I see a lot of mention of right tilt and left tilt unisaws. What's the difference? Why would you want one over the other?
Why right tilt / left tilt?
Oct 12, 2003
11 Replies
You should do a search on Google - that debate will probably give you a thousand results.
In short, those who rip thin strips or rip at a angle in general would prefer a left tilt so the blade is turning away from you. Some argue that it helps keep the workpiece tight to the fence as well. Right tilts are nice if you do alot of dadoing because your fence distance remains the same. I'm buying a new saw shortly and to be honest, I'm not stuck on either.
Don
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Termite
;~) 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.
- Left tilt has the bevel wheel on the right side and is easily turned with your Right hand.
- Left tilt can rip a narrow bevel with out having to move the fence to the left side of the blade.
- Left tilt allows the blade arbor nut to be removed with your right hand.
- Left tilt allows your to remove the arbor nut and turn it in the direction that you would expect.
- 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.
- RIGHT tilt if you are left handed. The bevel wheel is on the left side of the saw.
- 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.
- 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.
I think I musta plugged the plug to my lefty in upside down or maybe the factory wired it up wrong, 'cause my saw's blade turns toward me - just like a righty.
;)
Do a Google search of this group. You will find hundreds of posts pertaining to this.
V.E. Dorn wrote: : In short, those who rip thin strips or rip at a angle in general would : prefer a left tilt so the blade is turning away from you. Some argue that : it helps keep the workpiece tight to the fence as well. Right tilts are : nice if you do alot of dadoing because your fence distance remains the same. : I'm buying a new saw shortly and to be honest, I'm not stuck on either.
One advantage of a left tile is that the cabinet access door is also to the left. This lets you build a large cabinet under the right extension table.
-- Andy Barss
...if you are British, then reverse the instructions...your "right" is "left" to the rest of the world and visa versa...sooner or later the UK will come around...
Nah, your standing on the wrong end of the saw.
Not what I meant. I mean that the blade angle is away from the fence instead of towards it. Simply should have inserted "angle" behind "blade".
Don
So what would happen when one translated from 'Merican to Limey to Aussie?
That's where the term "upside down and backwards" came from.
-Doug
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