# Contractor Saw Table/Blade Alignment



## YesHaveSome (Apr 23, 2017)

Afternoon all,

I have a SawStop contractor saw (got it a few months ago) but never really checked the tuning on it all that closely so today I decided to check all the different alignments; fence to table, table to blade, fence to blade, etc. Everything checks out except for the table to the blade of which adjustment appears to be a cumbersome endeavor. I looked around a bit online to find some articles or videos on aligning a contractor saw but didnt find tons of help.

Am I going to need to remove the rails and wings to get this thing lined up? I watched one video where a guy removed the top completely. Right now the blade is .009 out of alignment front to back. I believe I want to get down to .002, is that correct?

Thanks for your help.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*measuring that accurately ....*

To measure the blade at the front and the rear accurately would require a flat plate ground to precision tolerances and a dial indicator. 
I have a table saw set up plate and an old sanding disc plate both of which are pretty darn flat, but I've never used a dial indicator to measure to difference. I use a tri-square for my measurements and it's "close enough". You must be using a dial indicator or a feeler gauge...? 

Unless you want to lay on your back and pry the arbor around then get back up and measure to see what you accomplished... I would leave well enough alone. If the blade "pinches" the miter slot and therefore the fence at the rear, you may get some occasional burn marks .... I donno? 

Only on a cabinet saw can you remove the table, but then you have lost your reference, the miter slots. It would only make sense to loosen the cabinet to table bolts enough to make the adjustment, and not remove the table. :|


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## Catpower (Jan 11, 2016)

In the perfect world it out be zero run out, but .002 would be pretty close, and if all saws were checked they probably would have more than .009, at least a lot of them

But if you get it to 000, the first time you bump the fence good it would probably be back at .009 LOL


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## CaptainMike (Aug 27, 2017)

@Catpower I spent a couple of hours recently re-truing my TS, then (unwisely) started cutting drawer bottoms without a riving knife or sled. About the 3rd cut I experienced a nasty little bind and kick back which left a bruise on my belly and gave me the opportunity to again, re-true my saw as well as check my ego!


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## YesHaveSome (Apr 23, 2017)

I was using a feeler gauge. I found this post: http://lumberjocks.com/topics/228465 on LumberJocks and contacted the author. He sent me his and SawStop's documentation and it took about half an hour to make the adjustments. Right now I have the blade just as close as I can possibly hope to get it.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*The machine plate I mentioned ....*

Rather than a blade with set to the teeth you have to work around, there is a flat plate with a machined surface you can use for setting your saw's arbor parallel to the miter slot. Here are several sources:

https://www.amazon.com/WoodRiver-Sanding-Disc-10/dp/B003F0E3B4

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/woodriver-10-table-saw-sanding-disc-mounting-plate

These are twice as expensive for no reason I can determine. Even the photo appears to be the same....

http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/v510-1000/sanding_supplies

https://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/smarthtml/pages/saw_accessories1.html

One simple trick you can use is to make a 3/4" wide hardwood strip that precisely fits in the miter slot. You can then use your tri-square to bump it directly rather than trying to measure an edge of the miter slot. It's more precise this way.

Another trick is to loosen 3 of the 4 bolts that will allow you to pivot the arbor assembly toward or away from the slot to achieve alignment and leave the remaining 4th bolt just snug, as the pivot. A screw driver or hardwood stick can be used to pry on the trunnions .... with care. Make certain all the controls are in the locked position so there is no additional movement from a loose shaft.

Another tip is to turn the entire saw on it's back on the workbench. In this position you can adjust the bolts and measure while stinging up rather than crawling underneath it. I've done this several times when aligning my Craftsman direct drive 12" contractor saws. 

Finally, you may have to file out a too small hole that prevents accurate alignment just a bit with a rat tail file. BTDT also. This is actually a simple process, but you can over think it making it more complex than it is. :wink2:


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## diversity210 (Sep 10, 2017)

First you need to pick up the proper tool for checking the alignment of your saw. Feeler gauges are good for some things, but not everthing especially checking the alignment of you table saw. Pick up a woodpecker saw gauge https://www.woodpeck.com/sawgauge.html They work great and for 79 bucks you have a tool that will last you for a very long time and make checking the alignment of your saw much easier and faster because you will definitely have to check it again some day.

