I picked up the premier issue of Shop Notes to get some ideas for building a router table/cabinet. In the beginning of the issue they have a test for checking to see if your saw blade is aligned to the miter slot. I followed the instructions and it appears the blade and the miter slot on my Delta Contractor saw are not aligned. The saw tooth just kisses the end of the guage in the back/rear position and the same saw tooth is missing the end of the guage in the front position by about 1/64. The Delta contractor saw manual does not seem to have any instructions for adjusting. Might anyone out there have knowledge of how to accomplish?
There is a fixture that you can buy and add to your Contractor's saw called PALs. I saw one while I was killing time in the Woburn, Mass Woodcraft store the other day. It permits you to adjust the rear trunion mount incrementally to align the blade to the miter slot.
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it and you'll be able to adjust your saw easily. Without it you'll have a hard time I suspect.
Somewhere on my toaster I have those e-mails locked down for safe keeping but alas they are mixed in with a couple/few hunndred other messages of importance making finding them a real chore.
My vote is for Bob to re-post them if they are close at hand. Hell, a re-post every six months or so wouldn't be out of line. They (the articles) are that good.
UA100, who loves a good procedure when he sees one...
I think the one post with minor exception was a rewrite of what is now available in pdf format from Delta for doing the tie-bar adjustment using a flat plate of some sort. The other was about a couple of front bolt replacement modifications I made -after- breaking a trunnion bolt off. Those mods sure made it easier for me to do an alignment on a Delta CS.
The biggest problem I think people have with doing the alignment is the unwillingness to flip that saw over on its top one time, take a good look, tinker a bit, replace a couple of bolts and then the flip it back. Then they'll know exactly what is happening when they do an alignment the next time and understand that a hammer is not needed to do an alignment nor do they have to spend $20+ on the trunnion alignment thingy's. The cuss factor goes way down too.....
It's hard to check the condition (flatness) of the trunnion mounts and to de-burr the mounting flanges etc., when everything is fastened and hanging from the cast iron top. But when its upside down, gravity makes that a simple task. Flip it over, take it apart, clean, de-burr, install the bolt mods ($3), reassemble, do the alignment. First time through, two hours. Next time you do an alignment - 15 min on a slow day (and no need to flip it over after the first time).
I'm honored that you think those procedures were that good - especially since you're the one that rebuilds these things in his sleep and I barely know the name of some of the parts... I'll clean up my posts, convert to pdf, download the Delta pdf file and then post them to abpf for those that may be interested.
The reason you check a "single tooth" is to eleiminate runout from the equation. If it is out 1/64, definitely adjust it. With some (ok lots) of time, you should be able to get it under .001"
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