# new dewalt 7491rs table saw, fence not square



## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

I just bought my first table saw, a dewalt 7491rs, and when I put everything together, I noticed the fence is no square. Please see attached photos.

Had no experience with table saw before, so I really don't know what the expectation should be, is this normal for a jobsite table saw? Thanks for any inputs!


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

First, have you verified that the square that you are using is actually square?


George


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## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

I have tried 3 different squares, all same result.



GeorgeC said:


> First, have you verified that the square that you are using is actually square?
> 
> 
> George


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## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

If your squares are correct..Change your table saw...This is not normal...

SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*That can be adjusted*

Look at the T end of the fence to see if there are two screws that ride on the top of the front rail. Adjust one until it make the fence square to the table.


Maybe this will help:


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## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

thanks, I googled and found this video.

hate to do this on a brand new saw....



woodnthings said:


> Look at the T end of the fence to see if there are two screws that ride on the top of the front rail. Adjust one until it make the fence square to the table.
> 
> 
> Maybe this will help:
> YouTube


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## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

woodbite said:


> thanks, I googled and found this video.
> 
> hate to do this on a brand new saw....


This is not your mistake...You are a customer ..You have your rights... Change your table saw or Want your money ..

SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


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## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

faith michel said:


> This is not your mistake...You are a customer ..You have your rights... Change your table saw or Want your money ..
> 
> SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


thanks, will call dewalt and see what they say about this $600 saw.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I would still check to be sure that I am using "square" squares.


George


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## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

GeorgeC said:


> I would still check to be sure that I am using "square" squares.
> 
> 
> George


He said.... I have tried 3 different squares, all same result.

I wrote dewalt 7491rs in my black list... search at google.. He is not alone...

SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi


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## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

yes, i used three different brands. all same results.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*It's not the saw, it's the fence ....*

Even if you get a new/different saw, it may still have the same issue with the fence, so learn how to adjust it.
There's only two ways to adjust the fence.
The first is to make the face parallel to the miter slots.
The second is to make the face square to the table.


The owner's manual should cover both ways. 

Common sense will tell you which screws or bolts do which adjustment.
Without the fence in hand, it's too hard to give advice. If your fence is not like the one in the video, then take very good photos like you did showing the squares and post them, then maybe we can figure it out ...?
:vs_cool:


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## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

The manual does not mention how to make the fence square to the table at all.



woodnthings said:


> Even if you get a new/different saw, it may still have the same issue with the fence, so learn how to adjust it.
> There's only two ways to adjust the fence.
> The first is to make the face parallel to the miter slots.
> The second is to make the face square to the table.
> ...


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## DrRobert (Apr 27, 2015)

You could possibly shim up one side with high molecular weight tape. 

But if I may be blunt, its a jobsite saw. They are built to be tossed the back of a pickup, not for a woodworking shop or even a carpenter with the expectations you have.

If you can, I would take it back, get a refund and buy a machine more suited for ww'ing.


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

It sounds like this is a common problem, exchanging the saw may not be the answer, if it was me I would take a look at the fence and see if it would be possible to shim it as shown in the video.

If that doesn't work then go to plan "B".


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

faith michel said:


> He said.... I have tried 3 different squares, all same result.
> 
> I wrote dewalt 7491rs in my black list... search at google.. He is not alone...
> 
> SM-J700F cihazımdan Tapatalk kullanılarak gönderildi



All three squares could be in error. Not likely, but possible. I have seen stranger. Have you ever gone in a store and checked a square before purchase and rejected several? I have.


George


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

DrRobert said:


> You could possibly shim up one side with high molecular weight tape.
> 
> But if I may be blunt, its a jobsite saw. They are built to be tossed the back of a pickup, not for a woodworking shop or even a carpenter with the expectations you have.
> 
> If you can, I would take it back, get a refund and buy a machine more suited for ww'ing.



Also, that amount of error in the fence being square to the table would probably not be even a factor in 9 out of 10 woodworking projects. Just think about how you use a fence. How often does it matter if the top is not exactly in the same plane as the bottom?


George


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## woodbite (Jun 30, 2020)

DrRobert said:


> You could possibly shim up one side with high molecular weight tape.
> 
> But if I may be blunt, its a jobsite saw. They are built to be tossed the back of a pickup, not for a woodworking shop or even a carpenter with the expectations you have.
> 
> If you can, I would take it back, get a refund and buy a machine more suited for ww'ing.


actually, is there a good table saw folks can recommend? 

Cabinet saw is too expensive and takes too much space, so it is not on my list.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

There is really nothing wrong with a well constructed job site saw. A friend of mine who used to have a fully equipped shop (table saw, jointer, planner, etc) moved and does not have the space he once had. Also he does not do as much woodworking as before. Now basically what he used is a job site saw. When he builds projects his work still turns out beautiful. 



Unless you are working with a piece of junk it is more the skill of the worker than the cost of the machine.


George


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## ggosack (May 30, 2016)

I had a Dewalt Jobsite just like yours - traded up to a Sawstop Jobsite Pro. Costs more, but the quality is undeniable - plus the added benefit of the flesh sensing technology. I work in a garage, so a jobsite saw was the best solution for me.


