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new dewalt 7491rs table saw, fence not square

22K views 34 replies 17 participants last post by  woodnthings 
#1 ·
I just bought my first table saw, a dewalt 7491rs, and when I put everything together, I noticed the fence is no square. Please see attached photos.

Had no experience with table saw before, so I really don't know what the expectation should be, is this normal for a jobsite table saw? Thanks for any inputs!
 

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#5 · (Edited)
That can be adjusted

Look at the T end of the fence to see if there are two screws that ride on the top of the front rail. Adjust one until it make the fence square to the table.


Maybe this will help:
 
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#12 ·
It's not the saw, it's the fence ....

Even if you get a new/different saw, it may still have the same issue with the fence, so learn how to adjust it.
There's only two ways to adjust the fence.
The first is to make the face parallel to the miter slots.
The second is to make the face square to the table.


The owner's manual should cover both ways.

Common sense will tell you which screws or bolts do which adjustment.
Without the fence in hand, it's too hard to give advice. If your fence is not like the one in the video, then take very good photos like you did showing the squares and post them, then maybe we can figure it out ...?
:vs_cool:
 
#13 ·
The manual does not mention how to make the fence square to the table at all.

Even if you get a new/different saw, it may still have the same issue with the fence, so learn how to adjust it.
There's only two ways to adjust the fence.
The first is to make the face parallel to the miter slots.
The second is to make the face square to the table.


The owner's manual should cover both ways.

Common sense will tell you which screws or bolts do which adjustment.
Without the fence in hand, it's too hard to give advice. If your fence is not like the one in the video, then take very good photos like you did showing the squares and post them, then maybe we can figure it out ...?
:vs_cool:
 
#14 ·
You could possibly shim up one side with high molecular weight tape.

But if I may be blunt, its a jobsite saw. They are built to be tossed the back of a pickup, not for a woodworking shop or even a carpenter with the expectations you have.

If you can, I would take it back, get a refund and buy a machine more suited for ww'ing.
 
#17 ·
You could possibly shim up one side with high molecular weight tape.

But if I may be blunt, its a jobsite saw. They are built to be tossed the back of a pickup, not for a woodworking shop or even a carpenter with the expectations you have.

If you can, I would take it back, get a refund and buy a machine more suited for ww'ing.

Also, that amount of error in the fence being square to the table would probably not be even a factor in 9 out of 10 woodworking projects. Just think about how you use a fence. How often does it matter if the top is not exactly in the same plane as the bottom?


George
 
#19 ·
There is really nothing wrong with a well constructed job site saw. A friend of mine who used to have a fully equipped shop (table saw, jointer, planner, etc) moved and does not have the space he once had. Also he does not do as much woodworking as before. Now basically what he used is a job site saw. When he builds projects his work still turns out beautiful.



Unless you are working with a piece of junk it is more the skill of the worker than the cost of the machine.


George
 
#23 ·
Speaking for myself, I would be unhappy buying an expensive tool like a table saw, and learning that the fence isn't square and isn't designed to be made square with factory-provided adjustments.

True, it is a jobsite saw, but why does that make a difference? It's like buying a new compact car with a loud, squeaky brake, and someone says, "It's only a cheap compact car; what did you expect?"

The SawStop Jobsite Pro is a good jobsite saw for woodworking, but it may be beyond @woodbite's budget.
 
#24 ·
If their is no information in the manual on squaring the fence there is a you tube video showing you how.
Very simple actually. Remove the fence from the saw. Remove the end brackets from the fence. Be careful you do not strip the screws. The author had problems removing the screws and stripped one.
Determine which way the fence top edge has to lean to make it square to the table. Tape shims to bracket to correct .
I imagine this ill be trial and error to get the exact shim thickness. I would think masking tape in layers would suffice.
Pretty simple but may be time consuming to get the right thickness of shims.
mike
 
#25 ·
Woodbite, A quick search about this issue revealed this to be a problem with this model dating back to at least 2016. In my opinion Dewalt DOES NOT CARE! Take it back and search for a table saw with less issues. I seems that Dewalt is not going to correct their problems with it as long as people keep buying it. There are other issues with this model besides the fence issue. I mean to be blunt about this... it's the only way companies will change the way they do business.... from if they want junk "we'll give them junk... to "quality is what the customer wants".
 
#29 ·
I do not depend upon someone else to do what I can easily do. Shame on me if I walk out of a store with a square which is not square. Obviously there are things that I cannot check. But if I do not check something that I can do easily I can\not blame anyone but myself.
So, you are just accepting that your squares are square without actually doing the simple check. Oh well, to each his own. If I was having that kind of problem I would that that extra step and check.

George
GeorgeC,
If you are done chastising the op,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Have you considered that the OP may not know how to perform your "in store squareness check"?
It might be much more helpful if you would describe, in detail, to the OP, what procedure you use to check the actual squareness or lack there of.
 
#31 ·
I own the DeWalt saw and have made many projects with it. My fence has the same condition as the OP, and yet I have been delighted with the precision and squareness of cuts. The fence has been one of my favorite features and has great utility at this price point. I am not bothered by the fence condition, as I believe it is intentionally set that way for safety to reduce kickback. The fence is really only creating a precise guide line parallel to the blade while the table and blade relationship determine the geometry of the actual cut.
 
#33 ·
I’ve had a Dewalt jobsite saw since they were first introduced well over 20 years ago. Used it while doing kitchen installs, ripped full sheets of plywood, pre finished hardwoods, you name it, I cut it. periodically checked to make sure the fence was parallel to the saw blade, but to this day never checked it for squareness to the table. Only time I think this problem the OP has is if you were standing a piece of wood on edge and performing some kind of cut on it. I think they’re still a good saw, rack and pinion fence adjustment works great. I don’t think I’d worry about this issue.
Mike Hawkins
 
#34 ·
I don't own that saw. My first table saw was a jobsite saw that did just about everything I asked of it.

As folks have said, the only time that issue would be a problem is if the wood is standing on edge. And, if the cut requires the workpiece to be on edge, you'd probably attach a tall auxiliary fence. Shimming the aux fence with a couple pieces of blue tape would be an easy way to solve the problem, if that level of precision was required.
 
#35 ·
If the sidepanel or extrusion on the fence is NOT adjustable for true vertical/square to the table ?
Then overlay a properly sized sheet of Formica attached with double sided tape and shimmed with a extra layer on the top or the bottom depending.
If it's out more than a few thousands, then put shims on the attachment blocks at either ends.
This is all dependent on the construction of the fence, and they are all quite different.
A Biesemeyer fence is "all welded" construction and would be difficult to shim, HOWEVER they have taken this issue into account and it has built in leveling screws!
The Delta Unifences I have have similar adjustment screws.
 
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