Sliding table saw setup and alignment

Sliding table saw setup and alignment - Minimax CU300 example

Рет қаралды 16,793

5 жыл бұрын

..0:00 Intro and tools
3:37 General leveling of the machine base
4:20 Fine leveling of the cast top
5:09 Adjustment for sag in cast top
6:51 Leveling the sliding table
9:26 Setting slider toe out
11:55 Setting up the cross cut fence with 3 cut method
14:48 Setting up the rip fence
16:25 Outro
In this video I demonstrate one of several approaches to set up and align a Minimax CU300 sliding table saw.
I am not suggesting this approach is 'the best' method, it is just one of many ways to accomplish the similar end results.
All of the concepts and some techniques presented are applicable to any make or model of sliding table saw, such as Felder, Hammer, Altendorf, Martin,....
One last note: The tolerances I discuss in this video, like thousandths of an inch, are probably overkill for woodworking machine setup. This isn't precision metal working. Solid wood starts shrinking and expanding right after you cut it so don't worry too much about getting really low numbers.
I hope you found at least one concept useful in the video. Please feel free to leave a comment or ask a question. If you. liked the video, please indicate so by clicking on the 'thumbs up' icon.
REFERENCES:
Sam Blasco's video on 3-cut alignment technique for crosscut fences: • Is your sliding table ...

Пікірлер: 42

@Advcrazy Ай бұрын

Thanks for posting this vid. It’s given me a few tips I’ll try next time I try adjusting my felder. I can’t believe they use the same rubish mechanism to adjust the sliding table height as felder use. Absolutely idiotic to use the support bolts to set the height when every time you tighten one it throws the adjustment out of whack. They really need to clamping system that clamps perpendicular to the adjustment direction to clamp.

@markamcfarlane Ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment. I agree that having the height and position adjustment on the same bolts is less than ideal, but on the flip side for my use it has held well for several years after being set up. You just need to count the number of wrench turns during the process to repeat settings...

@nino9273 Жыл бұрын

What a great video. Everything is explained very clearly in a calm way which makes it easy to follow and nice to listen to. My new (16 year old) Felder table saw will get delivered in a few weeks so it's great to have this information for my first setup. I'm sure some adjustments will be different, but having an idea what to look for is never bad. I imagine it will help me a lot. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this video

@markamcfarlane Жыл бұрын

Thanks Nino, you are very kind. I hope the Felder works out great for you, I'm sure you are going to want to cut some wood quickly, but it is worth it to eventually dial things in. It's really awesome to have no surprises after a cut, and a good sliding table saw is a great way to get safe, easily repeatable cuts.

@jakobbaraga 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mark! I own a CU 300 smart. I've spent probably over 10 hours trying to set up the sliding table and it still isn't the exact way I want it to be. Now I will try it again using your method.

@markamcfarlane 3 жыл бұрын

Best of luck Jakob.

@brianhuff3075 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video! I know this will come in handy in the spring when I need to move my CU-410.

@markamcfarlane 5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Brian. Good luck with the move. Make sure the slider is securely locked and the planar tables are strapped down before shipping it. I think there is a set screw hole on the infeed side of my slider for locking it in place. There were some extra parts that came with mine to strap down the jointer table as well, hopefully you still have them.

@pro-woodworking-tips Жыл бұрын

Decided to do this last Friday without any pre-education. Got close but decided that next week I will have another go at the height adjustments again. The reaffirming of your video gives me a sense that I was on the right track thanks. The see/saw of the adjustments on each end change as you tighten down the middle bolt. But when you go to the toe in or out you have to loosen it off again which changes everything if you do not get back to the same tightness. So, I decided I will bring my new digital torque wrench in and see if that helps. The main reason for me to adjust the height was the blade was not cutting square on both sides due to a high slider.

@markamcfarlane Жыл бұрын

Ian, yes that is a tricky adjustment for toe-in/out. I try to loosen the sliding platform a minimal amount when making this adjustment, using the same amount of loosening on each of the 5 nuts so the height stays the same.

@jobophoto 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this Mark. Used your process on my somewhat less accurate Scheppach TS2500ci and it worked a treat.

@markamcfarlane 3 жыл бұрын

I'm glad it was helpful for you.

@aakashpatel6593 2 жыл бұрын

Very Helpful!

@johnfrederickson3082 5 жыл бұрын

THANK YOU, SUPER

@yesrainger 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for taking the time to document this

@markamcfarlane 5 жыл бұрын

You're welcome Rainger

@renjosfarrugia7583 5 жыл бұрын

@@markamcfarlane hello mark i have the scm sc3classic. When im cutting the mdf on the sliding table it shouldn been touched with the back theet of the saw pls?

@markamcfarlane 5 жыл бұрын

Renjos, if your toe out is set neutral, i.e. 0 toe out, then you are correct, the teeth at the back of the blade won't be cutting anything, they are just riding inside the kerf made by the teeth at the front of the blade. If the back teeth do cut the board, then either you are pushing the board into the blade (toe in) or pulling it away (toe out).

@renjosfarrugia7583 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your immidiat respons.i am holding the wood with thithen hnob like yours so it shouldnt move into the blade.to be good the back theet should not thouch the wood??

