Take a test piece with length of your interest. Lower the blade so that u get a cut nearly half the thickness. Cut from one side and then cut from other side without changing the fence. R the cuts meeting.
Gajanan Phadte
Gajanan Phadte
I don't have a table saw. I use a long straight edge, lots of clamps and a high quality circular saw. I have a special marking knife as well as several squares. It takes some time to set up a cut, but I can cut to better than a 1/32" and straight. I think table saws are over rated.
I also use a saw board and circular saw but it takes some practice and skill to use. For my skill level I get faster, better, straighter cuts on a table saw.
Toy, I'm surprised that you aren't getting better cuts, your setup looks nice. Have you found the problem with the fence yet?
Toy, I'm surprised that you aren't getting better cuts, your setup looks nice. Have you found the problem with the fence yet?
A common mistake is to set the fence parallel to the saw blade. There needs to be a slight taper away to actually get a straight cut! The relief angle is only a few degrees for plywood but increases for solid wood. That is because during cutting there is a slight compression of the material.
If the saw fence clamp does not have a tension nut on the back there may be a set screw on the front. If it takes more than light pressure to keep the wood against the fence then there are other problems.
When using a hand circular saw for cutting the best jig is made with a straight guide piece attached to a too wide piece of 1/4" plywood. The first cut trims the plywood base to exactly where the saw cuts.
If the saw fence clamp does not have a tension nut on the back there may be a set screw on the front. If it takes more than light pressure to keep the wood against the fence then there are other problems.
When using a hand circular saw for cutting the best jig is made with a straight guide piece attached to a too wide piece of 1/4" plywood. The first cut trims the plywood base to exactly where the saw cuts.
What simon says. His method with the circular saw guide is good. I find the relief needed at the back of the saw blade on the table saw is very slight. Using my method from post # 10 allows sighting a very small difference from front to back. With thick, sharp blades I set my fence parallel to the blade.
many of the stated ways of making straight cuts are good, but I don't find any as quick easy and repeatable as a well set up table saw. I sometimes think I should send my saws Christmas cards..... they do so much work for me.
many of the stated ways of making straight cuts are good, but I don't find any as quick easy and repeatable as a well set up table saw. I sometimes think I should send my saws Christmas cards..... they do so much work for me.
Powermatic or Unisaw
The less inexpensive table saws will drive you crazy, however, try clamping the fence down with extra clamps.
A Powermatic or Unisaw with a Biesemeyer fence are the best choices (they last forever).
There is less expensive e saw out there that my buddy has, I thought the fence was almost as good the Biesemeyer fence (which is about $400).
http://www.toolbarn.com/powermatic-1791227k.html
Just as important is to set the saw level and build an out feed table, attached it to the saw, with brackets – again it is very important that both are straight as possible.
Don’t forget, the material’s edge that slides along the fence is very important; it also must be straight to get a good cut. i.e the table saw will not “fix” anything.
The less inexpensive table saws will drive you crazy, however, try clamping the fence down with extra clamps.
A Powermatic or Unisaw with a Biesemeyer fence are the best choices (they last forever).
There is less expensive e saw out there that my buddy has, I thought the fence was almost as good the Biesemeyer fence (which is about $400).
http://www.toolbarn.com/powermatic-1791227k.html
Just as important is to set the saw level and build an out feed table, attached it to the saw, with brackets – again it is very important that both are straight as possible.
Don’t forget, the material’s edge that slides along the fence is very important; it also must be straight to get a good cut. i.e the table saw will not “fix” anything.
here is the saw guide that i put together, i love the thing. And my method of making multiple speakers.
My Gigers.. Tritrix/DVC10 - Techtalk Speaker Building, Audio, Video, and Electronics Customer Discussion Forum From Parts-Express.com
My Gigers.. Tritrix/DVC10 - Techtalk Speaker Building, Audio, Video, and Electronics Customer Discussion Forum From Parts-Express.com
also, I'm not sure what kind of wood you're running through, but if you're using sheet goods of any kind never assume your factory edges are straight or square. I used to always have a problem with my cuts being just a little bit out until I started cutting all sides of everything I ran though. Used to drive me nuts, so that could be something to try after you set up your saw.
Usually, I use one edge of the sheet material as a measuring reference but I have not had any problems so far with out of square material. I have not found a good square that shows 1/32" divisions. I can only find ones with 1/16". I can say that I cut much better than 1/16"! (unless I screw up of course)
Of course, you have to measure from the tip of the tooth to the fence or straight edge, not the face of the blade. If you're using carbide tipped blades, they usually have bigger kerfs than ordinary blades and this has to be taken into account when measuring.
