[JIMMIEM]

A recent edition of Fine Woodworking magazine had an article on table saw tuneup. The author aligned the blade from the RIGHT miter gauge slot. I have seen a lot of articles over the years on blade alignment and they all did the blade alignment from the LEFT miter gauge slot. The article also aligned the fence to the RIGHT slot. Assuming that the miter gauges slots are parallel the results should be the same. Just curious.

 

[hawkeye10]

Jim that is the way I do it but I am left handed.

 

[JIMMIEM]

Jim that is the way I do it but I am left handed.

Left slot or Right slot?

 

[Cherryville Chuck]

It shouldn't matter but I would do it from the side that you normally have the miter gauge on. I've never thought to check to see if they really are parallel. The fence is a separate operation and should be lined up relative to the blade which should still be lined up with the miter slots if the machining is accurate.

 

[DesertRatTom]

Lots of ways to do this. I popped for the Woodpecker gauge and made my life easy. Particularly nice for setting the fence.

 

[kp91]

I have checked my TS from both slots to the blade and they are almost dead on parallel.

If your crosscut sled has 2 runners, you are probably parallel as well.

I do have a dial set up for calibration, but I have gotten to the realization that we sometimes chase measurements simply because we have the ability to.

A thousandth or two isn't going to matter

 

[RainMan 2.0]

Lots of ways to do this. I popped for the Woodpecker gauge and made my life easy. Particularly nice for setting the fence.

I bought that very same gauge the first time you posted it Tom . I use mine exactly as it is in the pic.
And I set the run out on my fence approx .01”-.008” , to stop any binding

 

[JOAT]

And I set the run out on my fence approx .01”-008” , to stop any binding

Hmm. I just use a piece of wood to set my fence. I use push sticks and push blocks, and stand to the side of the blade, just in case. The few times it felt like my piece was starting to bind a bit, I stopped pushing, then resumed pushing, very slowly. No issues yet.

Read the line in my signature block. I am NOT recommending other people do this, it is how I do it.

 

[barri]

I suffered from a disease called dial indicatoritis. I used to check alignment all the time and the more I read the more I did it. I was anal. As Doug said above a couple of thou out doesn't matter but I was obsessed. The cure came from a good friend of mine who asked, are you cuts square? Are your rips parallel? Is there any burning? Can you see teeth marks? etc etc. Then put away your dial indicator and make something. My saw was cutting very well, in fact the cuts were joint quality smooth and thanks to him pointing that out I now use the cuts as a guide not an instrument. I remember trying to find out what an acceptable alignment error was. Some sites say zero, which is ridiculous, and others say 3 thou. I started with 2 and tried to get less that that and in fact made it worse. Ended up at 4,may have been 5, and stressed about it but as my friend said your cuts are smooth, parallel, square and accurate. So I'm now acting as a woodwork shrink to anyone suffering from the same disease. :wink:

 

[hawkeye10]

Left slot or Right slot?

The right slot Jim.

 

[hawkeye10]

I suffered from a disease called dial indicatoritis. I used to check alignment all the time and the more I read the more I did it. I was anal. As Doug said above a couple of thou out doesn't matter but I was obsessed. The cure came from a good friend of mine who asked, are you cuts square? Are your rips parallel? Is there any burning? Can you see teeth marks? etc etc. Then put away your dial indicator and make something. My saw was cutting very well, in fact the cuts were joint quality smooth and thanks to him pointing that out I now use the cuts as a guide not an instrument. I remember trying to find out what an acceptable alignment error was. Some sites say zero, which is ridiculous, and others say 3 thou. I started with 2 and tried to get less that that and in fact made it worse. Ended up at 4,may have been 5, and stressed about it but as my friend said your cuts are smooth, parallel, square and accurate. So I'm now acting as a woodwork shrink to anyone suffering from the same disease. :wink:

I try to do the best I can do. I have a homemade dial indicator that I think works pretty good. I do have some pretty good squares and measuring devices. I think I have thing about squares and measuring devices. I am to old to have a thing about much else. >

 

[Nickp]

Jim...as Cherryville explained, it is more important that you align with the slot you use...there is no right or wrong side.

Having then aligned your saw it would be good to check parallel with the other slot.

 

[Tagwatts]

I had a Wood Shop Teacher, years ago who did it this way. He told us as I remember, him saying, you can align the blade from either side. He then went on to say, the more accurate way is to align it from the fence side. He then would align the fence side. He told us the closer you are to the object your going align, the more accurate you will be. I have always aligned my saw this way. I had to learn all over again how to align the blade.

Just a thought on this question.
Thanks,

 

[kp91]

He told us the closer you are to the object your going align, the more accurate you will be.

Frank,

Very true. You can bring the fence right close to whichever miter slot you want to reference from.