@markamcfarlane 5 жыл бұрын

Renjos, The wood can hit the back of the blade for two different reasons: 1) The wood moves perpendicular (90 degrees) to the blade due to it not being clamped. 2) The slider itself moves towards or away from the blade (toe-in and toe-out respectively). The clamp prevents the first (1) type of movement. I always clamp the wood (for every cut) to the slider/outrigger to prevent this lateral movement. If you are well clamped and the back teeth are not cutting the MDF, then your toe-out is neutral (0). This is how I set up my slider. Many people like to have a little bit of toe-out, in which case the back teeth will make a VERY SMALL mark on the right side of the kerf when you stop the cut in the middle of the board.

@aintpat 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the excellent tips. One dumb question for you: What is the purpose and adjustment of the black plastic chip guard on the crosscut fence? It is long enough that it will hit the blade when the fence is installed. Do you just cut it to length?

@markamcfarlane 3 жыл бұрын

aintpat, That piece of plastic appears to be a sacrificial end to the crosscut fence. It have adjusted it to be very close to the blade but not touching when I am sawing. Remember you can adjust the crosscut fence blade distance, which is useful if you need to slide it completely over a lowered blade so you can get closer to the shaper for shaper operations. I keep half of a fritz-frank jig on the slider most of the time, and that jig's chunk of oak was cut ridding the slider, so it clearly shows the cut line .

@grahamhindley7639 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Mark Can you tell me the make of your machinists level, and may be a link so I can buy one. It looks very neat and I cannot find the same on the net. Thanks, great video. Graham

@markamcfarlane 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Graham. This is the level I used: www.shars.com/12-master-precisions-level

@aakashpatel6593 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Mark! I face an issue with the brass nuts on the underside of the sliding fence, on the cast iron side. Do you face similar issues?

@markamcfarlane 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Aakash, I haven't had any problems as you are describing.

@vincentrolfe1384 4 жыл бұрын

I have the Martin T60C saw and have heard that Martin sets the run of the slider to the blade with a slight movement away from the blade. The rip parallel fence on my model has no adjustment for parallel to the blade in a definitive order so I placed 4 socket screws on the clamp mechanism to the perpendicular rail of the fence and have achieved a smooth cut while ripping.

@wakeupcall8188 3 жыл бұрын

G'day mate Greetings from Croatia I like your show and detailed explanation and I hope you can shine some light overhead and help me I have Minimax CU 410K from 2000 And a feed roller is working and everything is setup correctly but doesn't feed wood Guy that sold me the machine says that casted iron top need lubricant like naftha or something, fair enough could and should help but shouldn't be cause of the problem So I've cleaned the roller and it looks like I need new one, because edges of the roller are still sharp but middle is worn off and doesn't have a grip Any ideas ??? Also the wheel inside of machine, connected to the handle that starts and stops rollers, orange in my case, is around 7mm thick and apparently should be 10mm So please any advice I need machine as soon as possible and this guy just going around with no results Thanks

@markamcfarlane 3 жыл бұрын

Good morning. Cleaning the machined surface really well and then applying a non-silicone based paste wax (like Johnson and Johnson's or Rennasiance Wax) will reduce friction and therefore help the feed roller not have to work as hard. The general rule is don't use a silicone based wax, such as used for cars, as they can mess up finishes you will apply later to the wood (e.g. causing fisheyes). I'm not familiar with how the feed works on this particular machine, my cu300 has a steel feed roller. If yours is rubber it is possible it has worn down. There is a minimax owners group at groups.io, or you might try the SawMillCreek (SMC) forums. There are a lot of helpful people on SMC. Happy woodworking.

@wakeupcall8188 3 жыл бұрын

@@markamcfarlane Thanks

@cazadorpr3620 Жыл бұрын

Hi Mark, I have limited space to move the saw from the driveway to a shed shop I’m planing to build. Could you give me a minimum width requirement to move the saw? I’m thinking removing everything possible to make saw as small as possible to move. Thanks.

@markamcfarlane Жыл бұрын

About all you can easily remove is the outrigger and the fence rail. On my saw that leaves 43 1/8" left. Removing the plastic protective cap on the Tersa head might net another 1/8-1/4" off the width. My saw came from the factoring with the sliding table attached and, if I remember correctly, was firmly locked in place with some special brackets. I have no idea how difficult it would be to remove the all of the sliding rig, and the reinstall it and level it,... personally I would not want to attempt this.

@cazadorpr3620 Жыл бұрын

@@markamcfarlane Thank you very much! It’s very hard to get that information online. Really like your combo saw.

@markamcfarlane Жыл бұрын

@@cazadorpr3620 Thanks Cazador

@rorymccann9198 9 ай бұрын

for the crosscut fence the 3 side cut is nor reliable , a five cut method is the only way for an accurate setting. ,,,, great video by the way.

@markamcfarlane 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Rory. FWIW, the 3-cut method I demonstrate in the video has been "accurate enough" for everything I have built. The traditional 5-cut approach may provide a more accurate result but the 3-sided method has worked fine for my casework, face frames, aprons,.... One nice thing about the CU series saws is they seem to hold their setup really well as long as you don't take off the outrigger. I removed the outrigger once to accommodate an early-Covid-distancing dinner party. After realigning everything we hosted subsequent dinners outdoors :).

@jamessimte5494 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Mark may I know the length of cut capacity on the slide?

@markamcfarlane 2 жыл бұрын

James, the CU300 comes in a couple different lengths. Mine in the video has a slightly longer than 8' cut length, maybe 8.5". There is a shorter version also, I don't know the length of the short one but the specs are on Minimax's web site.

@jamessimte5494 Жыл бұрын

@@markamcfarlane Thanks Mark