Right or Left Tilt

[Wayne Cattanach]

I have an opportunity to get either a right or left hand tilting table saw. I am right handed and the bulk of my cuts would be done on the right side of the blade. I have heard that the left tilt would give me the advantage of a better outside corner cut (because the point would be up). I am wondering what comments everyone here has on the issue and what experience those that have left tilting arbored saws?? I have done a variety of projects in the past on my old Rockwell contractor saw - this would be a unisaw with the intent of building the items for a cottage on the river (ie kitchen cabinets - spirial stairway - rails - doors)

Thanks in advance for your commens

Wayne

[Doug Winterburn]

Either wait for Leon's great analysis or google up "+ right +left +tilt"

-Doug

PS: I'd go for the left tilt - but that's just a righty speaking.

[RonB]

What Doug Said!

I would add that I used a left tilt for 25 years or so. When time came to upgrade to a cabinet saw, I agonized over the left - right tilt question and decided to convert to right tilt. After using the saw for a week or two I forgot about the difference.

[Andrew Barss]

Wayne Cattanach wrote: : I have an opportunity to get either a right or left hand tilting table saw. : I am right handed and the bulk of my cuts would be done on the right side of : the blade. I have heard that the left tilt would give me the advantage of a : better outside corner cut (because the point would be up). I am wondering : what comments everyone here has on the issue and what experience those that : have left tilting arbored saws?? I have done a variety of projects in the : past on my old Rockwell contractor saw - this would be a unisaw with the : intent of building the items for a cottage on the river (ie kitchen : cabinets - spirial stairway - rails - doors)

Left-tilt has a mild advantage for cutting bevels -- you leave the fence to the right of the blade, and the waste strip doesn't get caught between the blade and fence. On a RT, you need to pick the fence up and move it to the left side of the fence for this, which takes a few seconds. (Trapping the waste piece under the balde and between the blade and fgence can cause kickback).

I think the main advantage of a LT is that the motor acces door is to the left, leaving a lot of room under the right wing and extension table for cabinets. On a RT, the access door is on the right, so you need to leave

18" or so of clearance room under the wing and table to open up the door.

-- Andy Barss

[Bob G.]

============================= I agree...6 of 1 half dozen of the other...in the end there is no difference...

I own and still use both. and honestly for 99.5 percent of my usage both saws are absolutely equal...

That said if you use a dado blade alot...go with a right tilt...if you do a lot of beveled rip cuts they go left tilt... otherwise buy what the store has in stock or flip a coin...

Bob Griffiths .

[Lawrence L'Hote]

FWIW I had a MGB for eight years that had knock off nuts on wire wheels. One side of the car had right hand threads and the other left hand. There were arrows on the hub to remind you. I still found myself banging on those the wrong way. On my weedwacker, the line hub has left hand threads and, again, I forget and get MTH trying to get that thing off. Well ...my point is my left hand tilt has RIGHT hand threads on the arbor nut. That feature alone would be enough to convince me to buy a left tilt.

Larry

[Leon]

Thank you Doug.. ;~)

;~) The single most asked question in this group that I paste this rubber stamp answer to.

Both saws will make all the same cuts. Some easier on the left tilt, some easier on the right tilt. Strictly personal preference. But if you need to be steered one way or the other,

Advantages:

Are you right handed?

Get the left tilt.

1. Left tilt has the bevel wheel on the right side and is easily turned with your Right hand.

1. Left tilt can rip a narrow bevel with out having to move the fence to the left side of the blade.

2. Left tilt allows the blade arbor nut to be removed with your right hand.

1. Left tilt allows your to remove the arbor nut and turn it in the direction that you would expect.

2. With a Left tilt, when both edges of a board are beveled, the sharp point of the bevel is up on the fence when cutting the second bevel as opposed to the bottom of the fence where it might slip under.

1. RIGHT tilt if you are left handed. The bevel wheel is on the left side of the saw.

2. RIGHT tilt if you "must" use the fence distance indicator when using a stacked dado blade set. The blades stack left, away from the fence. The indicator remains accurate. On the left tilt, the blades stack towards the fence and makes the indicator inaccurate. In this case use a tape measure to set the fence distance.

