Table Saw Blade Alignment

[Gary_S]

I want to check my table saw blade is perfectly aligned and have looked at the tools to do this on the internet. They seem very expensive £69 for something I don't expect I will use more than once a year. Does anyone know where I can hire one from? What do you guys who are frugal like me do?

 

[Peri]

Make one

 

[sammy.se]

If you get one of those digital calliper thingies, the pointy end that extends out is essentially a depth gauge.
Mount the calliper to something the can slide along your reference (e.g. the t-track, or fence), and measure the distance between the front and back of the blade. Hope that helps

 

[Graham Brazier]

Have a look on YouTube (Franks little workshop) he does a series of videos re a SIP saw and goes through a few options re lining up the saw blade/bed

Due to his video I ended up buying the same saw from eBay LOL and currently cleaning it up

 

[TRITON]

I got my axminster ts250 as a customer return, and is is really really far out. Its like the base is square, the cast iron to is square, but one has been placed on the other squint, so the difference between one end and the other is about 4 or 5mm which considering the table size is 635mm that is gigantic. Its actually more than the 5mm out as the table overhangs and its only the central section that is bolted to the frame.

All this talk about digital calipers to me is hilarious. You guys are probably humming and hawing over 0.1 of a mm
I have a choice, and to do either is to unscrew the saw mounts, realign then tighten up. I can either have the blade parallel to the fence for straight cuts, or readjusted so 45 deg are parallel to the fence, but not both
If i was to cant the blade ot 45 while it is parallel for rip, the blade would impact the table, thats how far out it all is.

 

[Lard]

I got my axminster ts250 as a customer return, and is is really really far out. Its like the base is square, the cast iron to is square, but one has been placed on the other squint, so the difference between one end and the other is about 4 or 5mm which considering the table size is 635mm that is gigantic. Its actually more than the 5mm out as the table overhangs and its only the central section that is bolted to the frame.

All this talk about digital calipers to me is hilarious. You guys are probably humming and hawing over 0.1 of a mm
I have a choice, and to do either is to unscrew the saw mounts, realign then tighten up. I can either have the blade parallel to the fence for straight cuts, or readjusted so 45 deg are parallel to the fence, but not both
If i was to cant the blade ot 45 while it is parallel for rip, the blade would impact the table, thats how far out it all is.

Your post reminded me of the issue I had with my bought-in-bits 2nd hand (and pre-abused) cast record power and I wondered if yours is the same.

My base seemed squar-ish enough so when I refitted the cast iron top I adjusted it to suit the blade etc. All appeared well until I tried a 45 cut and a blade-pull cut (mine does this). Both were way out! As the ‘straights‘ were ok, and I could see no obvious cause, I put up with it for a while until it bugged me……stripped the whole machine and drilled/cut/rebolted parts of the base in order to perfectly square it……this took a while and, you guessed it, made hardly a difference!!! a complete head scratcher.

I eventually discovered that hidden behind the riving knife lower bolt fixing was another bolt that allowed the blade/motor to ‘toe-in’ or ‘toe-out’ in respect to the base, where it is obviously fitted to.

Adjusted this and it sorted out both 45’s and the pull mechanism and, in retrospect, meant that i needn’t have messed around with trying to square the base itself.….

….. just a thought…..