Finally tuned the table saw fence. Should have done this months ago – the difference is night and day.
I’ve been fighting with this Grizzly G0690 for the better part of a year. The factory fence was always close, but never quite perfect. Rip cuts would come out a few thousandths wider at the back than the front, which meant I was constantly making test cuts and adjusting.
The Problem
When I actually measured with a dial indicator, the fence was toed in by about 0.008″ over its 27″ length. Doesn’t sound like much, but on a 24″ rip through hard maple, that binding was creating burn marks and making the blade work harder than it needed to.
The adjustment process was straightforward but tedious. Four bolts hold the fence rail to the front casting, and two more adjust the rear alignment. Loosened everything, used a machinist’s square to get the rail perfectly parallel to the miter slots, then carefully tightened in sequence to prevent any shifting.
Testing the Results
Made a test cut through some 8/4 cherry I’d been saving. Fed it through slowly, listening for any change in pitch from the blade. Dead silent all the way through – no binding, no burning. The offcut fell away cleanly without any tension.
Measured the cut piece at both ends: 3.497″ and 3.498″. That’s within the tolerance of my calipers, which is essentially perfect for woodworking purposes.
Maintenance Schedule
Adding fence alignment to my quarterly maintenance checklist now. Probably should have been doing this all along. Amazing how much we adapt to small problems until we finally fix them and realize what we were missing.
The saw feels like a completely different tool now. Actually looking forward to the next big ripping session.
