Table Saw Help!!


RJsumthn

Recommended Posts

I am new to woodworking and I recently got a new Porter-Cable contractors table saw. I went through the set up and watched Marc's video on table saw setup to make sure I was doing everything i needed. It makes good cross cuts but when it comes to ripping it is a different story.

When you make a cut it starts out at the right dimension but then it starts to get wider. On a 2 foot board the cut is about 2/32" wider at the end of the cut than the start.

I can tell that the the blade and riving knife are being pushed outward. In the picture you can see that the riving knife is being pushed out.

post-7772-0-10463500-1353810210_thumb.jp

At first I thought it was the fence so I double and triple check that, but that was fine. So I tried adjusting the riving knife but that didn't work either.

I have no idea what else it could be. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. This is driving me crazy!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What model saw is this, if you don't mind sharing? What type of fence system does it have? My first saw saw had a decent fence system, BUT I noticed it still deflected while the cut was being completed. As soon as I finished the cut, it went right back into place. i never felt the deflection, but had the same exact result you did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have this the Porter Cable contractors saw. http://www.lowes.com/pd_89913-46069-PCB220TS_0__?productId=3163783&Ntt=porter+cable+table+saw&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dporter%2Bcable%2Btable%2Bsaw&facetInfo=

It's all stock. I just got it a couple weeks ago.

But I just went out to the garage to check the the parallelism again and what would you know, IT'S OFF!!! And of course the adjustments are almost impossible to get to. So I will deal with it when i'm not so flustered.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you say you "double and triple checked the fence"... how are you doing that? What methods are you using to check the fence? The fence needs to be parallel to the blade & riving knife. The relationship to the miter slots or the fence track don't really matter... it's all about the relative position to the blade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Matt!!! I'm not a big fan of the fence. There is just too much wiggle room in it. I would like to make a cabinet to put the saw in and get a better fence but I just can't afford that right now.

Dave - I check the fence using a ruler and making sure to use the same tooth on the blade. I would like the blade to be parallel to the miter slots for when I'm using my miter gauge but it might be easier to build a miter sled then it would be to get it perfectly parallel.

Mike - The next time I make a cut i'll make sure to lock it down as tight as i can and put a clamp on the back

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Matt - Some people might disagree on the not going insane part. But at least I won't stay up all night thinking about what the issue is. Instead I get to have nightmares about getting the blade parallel to the miter slots.

Cullin - I do want to upgrade the fence but it comes down to money which is also the reason why i didn't get that Ridged. I got the best at which I could afford. Just out of curiosity, how much were you able to sell it for?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

See if lowes will take it back. Porter cable quality has tanked. If they take it back, and they probably will, trade it for the dewalt in the same price range. It seems the dewalt portable saws are the best bang for the buck.

I also have a cheap table saw. A hitachi I got from lowes a few years back when I started doing some finish carpentry on the side. A few things I've done to make it work better for me are;

using a standard kerf blade. The thin kerf ones tend to deflect too much when trying to shave some wood off a piece.

Attaching a piece of hardwood as a sacrificial fence. This keeps a nice flat and straight surface on the fence since the cheap fences with these types of saws are basically crap.

And like someone mentioned above, put a clamp on the rear of the fence to keep it from getting out of wack on important cuts.

Lastly do like me and start putting your pennies away for a nice saw. If you are serious about woodworking a good table saw will make a good investment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The miter slot is a convenient reference point, but the reality is that the blade needs to be parallel to the fence, and the riving knife needs to be dead on with the blade. The Delta T2 is a nice addition for many of the entry level full size contractor saws.....$168 shipped from Tools-plus.com.

What blade are you using? Stock blades are notoriously poor, and many of the entry level aftermarket blades aren't much better. A good clean sharp blade can really make a difference.

If all else fails, what's the return policy on the saw?

(p.s. I think trading a full size contractor saw for a portable jobsite saw like the DW would be a downgrade)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you go to amazon.com and type in deltas table saw fence. Its the top one. I also had to do alot of modification to that table saw. .but after 3 of work it turned out ok. I tried even changing out the blades. But that didn't help. For me and it sounds like you have the same problem. It was my fence.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RJ,

I think you may want to consider returning it. I assume you paid about $300 for the saw, right?

Here's a few saws I found on Kansas City Craigslist that might serve you better

Heres a Bosch contractor: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/tls/3430838517.html

Here's a very nice Delta Unisaw for $425 : http://kansascity.craigslist.org/tls/3406534990.html

Here's a unnamed older contractor saw with a decent looking fence: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/tls/3431134978.html

and here is what I suspect is a Craftsman "zip code" saw which is a top-notch hybrid that you can pick up for not much more than $300 http://kansascity.craigslist.org/tls/3416510884.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I put the Diablo blade on and got a dial caliper. The blade was in .001" from the miter slot which is good enough for me. The fence was within .002-.003" from what I could tell but its hard to say because the fence itself was wavy. So I went ahead and ran a board and man was a difference that blade made. It was like butter. No burn marks, no deflecting of the blade. What a difference that blade made!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually that saw is not considered a true contractor saw. It's just a portable saw. A contractor saw won't have a direct drive motor and wouldn't be this portable. I have the Rigid portable saw and it works great. No problems and if I'm not mistaken I believe it was recently rated No.1 in one of the tool reviews. Hope you get your problem solved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.