300 Pounds of cast iron goodness!!!

[Arc Light]

Well after patiently waiting I have finally bought my new toy.  I have purchased a Ridgid ts3660 table saw.  Home Depot dropped the price by $100, and I picked up my new toy for $499 Canadian.  My father and I were able to get the 300 pound box in my small SUV, and it's sitting in the garage till tomorrow when I get time to put it all together. Can't wait to get it all set up!!!

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[Canuck]

Congrats Peter, can't go wrong with 'Ridgid'!!!  Have fun with it...

[Arc Light]

Thanks John, I think I will take it slow with my new toy.  It intimidates me a bit and I have never owned one before.  So I want to make sure I stay safe and use it correctly.

One question should I purchase a machinist square or a woodworkers square to help keep it all accurate?

[Canuck]

A 24" framing square will get you close for initial set-up and then a machinist square later will help you dial in on the needed accuracy for puzzle stuff...it really depends on what you ultimately do with it...no need to get crazy with acc. right off the bat

[STP]

Congrats, Peter!  I felt the same way when I forst got my tablesaw - the same model you have...  I have always thought that a healthy amount of fear is important for any power tool.  That is, fear in the context of respect...  Do take your time until you become comfortable with the saw - ripping boards will take the most attention, especially re-sawing (but this should come later).

I would use one of these stainless squares (see link) for setting the blade perpendicular to the table.  Also, when setting the blade tilt, I remove the insert plate, and also check several locations by rotating the blade by hand when squaring up.  Also check for square after you tighten the tilt lock handle...  Grizzly is only one place to go (also Lee Valley).  Write back later for some tips on setting a non-90 deg tilt.  I use drafters squares (30-60-90 or 45-45-90), but there are some ways to go wrong with these.  90 deg is pretty straightforward...

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Super-Precise-Square-4-x-6-/H3358

When I use a jig, I never have the insert plate in the saw - just one more thing to add a high spot as the jig slides over the table top.

Also - I would avoid using an extension cord witht he saw - need to plug directly into the wall outlet.  If you don't have a 20A circuit or similar capacity (not sure what is used in Canada) - you might think about adding 1 or 2 20A circuits (or similar) in your garage for the tools. 

Also, when you have your next purchase in sight, you might think about replacing one of the saw wings with a router table (see link).  I got one of these a while back and found it to be much better than the router table I was using then...

http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-031-ProMax-Extension/dp/B00005RHP5/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1234122676&sr=8-1

Good luck - and post any questions you may have!

[Canuck]

That's some great info there Scott   Did you ever set-up that 'power feed' you talked about before?

[Arc Light]

Thanks Scott for all the info.  You were one of my deciding factors for choosing this saw.  I have seen the beautiful work you are doing on yours, and if I get results half as nice as your work!; I will be very happy.

[VisExp]

One question should I purchase a machinist square or a woodworkers square to help keep it all accurate?

Neither    If you really want it to be accurate then you need to get yourself the following:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006RGLC

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006RGLB

Once you have the table assembled mount the MasterPlate on the arbor.  The first step is to ensure that the blade is parallel to the miter slot.  Place the MasterGage in the miter slot to the left of the blade making sure it fits snugly.  Then test for run out from the front of the MasterPlate to the rear.  Adjust the motor trunions as necessary.  You want to get it parallel within a couple of thou.

Then tilt the blade 45 degrees and make sure the runout is still within tolerance.

The next step is to get the fence parallel to the miter slot.   Slide the fence across so the bar of the dial indicator can reach it and lock the fence down.  Then test the runout.  You don't want this to be perfectly parallel.  You want a runout of about 0.005" to help avoid kickback.  In other words when the fence is locked down the distance from the front teeth of the blade to the fence should be about 0.005" less than the distance from the back teeth of the blade.  This will help prevent the wood from binding between the blade and the fence at the back of the blade.

You know have the blade parallel to the miter slot and the fence parallel to the blade.  The next thing is to make sure the blade is perpindicular to the table.  You guessed it you gotta get another cool gadget

http://www.woodcraft.com/product.aspx?ProductID=147281&FamilyID=5894

The Wixley digital angle gauge is the bomb for setting the angle of your blade.

Having said all that a machinist square would work as well.     My main point is that you should not only be concerned about whether the blade is perpindicular to the table.  You should also be concerned about whether the blade is parallel to the miter slot (for accuracy of cross cuts and jigs running in the miter slot) and that the fence is parallel to the blade (to avoid burning the wood and most important for safety to avoid the wood binding and a kickback ensuing).

If you don't mind paying postage both ways I'd be happy to loan you my masterplate and mastergage for a couple of weeks to get your saw set up.  I only use them a couple times a year to tune the saw up.  But you'd have to get your own Wixley, I use mine all the time 

I have the Ridgid TS3650 and have been very happy with it.

[Roby]

Peter, yes it is awesome, but it won't work unless you take it out of the box.

