Help aligning the blade in a cheap table saw {picture heavy}

[Oldman]

Bigshot, get yourself a ball ended 8mm allen key and cut it at a length suitable to get past the bar and fit that into a 3/8" drive socket + long extension and ratchet.
That should allow for the angles you need to get past the bits that are slightly in your way.

Ball ended keys look like this
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle- ... ll-end.jpg

 

[Digit]

I didn't know that any blades were made of HSS.
I use the LP40M blades, no, they are not cheap, but I have used the same two blades daily for two years and I haven't had to sharpen either yet.
I made up a cross cut sled with adjustable stop to ensure repeated accuracy and got rid of my shooting board, same for mitres.

Roy.

 

[BigShot]

Oldman
That link isn't working from here. Can you give another? I've done a google image search for hex key ball end and it's come up with a rather large range of different looking things.

Roy
I didn't know there were any HSS ones either. But then I didn't know there were such things as mitre tracks, trunnions, tennon jigs, dado stacks and so on until recently either so I didn't think there was anything odd about it.
Is the one you use a 60tooth then?

 

[Digit]

Is the one you use a 60tooth then?

Oooops! Yes!

Roy.

 

[FogggyTown]

Can't help with the adjustment to your saw but if you're looking for inexpensive blades . . .

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Summit-Saw-Bla ... viewQQtZkm

I have used them several times. Good service.

 

[BigShot]

Roy
Happens to the best of us.


FogggyTown
Good service, but good blades?
Thanks for the link.

 

[Oldman]

Bigshot, just google for 8mm ball ended allen key images, they just have a hex ball on the end allowing you to operate the key while not being directly vertical to the socket head screw.

Here is another pic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Allen ... _end_1.jpg

 

[eggflan]

Can't help with the adjustment to your saw but if you're looking for inexpensive blades . . .

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Summit-Saw-Bla ... viewQQtZkm

I have used them several times. Good service.

Froggy town , how good are these blades , im looking for an 80t after my nightmare with a silverline one :shock:

 

[9fingers]

Can't help with the adjustment to your saw but if you're looking for inexpensive blades . . .

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Summit-Saw-Bla ... viewQQtZkm

I have used them several times. Good service.

Froggy town , how good are these blades , im looking for an 80t after my nightmare with a silverline one :shock:

I have no experience with the Summit brand but I don't think you will be dissappointed with freud blades http://tinyurl.com/or98dv
make sure you get the right type - different for mitre saws compared to table saws.

Bob

 

[Racers]

Hi,

I had an other look and I am wrong, it must be the hex bolts to adjust the blade parrell to the miter slot.

Pete

 

[BigShot]

OldMan
I saw ones like that when I tried a quick google image search after the last link you posted. Had a feeling that might be what you meant.

So you'd suggest getting one of those and then cutting off the bend so could use it in a normal driver/ratchet? Seems like it could work. I suppose it'd then just be a matter of bunging an 8mm socket on the end of it and away we go.


Bob
Thanks for that link. Even with shipping that ebay store is selling the Freud blades for a fair bit less than rrp even with shipping included. (£36.60 including postage for the LP40M 60T).
The 60T Summit blade is £17.94 including postage so a bit of a difference, but less than it looked like from the rrp on the Freud site.

 

[FogggyTown]

Can't help with the adjustment to your saw but if you're looking for inexpensive blades . . .

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Summit-Saw-Bla ... viewQQtZkm

I have used them several times. Good service.

Froggy town , how good are these blades , im looking for an 80t after my nightmare with a silverline one :shock:

I have to confess that I'm not knowledgable enough to tell bad from good - or even what standards to use. I can only say that I haven't had any teeth flying off and that the blades seem to be true. I've never sharpened any saw blade so I can't comment on that aspect. I do think the kerf is just a tennsy-weensy bit (maybe 0.5 mm?) wider than "high end" blades, if that matters. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

 

[BigShot]

No apologies needed.
From what I can gather you'd have to be in large scale production to warrant replacing blades so often you'd be able to compare them easily.

You've been plenty helpful just giving the link to that ebay page.

It's good to know you've not had teeth flying off them too (though I imagine you'd probably have mentioned that to start with if you had). 0.5mm isn't a huge amount extra kerf, though narrower is better for me I think.

Cheers for the response.

 

[newt]

Bigshot, It can help with reliability if new brushed motors are run off load for say 15minutes.

 

[Oldman]

Yes, good point there Newt.

New brushes need a bit of a run to bed into the commutator. Chances are they are not making good contact when brand new and running with a load on can cause burn back of the brush face or com damage.

Gone are the days when we used to have to manually bed in new brushes before returning a motor to use.

 

[BigShot]

Thanks for the tip Newt, and thanks for the explanation OldMan.


News from the alignment front...
I got a set of long ball end allen keys today and with the help of a few bits and pieces to bodge together a rudimentary lever. I didn't even need to cut off the bend so I still have a complete set, which is a bonus.

I've managed to get the blade from being about 1mm (0.04ish inches) out to being about 0.1 to 0.2mm (something between 0.004" and 0.008") out, which is about as close as I can see myself getting it without a more accurate way to measure. It's visibly straighter and measures much closer than it did. All I need to do now is throw some wood at it (after a quick run-in as suggested by Newt) and I'll finally be putting my new toy to some good use.

It turns out the 4 allen bolts were the ones I needed to loosen to align the blade. It actually gave a surprising amount of movement.
In the end I used a couple of 5mm allen keys to hold the blade equidistant from the table while I tightened up and it worked (almost) perfectly.


Thanks a million for all the help in this thread. Now I just need to come up with a way to replace the bar on the mitre gauge to get rid of the slop, make a few new toys to use with it (jigs and the like) and stick a new blade on it and I'll start knocking together a review of it.

BS

 

[lemonjeff]

BS,
I had one these saws a while back, check that the blade runs parallel at different heights adjustments as well.

Jeff.

 

[MickCheese]

You may find this PodCast interesting

http://www.woodworkingonline.com/2009/0 ... intenance/

Mick

 

[BigShot]

Lemonjeff
I thought about checking that, I've got no idea why I didn't (probably just forgot in the excitement of managing to align a tool I knew next to nothing about just a few days ago).
If it isn't straight at each height is there a simple way to fix it other than getting a replacement?

Mick
Thanks for the podcast. I'll have a listen while I'm working in the morning. It certainly looks like a useful one.

 

[lemonjeff]

BS
See if it's OK first you may not have a problem. I never got as far as you have, mine had Phillips screws holding the trunion and they wouldn't budge, so I put up with it. The blade would be parallel about 1/2 height, toe in at 1/4 and toe out at full height. I used to allow for this with the fence.
Having said that I got good accuracy out of it but repeatability was a pain.

Jeff.