how to get the fence vertically square with the TS

[footprintsinconc]

hello,

i have a bt3100. i wanted to cut cut a tounge on all around the raised panels that i just made for some cabinets, and when i went to clamp a 8" tall board to the fence, i found that vertically the fence is not square with the TS. its off by an 3/16 at 8" high. how do i ajust for that.

the other thing is, if i am going to make a table top by cutting strips of wood and then jointing them, then the joints wont close up if i have made them with the TS, i will need a jointer/planer to plane the edges. the book that i was following, just shows them using the table saw and jointing the wood to get excellent joints.

second last question, how do i ajust the fence so that when i push down on the handle of the fence it locks paralell with the blade?

lastly, when i have moved the rails back and forth, how do i get them back to the correct spot so that i can just use the measurements of the rail for cutting wood, rather than keep measuring the distance from the blade to the fence all the time?

i would appreciate if someone can help me out with these issues.

[leehljp]

The Fence on the 3100 often leans a bit when it is clamped down if the rails have been waxed. When clamped real tight on a waxed rail, it slips up on one side just a tad. That is the ususal cause. To fix this, rubbed denatured alcohol on the front rail to clean the wax off.

Second paragraph - if the wood won't join up, clamp it tighter (just kidding.) That problem is usually caused by two things:
1. the stress inside the wood is released when it is cut/ripped. There is nothing you can do about this as it is the wood, not the saw.
2. wrong infeeding techniques cause saw marks or uneven cuts as the board is fed through. One help in this is to watch the board as it feeds along the fence, not the blade.

Third paragraph - Lock fence parallel to the Blade: The Fence has a dual stage lock. First the front is squared and locked to the front rail. AS this is happening, the rear of the blade swings just a tad to the left and then it clamps in the rear.

To fix this, lay a square longways between the fence and blade. Loosen the two screws on top of the fence just beyond the front locking head. It should swing a bit. Push the front handle down until the front is snug; push the fence over to be lined up with the square; finish locking the fence by pushing the handle all the way down. tighten the screws.
A note for better cuts: before you tighten the fence in place, it is generally good to place a dollar bill between the fence and square at the back end. This will make the back just a smidgen of a degree out of square but will prevent "pinching" which can cause kickbacks.

Last question: I don't really know because I have been using a rule to measure between the blade and fence for nearly 50 years. My guess would be to make a mark on the saw where the rail should line up. So line it up correctly once and make a mark. then when you move the rails, you will know where to move them back to from then on. Sorry, that is the best 5 can offer on that.

[cgallery]

hello,

i have a bt3100. i wanted to cut cut a tounge on all around the raised panels that i just made for some cabinets, and when i went to clamp a 8" tall board to the fence, i found that vertically the fence is not square with the TS. its off by an 3/16 at 8" high. how do i ajust for that.

The fence extrusion connects to the front clamp via the two adjusting bolts on top. These bolts screw into two raised points in the casting that need to be finely adjusted with a file. It took about fifteen minutes for me to file these and get my fence extrusion perfectly square to the table.

Thanks!
Phil

[eezlock]

fence....

hello,

i have a bt3100. i wanted to cut cut a tounge on all around the raised panels that i just made for some cabinets, and when i went to clamp a 8" tall board to the fence, i found that vertically the fence is not square with the TS. its off by an 3/16 at 8" high. how do i ajust for that.

the other thing is, if i am going to make a table top by cutting strips of wood and then jointing them, then the joints wont close up if i have made them with the TS, i will need a jointer/planer to plane the edges. the book that i was following, just shows them using the table saw and jointing the wood to get excellent joints.

second last question, how do i ajust the fence so that when i push down on the handle of the fence it locks paralell with the blade?

lastly, when i have moved the rails back and forth, how do i get them back to the correct spot so that i can just use the measurements of the rail for cutting wood, rather than keep measuring the distance from the blade to the fence all the time?

i would appreciate if someone can help me out with these issues.

In response the second last question...when you want to lock the fence down for the cut, pull the handle toward you slightly and then pull it down to the locked position all in one smooth, easy, continous motion. eezlock

[footprintsinconc]

fence problem

Thank you everyone, especially hank for the detailed steps. i will give them a try this thanks giving weekend and see what i get.

omar