Rip Fence Perpendicularity

[kramca]

I got one of those Wixley digital angle meters and checked my blade's 90 degree reading and it was very close using the scale on the saw....within a few thousandths.

(Actually got the gauge after some less than perfect 45 degree cuts...despite using a drafting triangle and squatting and squinting)

Put it on the rip fence and it was .6 tilting in toward the blade.

Aside from putting a piece of paper under one of the leftmost black plastic piece (with screw for lateral adjustment under the fence), does anyone know of a way to adjust the rip fence to be a true 90 ?

[RayintheUK]

Does this .6 error occur when the fence is both locked and free, or just when it's locked?

Ray

[cgallery]

I had the same problem at once (I think a number of people here have), and I think this has been covered in Loring's FAQ (ask him for the FAQ if you haven't already). BUT...

I had to disassemble the fence and file the top of the front head where the aluminum fence attaches. The paint buildup there prevents the aluminum fence from sitting flat.

[LCHIEN]

Things that can go wrong with the rip fence (excerpted from the BT3 FAQ)

•

The front mechanism rides up on the rail rather than clamping to it. This is often due to
someone waxing the rail thinking it will slide better but it just makes it difficult for the clamp
mechanism to grab the rail. If waxed, clean the rail with mineral spirits or paint thinner until
the wax is gone. Some have suggested roughing up the rail ever so slightly with fine
sandpaper so it’s not so smooth.

•

The rip fence is not perpendicular to the table surface - see the above, one side of the front
mechanism has ridden up.

•

The rear part of the fence is moving. The hook device is not grabbing the lip of the rear rail.
There’s an adjustment screw that sets how tightly the rear lock engages. Maybe the rear rail is
not installed properly. Sometimes the pin hinging the rear clamp is broken or lost.
Replacements can be bought from Ryobi.

•

The rip fence is hitting the table top and won’t slide over. Installing the rear rail upside down
usually causes this.

•

The fence won’t move. Clean the saw dust from the front and rear rails. Make sure the roller
riding on the back rail is turning, it may need cleaning or lubrication.

Other fence problems: If the fence won’t adjust square to the blade, you may need to enlarge the
holes the allen screws set in just a tiny bit. If the front rail handle assembly is sitting flat on the
front rail, but the rip fence is not perpendicular to the table, you may need to deburr the holes the
two allen screws set in, so that they sit flat.

[pelligrini]

I've have fixed two fences that were slightly off by filing the area that cgallery mentioned. One was my 21829 fence and the other was a BT fence I got from here or ebay. There's a couple threads about the solution in here somewhere.

[kramca]

Thanks

I have two rip fences for this saw.....and both, when tightened, go to .6 off from ninety....both tip in every so slightly....

I will read over the suggestions in the post from Loring and see if anything gets cleared up....

Input is appreciated.

[LCHIEN]

Another suggestion:
Take your wixey angle gauge and measure the table top relative to the front rail top.
They should be exactly parallel (relative angle zero degrees)
If for some reason the rail is mounted on a slant that will put the rip fence off. could be as simple as slop in the mounting t-nut hardware that mounts the rail to the table.

[kramca]

good idea to try the gauge.

The front rail is off .1 from the table top.....however, it is out of parallel ever so slightly the wrong way....that is, if I were to tweak the rail to parallel, it would logically make the fence tip in even more.

This is probably hair splitting as my rips for all intents and purposes have been fine.....if it tilts in a bit, on most stock it tilts uniformly the full run of the fence.

Using a tenon jig, etc. I would be using a triangle, or now this digital gauge to confirm that I
am at 90 and would be compensating in some way to be square using a taller fence.

[wbsettle]

Check out this thread. It includes photos of the area to be deburred. I ordered a second fence under warranty when I discovered mine wouldn't sit perpendicular. Replacement was also skewed. A few minutes with a metal file and you should be fine.

-Brent