Table Saw Sled Alignment #1: Aligning a Table Saw Sled Fence to 90 Degrees

Brian,

Thanks for the post. That is a useful tip.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

this is probably a very stupid question, but why not use a large carpenter square to align it directly to the fence? because of the length of the square, any inaccuracy will be noticeable.

-- The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep...

Moshel Typically, large carpenter squares ARE NOT SQUARE. They are close enough for framing, but not for precise work.

Brian Does your sled have runners or do you plan to run it against your fence? If no, did you verify the sled is square to your blade? I never ran my sled against the fence.

-- I love the smell of sawdust in the morning....

Moshel,

When you say align it to the fence, I assume you mean the TS-fence and that you are placing the carpenters square aqainst the TS-fence and the sled-fence. If not please let me know.

First, you are making the assumption that your TS-fence is perfectly parallel with your TS-miter tracks. Any deviation from parallel here with throw off the alignment of your sled-fence. Second, (assuming your square is a perfect 90°) you would need to use feeler gauges to check the fit at the top and bottom of the square OR look for light in between the square and the TS-fence. IMHO this method would be MUCH slower and MUCH less accuate than the method I describe.

WoodRat,
My sled uses two runners and does not ride the TS-fence.

Hope this helps.

-- Brian http://www.garagewoodworks.com

Very nice post thanks for the tips!

-- //FC - Round Rock, TX - "Experience is what you get just after you need it"

Thanks for the explanation. i knew it was a stupid question :-).

-- The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep...

No. Not a stupid question at all. Give it a try. A dial indicator w/ magnetic base is around $40.00. You will be suprised how many uses you find for it.

-- Brian http://www.garagewoodworks.com

I usually cut the slot first and use a carpenter square (one that I have squared perfectly) against two
pieces of material that fits tight in the slot. One at each end of the slot.

A carpenter square is very easy to square with a center punch and a hammer. If anyone is interested how, let me know.

BTW I used to be a machinist and have all the tools still.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Thanks for the tips.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

great info …thank you !

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Very nice post.thank you !

-- jeanmarc manosque france

Hi Brian,

Great tip! I’m struggling with an out-of-square sled right now and it’s killing me. What material did you use for the front/back sled? I can’t seem to keep any piece of wood from bowing/cupping, even baltic birch. :( My current fence is two 3/4” slabs of baltic birch glued together and they’ve already got a slight bow in them, so depending on how long the piece is that I’m crosscutting I’m off by various angles.

I tried clamping it to a straight edge and then screwing in the fence to the base but as soon as I unclamped it I think it actually bowed the FRONT fence back and pulled the base with it! Why is keeping things straight so hard?? :)

-- Sketchup for Woodworkers.com : Simple tutorials and resources to help build your next project with Google Sketchup

Rob,
The front and back are made from cherry (8/4). The front is reinforced with another piece of 8/4 walnut (I ran out of 8/4 cherry).

If your fence bows you can take the bow out at the jointer and re-attach.

Good luck.

-- Brian http://www.garagewoodworks.com