I have just purchased a Wickes 1500 table saw (very similar to the equivalent Draper model) and have used it extensively over the holidays. I have mastered right angle and mitre cuts, I have built a crosscutting sled for sheet materials BUT I can't seem to set the fence accurately.
Any ideas how to do it?
Steve
There are usually some grubscrews that work against a bolt somwhere near the handle.
Steve
Thanks Steve
No grub screws just a lever that exerts pressure at both ends of the fence. When pushing the lever down the fence tends to move out of position.
Steve
crosscutting
Have similar problem with my bench saw. Solution seems to be to measure the distance from blade to fence at front AND back of the blade, then clamp the fence? Sometimes I've had the blade closer (even by say a mm or two) at back than front, whereupon the material binds and burns as it travels through the blade. :-(. My fence slides on circular rails, at front and rear of the cutting surface/deck, but the slider is only single bolted at one end i.e. not rigidly connected to the fence and can move slightly out of square as one latches/clamps it into position.(have entertained idea of welding it!) looks like I'll have to redesign it. maybe the slider has to be longer and more rigidly bolted to the fence. Cheers.
snip
You run a great risk of kick back doing this. The rear of the fence should always be a fraction further away from the blade compared to the front.
Bear in mind that the rip fence has served its purpose once it clears the blade. The fence on my machine can be puled back through the clamp and I often use this facilityi f cutting pieces to length using the rip fence
Paul Mc Cann
Maybe you have a different cross cut sled to mine.
My TS has T slots [2] which run parallel to the saw blade. These slots are used >Stephen Williams wrote:
Sorry John, reading my OP again I see that it is not very clear. The sled works fine even though I built it! I use it for cutting sheets of ply and cutting short rails to length. It's the rip fence supplied with the TS that is causing me the problem. For instance if I want to cut a long rail in half I can't seem to get the fence to cut at the width I thought I set it at, and yes I have allowed for the thickness of the blade. I might just have to make a fence that will work off one of the runners I guess.
Has anyone done this?
Steve
It may be the mounting arrangement of the fence flexing as you run material through.
Try using a clamp such as a Quick-grip clamp arranged vertically front and back on the fence (angled to be out of the way). This would hold the fence firmly down to the table and may help. .andy
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Can't picture the setup you have - not familiar with that TS. I have a cheapie TS [Taiwan] that uses a steel fence that clamps to a rail front and back. The front clamp is a pushdown quick lock, the rear uses a screw clamp that has to be turned down. For short rips the front clamp is OK, for longer rips the front and rear clamps need to be set. [note] The front rail has a tape attached, but it's not accurate and I always check the width of cut with a rule [ graduated set square is better still ]. Allowing for the blade kerf of course. I usually get the cut I want, to be certain I make a short cut first [ just a fraction of an inch ] measure and adjust. If you are certain the fence is not moving during the rip [have you re-measured the setting after the rip?] then the problem is likely the blade is not parallel to the fence. That is, the blade is "tilted" - the tips of the teeth you measured during set up are closer / further to/from the fence than the blade body. Try checking the blade with a set square against the table surface. There's one other possibility, Run Out. Which means that you have a TS with bad bearings - since it's new, return it.
[note] Some time see a Biesmeyer fence on a US made TS, it's smooth, precision, repeatable cuts always - but the price!Snip
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