SMT won't slide if miter fence is tightened?

[superape]

Been spending the better part of a week getting to know the saw, cleaning, and aligning. Ran into an issue:

Got the SMT slide parallel to the blade with almost zero play, that's good. But then I tighten the Miter fence into position the SMT starts to stick.

The table flexes up to meet the fence when tightened, and I guess that's enough to bind the runners.

I could loosen the back runners to give more play, but that's a fairly unsatisfying approach since the amount of binding seems to be variable depending on the angle of the miter fence (and therefore the position of the bolt).

Any suggestions? Thanks!

[RodKirby]

It shouldn't flex at all - if it's all mounted correctly...

[superape]

Your picture has quite a bit of custom action going on there, but I'm pretty sure it's mounted correctly - washer only at the top under the knob, bolt sitting tight in the groove etc...

The table appears to flex up to meet the fence when the knob is tightened, so either the table or the fence is not perfectly flat, I suspect the table.

[LCHIEN]

one way of confirming the bending and perhaps of resolving it, is to tighen the miter fence knob and then adjust the sliding clearances of the screws that set the SMTtrack. You may have them so close that just a bit of bending binds it. Also I suppose you don't have the miter fence overly tight?

[superape]

I might have to do that proactive loosening, but I wish I didn't have to... The binding action changes in intensity depending on the placement of the bolt, so even if I get it right for 90 degrees, it will change for other angle placements.

Also I don't think it's overly tight, I'm getting SMT binding before the fence is close to tight.

[steve-norrell]

Three items to check before messing with the mountings:

Does the SMT bind when the miter fence is parallel to the blade, or at least set so that the ends do not extend beyond the sides of the SMT?

Check to make sure that the saw gauges (Item #4: the black thingies on the ends of the miter fence) clear the table when the fence is perpendicular to the blade? They could be mounted slightly off so they bind when the fence is tightened down.

There should be two "glide plates" (Item #30) on the underside of the SMT where it rides along the rails. If they are missing or damaged, the SMT may sit too low and cause the problem you are seeing.

Good luck, Steve

[LCHIEN]

good point steve, the SMT is normally slightly higher, maybe .020 than the main table to prevent miter fence drag. If the SMT has been lowered by a prev owner who didn't like it being high, then the Miter fence can drag..

[superape]

Steve and Loring, thanks for the replies. The saw gauges and glide plates look fine.

A quick check confirms that the SMT surface is ever so slightly concave towards the center, whether by design or as a result of the previous owner's actions. It's not too bad after loosening the runners a tad, so I think it will work out. Perhaps I'll shim the fence in the center with some tape or paper.

I must say that after taking the saw apart and putting it back together, it looks to be a pretty well thought out design for the price point, I'm pleased so far. Perhaps I'll even try a first cut tomorrow!

Thanks again for all your help.