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Milwaukee Miter Saw, Is This Wright

2K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  DirtyMike 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have had this saw for about a year and just noticed the rotating table is lower than the ends of the saw by .016. Is this normal or is there an adjustment for it or is it a non problem? It seems to me that any cuts that span the length of the table would not be perfectly square. After saying that, it did take me a year to notice it. In my defense, I don't use the saw a lot.

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#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
I don't know where you buy our wood and how you mill it but I would be willing to place a pretty big bet that your wood is not true to 16/1000 th's of an inch.A difference in humidity could throw it off more than that.
Are you an engineer of some sorts?Not being a smartass here.Just curious.I see these types of questions come up from engineers that have taken up woodworking.
I used to do some work for a company that made corporate jets and had to mic everything thing I made because it was 100% inspection and was going from IL where I made the product to AR.Some got rejected just because of the change in humidity.A table or chair is not part of a aircraft.
Just for kicks mic some of the lumber your using.
 
#3 · (Edited by Moderator)
LOL, I'm not an engineer but I notice stuff like that as well, bugs the hell out of me. Put a couple coats of turtle wax on it, that'll raise it up flush. But it is normal. Some one told me its done purposely so if you adjust the angle with the board on the saw it has enough clearance to move easily, no idea if its true.
 
#4 ·
What's normal these days?I don't think .016 would be out of spec for any WW tool.
I owned a custom cabinet and furniture shop for 14 years.Built some very high end stuff and never used a mic,feeler gauge or dial caliper on anything until the aircraft job came up.
I'm pretty anal and a bit of a perfectionist but we are dealing with wood and it's going to move more than that.
Just like the women I've known.Have a good one.
 
#5 ·
I needs some clearance so it isn't rubbing as it turns. Did you check the fence to make sure it is straight? And did you measure any gap between it and the ends? One way to check the center against the ends would be place a known good straightedge across the bed and then measure any deviation. If it drops down it's because the original engineer wasn't a woodworker and it's being marketed and sold to carpenters where .016 is a laughable tolerance. It's just not a machine made for precision cutting.
 
#6 ·
Rick, I don't see why it needs clearance to turn. I could rotate it just fine with a board on it. In the photo that is a straight edge that the feeler gauge is under. I checked it this way because I could see a gap under a board with my non perfect eye sight.
I know these saws are mass produced but if I assembled my projects with .016 gaps they wouldn't look very good.
I managed to get my support benches on each side closer than .016 inch.
 
#7 · (Edited by Moderator)
I know these saws are mass produced but if I assembled my projects with .016 gaps they wouldn t look very good.
- 49er
How square are the cuts with that miter saw? if the gap of 0.016" makes that much of a difference it'll show ,I just checked my Bosch SCMS and there's a gap there also but it cuts perfectly square ,yours might be different ,you should verify the effect of that gap by cutting a piece of lumber and then check with a try square.
 
#8 ·
You really want to know if it's a problem? Set the saw up right (check your fence for square and straight, check your blade angle for square and vertical. Then make some cuts and check the results. Are the cuts right? I would concentrate more on the pieces the saw turns out and less on the pieces of the saw.
 
#10 · (Edited by Moderator)
If I'm making a cut that is critical to be inside the tolerance of .016 inches* I clamp my work piece to the stationary portion of the table. That's what I square the blade to. Square is square. It doesn't matter if there's a small gap under the piece at the point of the cut.

*I almost always clamp my work piece no matter what tolerance I'm working to. And I think I'd go nuts if I tried to check tolerances to .016 inches. :)
 
#11 ·
Rick, I don t see why it needs clearance to turn. I could rotate it just fine with a board on it. In the photo that is a straight edge that the feeler gauge is under. I checked it this way because I could see a gap under a board with my non perfect eye sight.
I know these saws are mass produced but if I assembled my projects with .016 gaps they wouldn t look very good.
I managed to get my support benches on each side closer than .016 inch.

- 49er
You got the benches close to level with the table as you could because you are a woodworker and understand the value in doing so, but if you were a carpenter chopping 2×4s where the tolerance is, "that looks about right!" then it would be a different story. And there are way more tradesmen than hobby woodworkers. I mistook the straightedge for a 2 part fence, my bad.
 
#13 ·
I would not worry about .016 of an inch on vertical, now if it was per inch horizontal and cutting wide boards on it it could be an issue. Pay as much attention to your spelling.
Milwaukee Miter Saw, Is This Wright(Right)

- nightguy
Hey, "Wright" passed spell check that's good enough for me. LOL.

When I first set this saw up I didn't notice the gap under the rotating table but I checked everything else. It would not make a straight-square cut until I replaced the junk blade that came with it. I guess that blade was for carpentry work. I think I will put a shim under the work piece and do some test cuts.
 
#14 ·
its hard to tell with the steel rule in place, but I would assume the gap is for clearance of the swivel table. I think that as long as you hold the workpiece over the solid section of the saw you will be ok. I understand your concern about keeping it square, especially on crosscuts, but I think you'll be fine.

If you are still looking for a solution, I would first think about how much of a potential angle it would be creating. taking the length measurement of the swivel table and doing a little Trig should give you an answer. if it is more than a degree, there is cause for concern. if it is less that half a degree (89.5 to 90) I wouldn't worry about it
 
#17 · (Edited by Moderator)
How have the projects that you used this saw on in the past year turned out? Were your cuts accurate and square? Have you been pleased with the joinery on the products produced? If so, don't sweat it, as it is .016, even though it drives you bat********************. If you are not happy with the results, then address the issue. IMHO, I would not be all that concerned; IF you are pleased with the saw's output. Good luck, work safely and have fun.

BTW, you are not alone in trusting spell check in your posts on LJs. Just remember that if an idiot programs the spell check application, you are at the mercy of said moron :-( . So again, don't sweat the small stuff since we all know what you meant. I am really anal about this since I got my knuckles whacked too many times in grade school by the good Sisters of the Sacred Heart back in the bad old 50's. I agonize over spelling and grammar far more than .016 gaps on my miter saw, and I still make spelling and grammar errors. But it is my typing that really sucks. Glad my woodworking is better.
 
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