Yet Another SMT Alignment Thread

[aiyou]

For the life of me, I can't keep the table of the SMT to stay snug once adjusted with the eccentric screws. The left front guide always comes loose, with the slightest of contact. This is a BT3100-1.

I've reviewed the SMT Guide Service article (http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=46737), and removed the left front guide to check for any damage. Nothing noted.

When reinstalling, I removed the SMT, flipped it over, and noticed that the bottom half of the guide had a different look to it. On the underside of the bottom guide, there are two short "ribs", centered, and approximately half the width of the bottom guide. These run perpendicular to the lip of the SMT base.

However, when compared to the other 3 pairs, the "ribs" extend the entire width of the guide.

Might this be causing the problem? Could this unique guide be intended to be paired with the front right/pivot screw? I've owned the saw since it was new, and I've not previously removed any of the guides. There does not appear to be any wear on the guides. Once the table goes out of alignment, it is always the left front that has the slop.

Thanks in advance
Rob

[Black wallnut]

Rob your guides should look exactly like those pictured in the linked article. Click on each pic to increase its size. You might not be getting the nuts tight enough, however be careful here as it does not take much to overtighten and break them.

[aiyou]

Thanks.

I've reviewed/enlarged the photos from the SMT Guide Service article, and honestly, the one that I see as being different seems to be the style of all 4 of those shown in the picture of the underside with Left Front/Right Front labeled.

I'll try to get some pictures and post - first attempt with my cell phone camera did not have the quality to distinguish the difference.

In the meantime, I have gone back through and retightended each of the guide assemblies. It seems like my previoius attempts always resulted in too much pressure being applied, and the table difficult to slide. This latest attempt, though, seems to have yielded a happy medium - while a bit stiff to slide, it's holding snug when I intentionally try and move the table laterally (previously, this would have instantly resulted in the slop returning).

I'll also try wax paper on the assembly to see if that doens't alleviate the restistance that I'm encountering.