oldman_pottering Posted October 18, 2019 Report Share Posted October 18, 2019 Thinking about shelling out some cash for the Digi Align jig and would like opinions on this and as to whether its a waste of money etc for example, am I better off making my own, using readily available tools or can this tool be beneficial Im starting to find that (particularly making french cleats) that the timber is burning towards the last part of the cut and also seems to start binding slightly at the last part of the cut making me think things are not aligned as they should be Regards Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick S Posted October 19, 2019 Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 Hi Geoff, First of all, I'd check the alignment of the blade to the miter slots on your saw. It's simple enough to do with just a combination square. Mark one tooth with a Sharpie and set your square right up against the edge of the miter slot and set the blade of the square so it's just touching the marked tooth at the front of the saw. Then rotate that tooth to the back and move your square to that position on the miter slot to see if it's in the same position. If not, you'll need to square the blade to the slot by whatever method your saw manufacturer recommends. If it is in alignment, the problem is most likely how your fence is set. Ideally it should be set so that it "toes out" by just a couple of thousands of an inch. If anything, you do not want it toeing into the blade. That causes binding and kickback. Hope this helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman_pottering Posted October 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 Hi Mick Thanks, that was an interesting video. Do you know anything of this from fine wood working about aligning the tablesaw in 2 planes ? I'm going to go out to the shed now and check the blade and fence alignment first before I worry too much about aligning the 2nd plane Thanks again for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted October 19, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 Very simple jig from one of the trade rags. I’ll post other pics when I get to a computer. This was simple enough to make and surpassed any requirement I might’ve had for tablesaw alignment on both planes. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman_pottering Posted October 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 OK, blade alignment was good ( tested with combination square) Fence alignment was out ( the rear of the fence was closer to the blade than the front) by approx 1.5 mm gee-dub thats a neat setup, can you explain how to setup for the other plane ? I don't really get the meaning or understanding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bankstick Posted October 19, 2019 Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 I square the blade with the miter fence, using a Groz precision square. TS is a Ryobi BT3000. Note the floating miter bed and the multi-position fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post gee-dub Posted October 19, 2019 Popular Post Report Share Posted October 19, 2019 9 hours ago, oldman_woodworker said: gee-dub thats a neat setup, can you explain how to setup for the other plane ? I don't really get the meaning or understanding You want your blade to be parallel with the miter slot that you use your gauge in, generally the left one. Use that same slot to check the fence but, I usually save that for last. Once you are happy at 90° you are ready to move to the second plane . . . bevels. In order to keep from becoming frustrated it is good to get yourself in the state of mind that in aligning for bevel cuts, you may alter your now "perfect" 90° setting and have to re-align it. The object, of course, is to get the saw aligned when at 90° and when at bevel angles. I generally align at 90° and at 45° and assume everything in between is fine. Here's the jig but, a caliper mounted to a milled piece of scrap will work too. The dial gauge and the carrier just make it less clumsy. I just realized this will get picture heavy. I'm not trying to run a tutorial here so please don't think I am ringing my own bell. I'm just trying to help ;-) I used a rig like Rollie shows in the FWW article you mention but, found this one to be easier and more reliable and so it is my keeper. BTW, these are old pictures showing my hybrid but, I used the same method on my Saw Stop cabinet saw. Here's the parts (dimensions are non-critical except for fitting the slot): You want the runner to have room between the runner's bottom and the bottom of the slot: I use flat head screws for adjusters; two on the bottom and two on the side. These assure a good fit in the slot and will make more sense in the next few pics: The screws on the bottom are adjusted to assure no teeter-tottering: The ones on the side assure a smooth run in the slot: The end result is shown further down. I like to have the saw level but, this is a personal choice: Here's some shots at 90° that may help pthers who haven't done this step: ***NOTE *** In practice I use the SAME miter slot for all measurements. On my left-tilt saw, using the right slot showed what ws going on better for the pictures: To be thorough I'll mention that you should check at the SAME tooth for each measurement. You can see my handy fine-adjustment tool in the background ;-) Since the adjustments for 90° are side to side I just snug three of the bolts, snug one corner tight enough to act as a pivot and tap my way to happiness. Then tighten all the bolts, realize things have shifted a bit and go back and tweak it a bit more. To align the second plane. bevel the blade to 45° . . . This post has gotten long enough without a full explanation of 45° adjustments. There is good info on this on the web. Essentially you raise or lower your saw top's front or rear edge to align at bevel angles. The front edge of the table is raised with shims to bring the front of the blade closer and shims are removed to back it off to your desired measurement. Once you are happy at 45°, return the blade to 90° and re-check. Re-align as necessary and return the blade to 45°. Rinse and repeat (usually a couple of times) to get a proper alignment at 90° and at 45°. I find pieces of beer can will work for shims if you have no brass shim-stock on hand: Getting through this comfortably is a state of mind. Set aside a good amount of time that you will dedicate to the task and remember that you may RE-adjust things a few times. Once your saw is aligned at 90° and at angles you may well find that it is like using a new saw. A lot of binding, tooth-marks or burning will disappear. Cuts will be smoother and material will move mare easily through the cutter. Ever onward . . . 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman_pottering Posted October 20, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 Appreciate all the input. I should mention that 4 months ago I lost my job but have found work as an interstate truck driver which has me leaving home on Sunday afternoons and returning on Friday evenings which doesn't leave a lot of time to pursue my hobbies. I will re-read all these posts and comments when I can but wanted everyone to know that I appreciate all responses and explain why it may take a week or so for me to get around to it. Thanks for the detailed response and photos gee-dub Regards Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted October 20, 2019 Report Share Posted October 20, 2019 I spent 32 years OTR. I know how tough it is to have a hobby, especially when home time is not only rare but way short. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman_pottering Posted October 26, 2019 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2019 Saturday afternoon here gee-dub that is some beautiful work there making your own setup, I would need a well setup saw to make that as you have It's a bit of a catch 22 isn't it, need a well setup saw to make a jig to set my saw up 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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