Tom5151

Hey everyone,

Can you all recommend a reasonably priced good table saw aligner? I have been using the good old combo squares and machinists squares and getting nice results but I just got the Ridgid 3660 and want to be better than just decent. I want to get as dead on as possible.

Thanks.
Regards,
Tom

mwhafner

Here is a method to use a dial caliper to align a saw. I have used it in the past and it works great.

http://www.woodmagazine.com/woodwork...your-tablesaw/

blackcruzer

I saw in one of the tools supplies website, don't remember which one. I'll see if I can find it again. Anyway it same method as the last poster but this kit had a plate that you bolt onto to where you would put the blade and you put the dail indicator in the miter slot. I thought it was a pretty good way to check your alignment. I'll look and see if I can find it.

blackcruzer

I found it,

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6039

It look like they have a couple of them. One without the plate. I believe this would be a must-have in any shop.

Tom5151

thank you very much gentlemen...

Do you know if the TS Aligner Jr. is any good?

Rob

I have the TS Aligner Jr. kit and the Master Plate. The combination works great. I keep my fence out of aligment by just a few thousands and this allows me to set it exactly.

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Tom5151

so you have them both.......if I was just to get one of them which would you suggest?....i was also looking at the TS Aligner Jr. lite....is that decent?

Rob

Don't know about the lite. If I had to just get one it would be the aligner as you can use a blade in place of the master plate. I use the master plate if I'm tuning as there are no saw teeth to get in the way of a larger tri square.

__________________
Never lick a steak knife.

Tom5151

thank you sir....i appreciate your advice.

WillySLC

Related Topic. I too, just got the Ridgid 3660. It was a floor model, and I got what seemed like a steal of a deal ($200.00 off $599.00 price tag). The problem is that since it was a floor model, it was already assembled, and I'm not sure how well. I'm going to go through the owners manual (which of course I had to get on-line) and double check everything. Do you guys have any suggestions on what to pay special attention too? For instance, the manual mentions shimming the front and back rails. What's up with that? Any other words of advice? I think I got a good deal, but I may have to put in a fair amount of sweat equity before I realize my prize.

Mort Tenon

That gauge is $73. Is it worth that much? Is is that much more accurate than a square?

LGC KX5 TC

If you think your square can get you within .001". That is how accurate it can be.

Rob

I think (think) the kit is $73. Mine came with the gauge, and a bunch of different machined aluminum bars for differnt setup applications.
I don't use it often but it does come in handy when it's that time to do a thorough cleaning and re-tuning.

__________________
Never lick a steak knife.

cabinetman

I hate to say this, but I don't use fancy falootin' gauges or stuff to do a table saw alignment. They are probably pretty cool things to have and use if they are in the budget. The only time I'm concerned with numbers to the right and sometimes left of the decimal is with my blood alcohol content.

I may not be too accurate by some accounts, but if I can split the difference on a tape measure 1/32" to 1/64", that's PDC (pretty darn close). I mean like this ain't tool and die making, it's woodworking. Heck, I could show up to the shop at 7 AM, cut up some stuff, and by noon it's a different size.

Anyway, about table saw alignment. I don't remember that there were any gauges when I started, so my method still works for me. With a mounted blade, I first crank the blade all the way up, and set it for 90 deg and check it with a drafting template. Then, I check to see if the blade is parallel to the miter slot. How do I do that you ask? Well it's easy, with the blade all the way up, I measure from the front and rear of the blade to the edge of the miter slot. If the distance is the same, I mark one tooth, and rotate the blade so the tooth is in the front, and measure to the slot, and then rotate it to the back and measure to the slot. If everything is A-OK, I move on to the fence. That one is easy, I just lock it down and measure to the slot front and back, and if it's A-OK, I might go make a cup of coffee. If not, I start to figure out where in that order of things to shift or adjust to line it all up. I must be just lucky, because the work seems to come out OK.

Rob

Yup, I concur and did the same thing you do for years. I'm just one of those tool junkies that loves the gadgets. Fortunately for me, my profession is my hobby also, so all the expenses are a write-off.
This thing does come in handy for planer and jointer blade setup.

__________________
Never lick a steak knife.

Tom5151

Well I dropped $115 on the Rockler Super Bar and Plate Kit. They had a deal for free shipping so i figured I would try it and see. I guess I fall in the "gadget tool" category to some degree. I'll see how much of a difference it really makes over what I have been doing.

Thanks again everyone.

Mort Tenon

Be sure to report back.

Tom5151

will do sir......I can't imagine that I won't see at least SOME improvement. I am going to recalibrate my Ridgid 2410 with it first and see how far off I might be currently. Then I will use it to set up the new 3660. I'll keep ya posted.

Mort Tenon

You're too kind.