[Arc Light]

Thanks VisExp, your post was very helpful.  Thank you for your loan offer, but I have a birthday coming up, Maybe I will add these items to my wish list    I especially like the Wixley digital angle gauge, very neat item.

Thanks for the info about helping to prevent kickback  that word frightens me, and I don't really want to experience "kickback". So I will take that into account when adjusting the fence.

Robert it's words like "kickback" that have me not wanting to take it out of the box    Actually I am spending my day reading a 20 page forum post about tips and tricks when assembling this saw.  So I will open the box in good time

Quick question for the group, I have heard some mention not running with the splitter (riving knife?) or blade guard in place, I understand that they could very well get in the way when using jigs, but what is common practice?

[VisExp]

Quick question for the group, I have heard some mention not running with the splitter (riving knife?) or blade guard in place, I understand that they could very well get in the way when using jigs, but what is common practice?

A splitter is different to a riving knife, although on the face of it they may appear the same.  A splitter is fixed in position and so if the blade is lowered enough, say for cut that does not go all the way through the wood, will sit above the blade and get in the way.

By contrast a riving knife is fixed in relation to the blade.  It travels up and down as you raise and lower the blade.  It can be set so that the highest point of the riving knife is slightly lower than the highest point of the blade and so it will not get in the way of most cuts.  To be honest if you have a riving knife you should rarely if ever need to take it off.  Riving knifes have been standard on European saws for a long time and have only just been made standard on US saws.  A riving knife is far superior to a splitter.

My saw has a splitter and the guard gets in the way.  Because of the wide variety of cutting I do I would need to be taking the guard and splitter on and off very often.  Consequently they are on the shelf    If I had a decent riving knife it would probably never be removed from the saw. 

In an ideal world a table saw should be operated with both a guard and a splitter or a riving knife.  In the real world that is rarely the case because many saws do not make it convenient to do that.  Given a choice between one or the other I would choose a riving knife over a guard.  A riving knife virtually eliminates the chance of kickback. 

On a slightly related topic is the height of the blade.  The higher the blade is raised the cleaner the cut because of the relative angle at which the teeth are entering the wood.  However I set my blade so that it is about a tooth higher than the thickness of the material I'm cutting.  In the absence of a guard, and in a careless moment, the fact the blade is barely protruding from the material could be the difference between a cut or an amputated finger.  I also never rip a piece of wood without using a push stick.

I love working with a table saw.  They are amazing machines.  Equipped with the right sleds and jigs you can do so much with one and do it with amazing accuracy.   I have a lot of respect for them and you don't want to know why 

[STP]

Thanks for the compliments, Peter.  However, I bet you will surpass me the next time you have a free day to make a puzzle!     Your last box was IMPRESSIVE, especially without a tablesaw!

John - I never did go through with the power feeder, but the idea is still on my mind.  One of these days...  The plan got stopped when I packed up the shop to move earlier this summer, and we still have one more move ahead when we decide to buy the next house.  I have been trying to keep it simple until then.

I had a Wixey angle gage for a while and decided to give it to my dad.  It's probably a good tool, but I think 0.1 deg is a little coarse for the puzzle work - that is the resolution of the Wixey.  Maybe I'm just too picky... 

One of the points I was leaving for later with setting the blade tilt is keeping the drafter's triangle perpendicular to the table when setting a non-90 deg angle.  If you're setting a 45 deg tilt with the drafters triangle, but have the triangle tipped a little - the blade will not be at 45 deg to the table.  Try it sometime - set the blade at 45 and butt the triangle up to the blade.  Then tilt the triangle forward or back and see the gap that opens between the blade and the trinangle...  I alwaus use the machinist's square along with the drafter's square to ensure that the drafter's triangle is perp to the table top...  I should post some photos - let me know if this is confusing the way I have described it.

The same is true for the Wixey gage - I didn't think it was easy to keep the gage oriented properly to get the correct tilt.  My opinion though - I know lots of people use the Wixey and are really happy with it.

[Arc Light]

Thank you both Scott and Keith, both post made perfect sense and are helping clear the fog. Funny how you learn a bunch of new words when you buy a table saw like "riving" knife (thanks for helping clear that up Keith) "arbor", "trunnions" etc.

Scott your post makes perfect sense, it's amazing how if you don't catch the little things like that how fast all the little inaccuracies can add up to a big problem down the road.

All the information is appreciated!

[VisExp]

Scott, your comments make perfect sense.  It is a bit of a guessing game keeping the Wixley perpendicular to the table when it is on a blade tilted at any angle.  Not being a puzzle maker, yet  , I have no idea the tolerances you guys need to work to.  I guess my main concern with my posts was setting up a table saw so that it is both safe and accurate.  A lot of the work that I have used a table saw for, building furniture, cabinets etc, involves ripping stock.  For those purposes proper alignment of the blade and fence to the miter slot is necessary for both safety and accuracy.

[STP]

Keith - your guidance on getting the saw set up parallel to the miter slots, etc was right on.  You certainly have better equipment for these adjustments than I do!  I use a dial gage, but just use a good blade to set the blade parallel to the miter slots...