Illini40 Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Hello, I built my first tablesaw crosscut sled today. I tried to use the five cut squaring method to get my rear fence aligned, and after a lot of adjusting and tinkering, I think I'm pretty close. Am I good with these measurements? On the last round of 5 cuts, I had a difference of .003" (.2545 - .2575). Is this good enough? The length of this strip was 3.5". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Sounds pretty close to me, sawdust against a stop can cause a bigger difference than that. Just how much pressure you use to hold the part in place can make a difference. But one day a whole series of cuts with a tiny error can cause problems for you. As your skills build and your perception gets more focused you can tweak for more accuracy, but you should be fine for quite awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Was your test piece 3.5" square? I would use at least a 12x12 board for doing a 5 cut test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Mike is quite right. I didn't pick up on the sample width being so small. Try it again with the largest possible piece. A longer cut will show a much better vision of how accurate your cut is dialed in . It is Saturday night , forgive me if a few drinks caused me to skip over an important detail ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 This is a perfect use of MDF, particle board, or plywood scraps ! I would use something 3/8" or thicker just so your square has a decent edge to read from. I bought my 26" Woodpeckers framing square mostly to be able to accurately dial in my crosscuts. I use a sliding crosscut table accessory but the careful attention needed in adjusting it is very similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini40 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Was your test piece 3.5" square? I would use at least a 12x12 board for doing a 5 cut test. Are you asking if the test piece has a square when starting out? If so - no. It was a rectangle. Not sure in the exact measurements. I'll try to use a larger piece. By using karger piece, am I going to see different results, or just visibly see a longer cut? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini40 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Mike is quite right. I didn't pick up on the sample width being so small. Try it again with the largest possible piece. A longer cut will show a much better vision of how accurate your cut is dialed in . It is Saturday night , forgive me if a few drinks caused me to skip over an important detail ! I'll be trying a piece. Regardless of the size of the test piece, is there a guideline for much error is acceptable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Board doesn't have to start out square and bigger board makes test more accurate. When I did mine it was within 1/256" over 12" and never had any problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini40 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Ok - I've confused myself. I'm out in the shop right now. On the fifth cut, front is .3300 and rear is .3235. Length if the cut piece is 9 3/4". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 .0065 out isn't too bad! If you wish to get it a bit closer, use a feeler gauge and make the adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illini40 Posted January 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Was your test piece 3.5" square? I would use at least a 12x12 board for doing a 5 cut test. Mike is quite right. I didn't pick up on the sample width being so small. Try it again with the largest possible piece. A longer cut will show a much better vision of how accurate your cut is dialed in . It is Saturday night , forgive me if a few drinks caused me to skip over an important detail ! .0065 out isn't too bad! If you wish to get it a bit closer, use a feeler gauge and make the adjustment. I tweaked just a little more and feel pretty good with it. How do I calculate the variance over a certain length? Say 48"? Would it be .0065 / 5 = .0013. Then, .0013 / 48 = .000027? Meaning over a 48" run, the variance would only be .000027? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 Here's a pretty good video link from a pretty good teacher.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estesbubba Posted January 25, 2015 Report Share Posted January 25, 2015 .0065/9.75*48=.032 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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