Table Saw Blade Alignment

Checking Table Saw Blade Alignment


To get an accurate crosscut on the table saw, the blade has to be parallel with the saw's miter gauge slots.
A quick way to check this is to use a combination square and a marker.

If your blade isn't parallel to the miter gauge slots, the table saw trunnion needs to be adjusted.

(The trunnion is the assembly that holds the saw's arbor to the underside of the saw table.)

Normally, all you need to do is loosen the bolts that hold the trunnion and tap the trunnion in the direction needed.

To check that your blade is parallel with the miter gauge slot, first mark a tooth. Then place a square in the slot and adjust it so the end of the square just touches the side of the marked tooth.

Rotate Saw Blade

Next, slide the square and rotate the blade backward until the marked tooth aligns with the square.
If the square just touches the side of the tooth, the slot and the blade are aligned.

Before starting any new work project, take the time to make sure everything is square, nothing is more frustrating than cutting a expensive piece of material and finding that it is out of square.

Fixing Miter Joints

No Wood Putty! - A quick tip for fixing miter joints

If you've ever experienced the frustration of discovering that "little gap" on the outside of your miter joint, you'll appreciate this quick tip.

Woodworkers often try to hide these gaps with wood putties or other fillers, but there's a faster and easier way to solve this problem.

If the gap is small, you can use the edge of a screwdriver to subtly round over the corners. The corners will close in and mask the gap.

The effect is very subtle but effective.

Loose Screws

Loose Screws?

Screws are a lot harder than wood and it doesn't take much vibration or stress for them to begin to work their way out of the wood.

Rather than replacing the screw with a larger one, try this.

Insert a few tooth picks and a little glue into the hole. The tooth picks should help tighten up the hole and re-secure the screw. Cut the toothpicks off flush with the surface.


When the glue dried the lag screw was a tight as when it was new.

Note:

In more severe cases you might need to re-drill the hole, tap in a glue-covered dowel, and then drill a new pilot hole in the dowel for the screw.

Stripped Screw Heads

Have you ever snapped off or stripped the head of a screw while trying to force it into hardwood?

Before screwing into hardwood you should always pre-drill a "pilot hole".

A pilot hole should generally be about ½ the diameter of the screw in hard woods and ¼ in softer woods.

Sometimes even with a good pilot hole, a stubborn screw will refuse to go any further.

To solve this simply rub a little moist bar soap or paraffin wax on the threads to act as a lubricant. A little lubricant will make the job a lot easier.

This is especially useful with soft metal screws such as brass and aluminum.

There are not as many slot type screws used these days, they are the ones that were more likley to be stripped. If you used a slot screwdriver which had slightly rounded edges or if you not square to your work, you would end up with a stripped screw head.

Note: Do not use oil or grease as these products may leach out into and stain the wood.