Comments on: 55 – Tablesaw Setup/Tuneup (Pt. 1)

By: Craig

Craig — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:37:47 +0000

I believe that a dial calibrator is most needed. They cost about 35 dollars and all things being considered are part of using saw and machines. Cheaper that a blade.

Very good web site and thank you

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:55:53 +0000

Sweet new saw… hopefully you will review it once you get everything together. I love that sexy cast iron extension table. FWIW I used the adjustable square method to align my miter slot to the blade… worked like a charm. Someday I’ll get one of those dial indicator sets when I’m feeling flush.

BTW… I agree that most people are far too anal about table flatness.

By: Bas

Bas — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:35:54 +0000

ROFLMAO! Mac, the image of you explaining about aligning a table within 1/128″ while wearing sexy specs and holding the dead blow…man that’s funny stuff.

By: DeGauss

DeGauss — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 03:14:52 +0000

I have always used a piece of white oak milled to fit tight in the miter slot with a dial indicator screwed to it, until recently. I just got one of the new Woodpecker Saw Gauges. Talk about easy. You just drop three metal tubes into the miter slot and the gauge sits on top. When I change fences or make any adjustments I can now check it quick and easy.

By: LONGHAIR

LONGHAIR — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:09:43 +0000

It is a great place, I am in there at least once a month.
I work in a commercial cabinet shop and they get quite a bit of equipment from there too, plus the occasional repair work.
There is a WoodCraft store here too. It’s one of the advantages of a living in a big city.

By: thewoodwhisperer

thewoodwhisperer — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:57:31 +0000

I am indeed in AZ. If you are close to the Wood Werks store, I highly recommend stopping in. It will be worth the drive! We have some footage from their store that we are holding on to until they get their online store in order. That place was like a woodworker’s candy store. The fact that they have a Rockler INSIDE their store should give you an idea of what you are in for. lol.

I will indeed show the front of the new saw in all its glory near the end of the second part of the setup series. It does have the custom name plate.
Thanks for your input Longhair.

By: LONGHAIR

LONGHAIR — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:15:17 +0000

Marc, you are right about things being over-blown or exaggerated at times. It is wood after all, it can and will, move on it’s own by more than some “precision” measuring and cutting tolerances.
Table flatness is however easy and cheap to measure. Like you said though, how much you are willing to live with is up to the end user. But it should be checked for “extremes” and that should be one of the first things you check on a new saw. It really should never be an issue again.
Arbor run-out…you are right. There really isn’t a good way to test that w/o a dial indicator. As cheaply as one can be purchased though, it is a great thing to have. They are useful for many set-up tasks.

It might just be me as a “newbie” to the site, but what part of the country are you in? I though it was out west like AZ or something?
Wood Werks is just across town from me in Columbus OH. I know they are involved in the “Custom” PowerMatic stuff. You never showed the front of yours, did you get the name label or any of the other custom options? I just checked their website….and right there you are “front and center” ….cool.

By: Chip

Chip — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:37:57 +0000

Another great video – I’m going to re-check my table saw the next time I use it.

Why use a dowel to check miter slot alignment? It seems that any piece of wood would work and wouldn’t require a special V-groove jig. So, what am I missing?

By: thewoodwhisperer

thewoodwhisperer — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:48:41 +0000

There is no way you would know this, but I did test for flatness. I even did a short segment on the topic. The reason I left it out was because I truly feel that table saw flatness is a frequently overblown issue (and I needed to bring the video length down). And since I fall on the more “laid back” side, I didn’t want to upset those who are more discriminating than I am. So for the heck of it, I will add the cut scene to this post today. Keep an eye out for it.

Just an FYI, the reason the first table was replaced was more because of the exacting standards of the folks at Wood Werks, rather than my own desire for a dead flat surface.

And good point about arbor runout. I left it out because I was really trying to avoid anything that would require the use of a dial indicator. Do you know of a way to do it without one?

By: LONGHAIR

LONGHAIR — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:45:40 +0000

The only comment that I have in the process, so far, is in the order of your set-up tasks. I realize that you are working with PowerMatic equipment and that they produce nice stuff, but you left out two important things. Well, you kind covered one…but then let it slide.

First, the top must be checked for “flatness” which you casually mentioned by stating that this was a second top. You really should have said more about that. You have to be starting with good parts, or your tuning time is wasted.

Second, along that same line of thinking, you really should check the arbor for “run-out” too. I realize that the “one tooth” method of testing compensates for that during set-up….but you really shouldn’t spend all of this time only to have your regular blades become “wobble dados”.

The likelihood of these problems may be slight with higher-end tools, but it can/does happen. Case in point, your second top.