (i.e. move the tilt pivots front & rear)
5. Align fence to SLOT (not blade!). This avoids a cumulative error.
6. Iterate 3 & 4.
7. If you have one, align support heights so sliding table to main table plus 0.5mm (or whatever you prefer)
8. Align sliding table to run parallel to chosen mitre slot.
9. Iterate 5 & 6 (because the mounting arrangement is cheap and height affects parallelism and so on).

By the way, I stupidly bought a metric dial gauge (because it was cheap) but now can't find a metric set of feet/probes for it. Not ideal! I think the thread is M2.5, and if anyone knows where to find some at an affordable price, I'd love to know! Points can be made from machine screws, but I need an elephant's foot for the planer, and it would be a better choice for this job, too (index on the side of teeth, rather than the saw plate).

E.

PS It might be worth collating all the TS 200 stuff into one sticky with links embedded. If I get time I'll have a go.