1. RIGHT tilt allows you to remove the arbor nut with your left hand but the nut must be turned clockwise to loosen. Bassackwards to normalcy.

If considering a cabinet saw, with wide 50" rip capacity.

The Left tilt will most often afford you the most storage room under the right table extension. The RIGHT tilt has an access door in that location that will demand room to open. The left tilt allows you to have access to the motor and or the insides of the cabinet from the more open left side of the saw with out having to crawl under the right extension table. Very nice if you ever happen to drop the arbor nut inside the cabinet. If you are considering getting a replacement saw and considering going to the opposite tilt this time consider that the miter slots may not be the same distance from the blade when comparing a left to right tilt saw. This may or may not be of concern but something to consider.

[BruceR]

To me, Andy's observation is the most important/beneficial. I have the RT Unisaw with the 52" fence and can only fit a cabinet with about 12" of width under the extension table and still have plenty of room for the mobile base lever and motor door opening. A LT would only need the few inches required for the tilt crank.

-Bruce

[patriarch]

"Lawrence L'Hote" wrote in news:ccW3d.20954$wV.14867@attbi_s54:

I hadn't thought about that. Blade changing is much easier for me, because I don't tend to drop the arbor nut down the saw throat as much, right handed.

Patriarch

[patriarch]

Bob G. wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Care to expand on your comment regarding the dado use?

Patriarch, who's just curious...

[bridger]

and your hand to operate it, but yeah.

[Charlie Mraz]

Some very good points to consider here, I'd just like to add that my DW746, a left-tilt saw, has the bevel crank on the left of the machine and the motor cover on the right.

Charlie

[Leon]

"patriarch [e-mail]" Bob G. wrote in

Many saws have great rip fences that you can depend on when it comes to repeatability on set up. Basically, you can depend on the rule to indicate the distance from the blade. This is true until you change the width of the blade on a left tilt saw. On a right tilt saw the arbor flange that the blade slides up against will always be at the same position on the right side of the blade. Adding a dado blade with multiple chippers will make the cut wider but the right side of the cut will always be in the same location. The blades stack to the left. On a left tilt blade that arbor flange is on the left side of the blade. If you use a thicker kerf blade or stack dado blades for a wider cut, the right side of the cut will move towards the fence. As a result the acuracy of the rule on the fence will be gone. With a right tilt saw you can count on the fence rule to always be accurate. With a left tilt the change in width of cut will make the rule on the fence inacurate. In that case, use a tape measure or ruler to set the fence.

[J]

"patriarch [e-mail]" "Lawrence L'Hote" wrote in

Try standing on the outfeed side of the table next time. It really is easier.

-J

[patriarch]

"J" wrote in news:ciq7j2$rta$ [e-mail]:

Except for the outfeed table, and the splitter, and the way the light hits it. And I bought the left tilt saw.

But, other than that, that's a good tip.

[Phisherman]

Tilting away from the fence is better than tilting toward it. Tilting toward the fence makes it more prone to trapping wood and throwing it back at the operator.

Good:

_____\_[]_____

Not so good:

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[Bob G.]

.

================================== Lol.... Larry I have a Mid year Corvette (64) that has a set of original Kelsey Hays Knock Off Wheels...

And to be honest the last time I let anyone take off a wheel was 30+ years ago.... Kids (at tire dealers anyway) today do not know how to read an arrow... !!!!! Plus they do notr know how to use the "lead" hammer ...

I just put the car up on a lift and remove all the wheels toss them in my truck and deliver them to the tire store and WATCH the kid mount the new tires... come home and grab the hammer and install them myself. . Bob

[Bob G.]

============================================== Thank you for doing the EXPANSION on why I recommended a right tilt saw IF the original poster did a lot of work with Dado blades...

Bob G.

[Leon]

Yeah, there will be exceptions to a lot of "hybrids" and a few other saws, IIRC some General Or Powermatic cabinet saws have the motor door at the rear and or front of the saw.