If you are checking the alignment of the miter slots to the blade. First take the blade off the saw and use a precision square with out touching the teeth to make sure that blade is flat. People by cheaper blades that are not flat or use old blades that have been warped over time due to use. If you blade is not flat then, go out and buy yourself a better blade, because an out of flat blade will definitely through off your measurements. Freud blades, and Forrest blades are my go to saw blades. Once you know the blade that you are checking your alignment against is perfectly flat then you can move on to check the alignment of the miter slots to the blade again. You really want to aim for .003" or less. If you need to align the miter slots to the blade. You dont have to take the wings off to do so. Loosen the bolts holding the main table of the saw to the base. Loosen them just enough to where light taps with a dead blow hammer or rubber mallet will move that table. When you table the table. Recheck the blade alignment with the saw gauge. Do not touch or bump the table. Keep doing this until you get the alignment with in that .003" or less. Once thats done carefully tighten the bolts back up on the table and then recheck the blade alignment again, because tightening those bolts can nudge the table.

Pickup one of those Woodpecker saw gauges. You will thank yourself later. Sometimes you can find them used on ebay for a little cheaper.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*This applies to a cabinet saw, not a contractor saw*



diversity210 said:


> If you are checking the alignment of the miter slots to the blade. First take the blade off the saw and use a precision square with out touching the teeth to make sure that blade is flat. People by cheaper blades that are not flat or use old blades that have been warped over time due to use. If you blade is not flat then, go out and buy yourself a better blade, because an out of flat blade will definitely through off your measurements. Freud blades, and Forrest blades are my go to saw blades. Once you know the blade that you are checking your alignment against is perfectly flat then you can move on to check the alignment of the miter slots to the blade again. You really want to aim for .003" or less.* If you need to align the miter slots to the blade. You dont have to take the wings off to do so. Loosen the bolts holding the main table of the saw to the base. Loosen them just enough to where light taps with a dead blow hammer or rubber mallet will move that table.* When you table the table. Recheck the blade alignment with the saw gauge. Do not touch or bump the table. Keep doing this until you get the alignment with in that .003" or less. Once thats done carefully tighten the bolts back up on the table and then recheck the blade alignment again, because tightening those bolts can nudge the table.
> 
> Pickup one of those Woodpecker saw gauges. You will thank yourself later. Sometimes you can find them used on ebay for a little cheaper.


On a contractor saw, the trunnions are bolted to the underside of the table, so loosening the table bolts will not work.... sorry.:|

I also don't think an $80.00 alignment gauge would be a good investment for a possible one time use in a home shop, but that's just my opinion. :smile3:


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## YesHaveSome (Apr 23, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> On a contractor saw, the trunnions are bolted to the underside of the table, so loosening the table bolts will not work.... sorry.:|
> 
> I also don't think an $80.00 alignment gauge would be a good investment for a possible one time use in a home shop, but that's just my opinion. :smile3:


I aligned it using the Marc Spagnuolo's technique. Good enough for him, good enough for me. The difference being that I have a contractor saw which is why I was having an issue. After looking over the post from Lumberjocks it took me about 30 minutes to make the adjustment and 20 of that was removing the back rail and the trunnion bolts.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*OK, do you have a contractor or a cabinet saw?*

The Mark Spagnolo video is referring to a cabinet saw, NOT a contractor saw, so which type is the Saw Stop?

https://youtu.be/lxRSarTJLMU?t=83 
In this video he talks about loosening the table to cabinet bolts, which is the process for a cabinet saw, so what type of saw is a Saw Stop contractor saw... you would think it's a contractor saw ... right?

He is hammering the table at this point to move it:
https://youtu.be/lxRSarTJLMU?t=306
This is not the process you would use for a contractor type saw.

The measuring process can be done with several tools or methods, tri-square, steel rule, dial indicator... etc. It can also be done without a measured rule, just an adjustment screw on the end of a dowel or stick.

THIS IS THE CORRECT PROCESS FOR TUNING A CONTRACTOR SAW, at 4:00 IN:


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## YesHaveSome (Apr 23, 2017)

woodnthings said:


> The Mark Spagnolo video is referring to a cabinet saw, NOT a contractor saw, so which type is the Saw stop?
> 
> https://youtu.be/lxRSarTJLMU?t=83
> In this video he talks about loosening the table to cabinet bolts, which is the process for a cabinet saw, so what type of saw is a Saw Stop contractor saw... you would think it's a contractor saw ... right?
> ...


When I said I was using his technique I was referring to how to measure the alignment, not how to make the adjustments. I made the adjustments by taking off the back rail and loosening the two rear trunnion bolts. You also have to take out one screw. I then used a mallet on the trunnion to nudge it one way or another.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Finally!*

Between all the mis-read posts by others and the wrong information provided because of that, we finally got it sorted out. Glad you got your "contractor" saw all aligned. :wink2:


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