jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I thought I'd take some time to adjust my Ridgid TS2410LS table saw. One thing puzzles me:

I make sure the blade is at 90°, and then I set the indicator to 0°. Then I set the blade to 45° and set the indicator to 45°. You can't have it both ways. If I set it to 0° when the blade is vertical, and then I reset it to 45° when the blade is tilted, the gauge will be right at only one position. The indicator is a piece of plastic with a red line down the center, and it rides just above the 0 - 45° scale. It's held in place by a screw. Loosening the screw lets me match the red line to the proper degree mark.

I'm going out into the cold to play with it again. If I discover a solution, I'll let you know.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Make a new scale that works at both angles. Use construction paper and add your own marks at 90, 45, 30 and 22.5 degrees.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

How are you checking that the blade is vertical to the table? A precision square? I’ve found one of the most accurate ways to set the 45 degree stop that most table saws have is to cut a 45 deg mitre on a piece of scrap, then cut a second piece and flip it over so the two 45s are touching. When it’s correct, the two boards will be perfectly flat when the two miters are exactly touching. There are other ways, but I have found this is more accurate than any gauge or assembling a corner of two 45s and checking it with a precision square. I’m sure you and other woodworkers have their preferred method.

BTW, do you ever get Fine Woodworking magazine?

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Are they wanting you to split any difference?
(I'd set the 90° with a square and leave it there. Hopefully their scale is correct.)

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

It sounds like the indicator is not very accurate. I would probably make a 45 degree cut on a nice thick piece and just use that to compare to the blade when adjusting. For the 90 degree cut you can just use a good square or calibrate the indicator to that point. You probably use it more at 90 degrees than 45.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Yup, set to 45° when needed and do a test on a scrap piece. Adjust if necessary.
I used a square most of the time to verify the setting for critical cuts.
(I used the scale only for reference or ball park cuts.)

edrobinsonjr Loc: Boise, Idaho

Jerry,

I have hassled with the blade settings too. I finally bought a "tilt box." It's a digital tilt meter that I got from woodcrafters. It is accurate to 0.1 degree.

I place it on the saw able and zero it. Then is stick to the saw blade - it has magnets - and adjust the blade to whatever angle I need. Works great and takes very little time and effort.

Ed

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Jerry, Be Careful! I used to make a living defending Ridgid from people who cut off body parts.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Sadly, happens too often. Woodworking can be dangerous, and shop safety is number one priority. When my youngest was just learning, I had a “safety sign” with tool specific reminders over every machine (and of course, personal instruction). Now there’s just one reminder in my shop that says: “where will your hand(s) go if the work suddenly disappears?”

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

I wish everyone was that vigilant.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

Set the 90 degree position and stop as that will be most used. There is usually a stop for 45 that can be set too. I have owned and used Delta Unisaws since 1986 and never rely on the angle scale for more than a rough estimate of an angle. There are a number of tools and methods to get other angles.

If you need accurate 45 along an edge the easiest and most accurate way is to use a 45 degree cutter in a router table or shaper. There are cutters available for routers and shapers for other common angles too. Check out Guys Woodshop on YouTube for a good video of doing 45 on a router table.

Julian Loc: Sarasota, FL

It seems that this method will show the angle of the blade itself but not in reference to the table, which is what you need. Sounds like a nice gadget, but would you please elaborate? Thanks, I am interested.

HamB

Count your fingers before you start a project and again when you are finished.
The numbers should equal.

OnDSnap Loc: NE New Jersey

I may have an answer for you Jerry....but first, check the actual angle of the blade, is it traveling/tilting 45° from 90? If not, the positive stops on the trunion (rack and pinion) may need adjusting. If they are correct and you're sure the blade is tilting 45°, remark the gauge or get rid of it and do what I do, see below.
I have a 10" Unisaw with 50" extensions and a 6' off table ( center of attraction in my full woodworking shop) When I set it up yrs. ago, I spent 2 full days truing it. After initial quick setup, I was cutting staves (pie shaped pieces) for a lamination to built up a bolt for turning on the lathe. There were 12 pieces so 24-15° cuts. Well the last piece of the pie didn't fit. Scratching my head for hours trying to figure it out why 15° cuts weren't working. With precision (for machinists) set ups everything was telling me the blade was at 15°. I decided to check the table top of the saw it self, using a precision 36" Starret straight edge, I laid it across the table top perpendicular to the blade, got down eye level and looked under the straight edge, well I could see light in the middle of the table. I was able to slide two sheets of paper under the straight edge near the middle of the table, (2 pcs. of paper measure about .007") not much you would think. Well, that over a 6" inch long piece of wood, that equates to .0334° per cut, X 24 cuts = .8016° (0°2'0"). Two minutes isn't much but enough to make the last piece not fit. Bugged by this mainly because I do CAD drawings for the machining industry with very tight tolerances, and have done machining so I know whats possible. Well... I called Delta and told them the saw (top) I paid over $3,000 for had a belly / sag in it. They told me that for a woodworking tool, 1/64" (.015")is within standard tolerances. They also told me if I was willing to send the top to them they could re-machine it to ±.005 across the top but it would cost a couple grand. Obviously I hung up on um. The moral of the story, I make adjustments, check angles on every cut (even at 90° to the top left and or right side) with a magnetic angle finder attached to the blade. BTW, the saw itself must be level for this to work... which I used a machinist level to be sure my saw is level. Also keep in mind, my saw is bellied, so depending on the width & thickness of the would being cut, the resultant cut will change. Even pressing down on a piece of plywood while cutting can change the angle of the edge cut.


Angle finder I use (cheaper ones available)

https://www.globalindustrial.com/p/tools/test-measurement/Measuring-Protractors/fowler-mini-mag-protractor?infoParam.campaignId=T9F&gclid=CjwKCAiA57D_BRAZEiwAZcfCxenHkvOL8mJPjM7BYvsNLGocj0lGjOZdsuBMV08XjPfKro_FOdA-kxoCj7cQAvD_BwE

happy sailor Loc: Ontario, Canada

As he said you place the device on the table and no matter the reading you zero the device, then when you attach it to the blade it gives you the angle in relation to the table of the saw. Actually gives the angle of anything you attach it to to the saw.

The devices zero angle after setting is whatever the top of the table saw is.