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## furnacefighter15 (Jun 21, 2020)

woodbite said:


> actually, is there a good table saw folks can recommend?
> 
> Cabinet saw is too expensive and takes too much space, so it is not on my list.



Whats your budget for a saw? What features do you need? Portable? Stationary? 

Also, good deals can be made via Letgo and similar. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Let's not get sidetracked ..... it's the fence remember?*



faith michel said:


> To check a square...THİS IS NOT MY JOB...
> 
> We have quality control department in our stores..
> 
> ...


It may be a crappy fence and no amount of adjusting will help. I donno? But, it's worth a try to avoid any future hassles with returns and such. A shim is a simple fix as explained in the video. He did NOT show exactly what he did however. In my opinion, the plastic ends are loose enough in the aluminum fence that a piece of thin plastic could be inserted on the side opposite the tilt to bring it back to square, then replace the screw and tighten it down. Try that first.
:vs_cool:


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Speaking for myself, I would be unhappy buying an expensive tool like a table saw, and learning that the fence isn't square and isn't designed to be made square with factory-provided adjustments. 

True, it is a jobsite saw, but why does that make a difference? It's like buying a new compact car with a loud, squeaky brake, and someone says, "It's only a cheap compact car; what did you expect?"

The SawStop Jobsite Pro is a good jobsite saw for woodworking, but it may be beyond @woodbite's budget.


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## kwoodhands (May 1, 2020)

If their is no information in the manual on squaring the fence there is a you tube video showing you how. 
Very simple actually. Remove the fence from the saw. Remove the end brackets from the fence. Be careful you do not strip the screws. The author had problems removing the screws and stripped one. 
Determine which way the fence top edge has to lean to make it square to the table. Tape shims to bracket to correct .
I imagine this ill be trial and error to get the exact shim thickness. I would think masking tape in layers would suffice.
Pretty simple but may be time consuming to get the right thickness of shims.
mike


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## gmercer_48083 (Apr 9, 2016)

Woodbite, A quick search about this issue revealed this to be a problem with this model dating back to at least 2016. In my opinion Dewalt DOES NOT CARE! Take it back and search for a table saw with less issues. I seems that Dewalt is not going to correct their problems with it as long as people keep buying it. There are other issues with this model besides the fence issue. I mean to be blunt about this... it's the only way companies will change the way they do business.... from if they want junk "we'll give them junk... to "quality is what the customer wants".


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

I do not depend upon someone else to do what I can easily do. Shame on me if I walk out of a store with a square which is not square. Obviously there are things that I cannot check. But if I do not check something that I can do easily I can\not blame anyone but myself.


George


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## Matthejb (Jan 28, 2021)

GeorgeC said:


> All three squares could be in error. Not likely, but possible. I have seen stranger. Have you ever gone in a store and checked a square before purchase and rejected several? I have.
> 
> 
> George


I have the exact same issue with my fence, and I have checked with all three of my woodpecker squares. I am quite certain they are square. I spent about 30 minutes shimming, and it is better, but not good enough for some re-sawing I wanted to do on some 3" planks for custom trim pieces. More work shimming tomorrow to get it closer and more usable. I've also found a bow in the fence. Not terribly impressed with the quality on that part of the saw.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Matthejb said:


> I have the exact same issue with my fence, and I have checked with all three of my woodpecker squares. I am quite certain they are square. I spent about 30 minutes shimming, and it is better, but not good enough for some re-sawing I wanted to do on some 3" planks for custom trim pieces. More work shimming tomorrow to get it closer and more usable. I've also found a bow in the fence. Not terribly impressed with the quality on that part of the saw.


So, you are just accepting that your squares are square without actually doing the simple check. Oh well, to each his own. If I was having that kind of problem I would that that extra step and check.

George


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## Dave McCann (Jun 21, 2020)

GeorgeC said:


> I do not depend upon someone else to do what I can easily do. Shame on me if I walk out of a store with a square which is not square. Obviously there are things that I cannot check. But if I do not check something that I can do easily I can\not blame anyone but myself.





GeorgeC said:


> So, you are just accepting that your squares are square without actually doing the simple check. Oh well, to each his own. If I was having that kind of problem I would that that extra step and check.
> 
> George


 GeorgeC,
If you are done chastising the op,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Have you considered that the OP may not know how to perform your "in store squareness check"?
It might be much more helpful if you would describe, in detail, to the OP, what procedure you use to check the actual squareness or lack there of.


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## Matthejb (Jan 28, 2021)

GeorgeC said:


> So, you are just accepting that your squares are square without actually doing the simple check. Oh well, to each his own. If I was having that kind of problem I would that that extra step and check.
> 
> George


I've checked my squares, I've also gone to higher precision and higher quality over the years. The gap I had wasn't small, the manufactured tolerance certainly wasn't so gle digit thousandths of an inch, and the gap was significantly more than that. After 7 pieces of tape, I still have a gap that doesn't yield the product I am looking for. I'm not just looking at light coming through, I'm using calipers to check stock thickness after the resaw. So, I have done the measurements on my squares and have additional confirmation using calipers of the fence not being perpendicular to the table.

I'm curious why your initial instinct is to assume perfection from the manufacturer of the table saw (DeWalt). But, when it comes to people's hand tools, including their squares, the error is with the manufacture of said tools.


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