A good marking knife only has one large bevel on it so that it fits up flush against a straight edge. They are generally very sharp so they make a very fine line in the wood. I found it essential to marking precisely.
Of course, you have to measure from the tip of the tooth to the fence or straight edge, not the face of the blade. If you're using carbide tipped blades, they usually have bigger kerfs than ordinary blades and this has to be taken into account when measuring.
A good marking knife only has one large bevel on it so that it fits up flush against a straight edge. They are generally very sharp so they make a very fine line in the wood. I found it essential to marking precisely.
Buy a router, let the edges over hang. Use a trimming bit to get the excess off. Use a palm sander to get everything smooth once trimmed.
It is safe to say, there’s a lot to know about woodworking and many ways do things, (especially with enough time and patience).
A friend of mine surprised me; he’s good with a lot of things, engines, motorcycles, custom painting, etc. He took a woodworking class at a local college and loved it, said it was one of the best things he’s ever done.
A friend of mine surprised me; he’s good with a lot of things, engines, motorcycles, custom painting, etc. He took a woodworking class at a local college and loved it, said it was one of the best things he’s ever done.
Please elaborate upon your statement. Simple statements as you have posted are very opaque.
Thank you,
Dave
Wow thanks for all the responses guys! Looks like I'm not the only one having issues with my wood... (no, you're thinking about the wrong wood!)
Yes there is a pressure adjustment on the back of the fence. I was able to get a quick look at a manual for a similar model saw and read how to adjust the fence, I also learned that there is some adjustment in the blade. Before this thread I wasnt aware that I could adjust either. I'm fairly certain that after I set it up properly it will do it's job. I just need to find the time to do it.
Hopefully I can get it done this weekend between work and school and everything. I promise to update here whatever the case may be.
Thanks again,
Taylor.
Yes there is a pressure adjustment on the back of the fence. I was able to get a quick look at a manual for a similar model saw and read how to adjust the fence, I also learned that there is some adjustment in the blade. Before this thread I wasnt aware that I could adjust either. I'm fairly certain that after I set it up properly it will do it's job. I just need to find the time to do it.
Hopefully I can get it done this weekend between work and school and everything. I promise to update here whatever the case may be.
Thanks again,
Taylor.
Table saw are wonderful pieces of equipment, the more time you spend setting them up, the better they work, minute adjustments make a big difference. You do have to start off with blade square to the table, then fence to table (some recommend caliber tools).
I wondered if your saw had the finger clamp on the outside tip, they do work better than many fences. Be careful not to bang the fence when cutting large sheets/ pieces.
As mentioned a well build, solid out feed table is a huge benefit. Also Google “table saw sled” you’ll want to build one of those right away, nice clean, square cuts (for crosscutting).
Here’s a tip, if the saw is not one of the big heavy $3,000 floor models, spend a little extra money on the blade, e.g. Freud Freudtools.com Not the thin cut blades, you’ll want the regular full cut, Premier, P410 40 tooth combo is a good all around blade.
I wondered if your saw had the finger clamp on the outside tip, they do work better than many fences. Be careful not to bang the fence when cutting large sheets/ pieces.
As mentioned a well build, solid out feed table is a huge benefit. Also Google “table saw sled” you’ll want to build one of those right away, nice clean, square cuts (for crosscutting).
Here’s a tip, if the saw is not one of the big heavy $3,000 floor models, spend a little extra money on the blade, e.g. Freud Freudtools.com Not the thin cut blades, you’ll want the regular full cut, Premier, P410 40 tooth combo is a good all around blade.
Jointer blades are just high speed low carbon steel. Plywood wears them out very fast! About 50' of plywood edging will leave that section of the knives duller than the rest.
You might have noticed you cut plywood with carbide tipped blades.
When it comes to circular saw blades, the ones called "plywood" are NOT carbide tipped. They have many very fine teeth of hardened steel. I used to sharpen them myself, but gave up because new ones are so cheap to buy. They are intended for cutting veneer plywood with tearing it.
The biggest problem with table saws is that you need a large workshop to use them, unless you want to work outside. I don't have a large workshop so I don't have one. I don't even have a garage... sigh. I have many other hand sized power tools though, like my biscuit joiner. Love that tool...
The discussion is about table saw blades not portable electric circular saw blades. The non-carbide plywood hand version blades are cheap because they are intended to be disposable! All the non carbide blades use some form of hardening on the teeth. Jointer knives do not.
There are plenty of table saw blades intended for cutting plywood that do not have carbide tipped teeth. They are not cheap blades either.
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