Blade alignment adjustments
The blade can suffer from several
Figure 10: Blade alignment fault conditions
Establishing a reference surface for blade adjustment So long as major changes and adjustments to the
blade guide system are not made, you will not have to perform the following procedure. However, assuming the "worst possible case"
1.Disconnect the saw from its electrical power source to prevent accidental
2.Be sure the blade is fully tensioned and in good condition. Use of a new blade is best for this operation.
3.Remove the blade guide, brackets, and all blade guiding and supporting components which normally capture and guide the blade at the cutting postion.
4.Lower the saw arm to full horizontal position.
5.Place a machinists square against the blade and adjust the stationary vise jaw so it is at right angles to the blade.
6.You have established a reference surface at the stationary vise face. All subsequent adjustments of blade parallelism and vertical can be made using the stationary vise face or the saw table.
When to adjust the blade guides
The blade guides, when installed at the factory, have been adjusted for maximum sawing effectiveness and, if not disturbed, damaged or worn, should require no field adjustment other than moving the guide brackets as needed to clear the workpieces being sawed.
However, if the components get out of alignment or need replacement the following instructions give you the complete method for adjusting the system.
In particular, there five planes, angles or clearances which need to be considered.
1.The blade must run parallel to the saw blade clearance slot. (See Figure 10.)
2.The blade must be square with the vise jaws. (See Figure 2.)
3.The blade must the vertical and square with respect to the saw table and must not be twisted. (See Figure 10.)
4.The guide bearings must provide the correct side clearance and support for the blade.
5.The blade
As we say, so long as no component relationships are disturbed, the factory settings should be adequate to your tasks. However, parts wear or damage does occur. When parts are replaced, adjustment of the blade positioning will almost certainly be necessary.
Of course, regardless of whether or not a compo- nent has been disturbed or replaced, at any time you are not getting the cutting action or accuracy you expect, or whenever the troubleshooting chart recommends it, you can and should check the blade support components.
Figure 11: Nomenclature for blade guide assembly and its components
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