Dial Indicator Use and Toe in/Toe out/Parallel Fence

[ragswl4]

There have been a few posts about what to use a dial indicator for and also one post about Toe Out on a table saw fence. Here are some pictures of the jig that I use to set my TS fence parallel to the Miter slot on the saw. This same set up is used to check that the blade is also parallel to the miter slot.

This is a pic of the jig with the dial indicator. This is simply clamped to the miter gauge fence, 2nd pic. So the jig is now set against the beginning of the fence.

I then set the dial indicator scale to "0" in the 3rd pic.

Slide the miter gauge to the end of the fence and measure the difference. The dial indicator has deflected .003" to the left indicating that the far end of the fence is .003" farther from the blade than pic 3. This shows that the fence has .003" of Toe out. Try as I might I could not get the fence exactly parallel.

Dial indicator about $7 on sale at HF
Scrap wood about $.50
Parallel fence-Priceless.

[JR]

Excellent write up, Rags, perfectly describing the whole thing.

Too bad about the .003" toe-out, though. I don't know how you'll manage.

JR

[ragswl4]

Excellent write up, Rags, perfectly describing the whole thing.

Too bad about the .003" toe-out, though. I don't know how you'll manage.

JR

Not bad for a crappy C-Man fence which has been dropped once, shipped from California, to Texas, to Montana and back.

[cabinetman]

Ya mean nobody just eyeballs it anymore?

[ragswl4]

Ya mean nobody just eyeballs it anymore?

Not after the first kickback! I used to use a ruler to check the front and back of the fence and looked exactly the same. Using the dial gauge, the back of the fence was Toed out .030". Made a believer out of me. Don't think you can get square cuts with .030" out.

[p8ntblr]

Thanks Rags. Looks like a simple but very useful jig. Especially for me since I asked about both topics.

[ragswl4]

Thanks Rags. Looks like a simple but very useful jig. Especially for me since I asked about both topics.

If you need more pics or dimensions or whatever, just PM me with your email address and I'll send it along.