Thickness of cut

[Gary W.]

I am cutting a project with a lot of thin pieces and am getting cuts that are considerably thinner at the bottom of the cut than at the top. The table checks out as level and I have increased the blade tension to as high as it will go. Guess it must be related to how I am feeding the wood thru on the cut. Any suggestions or tips? Using a Dewalt 788.

Thanks, Gary W.

[utbva]

I know what you mean. I have the same problem sometimes. It is not how level the table is but how square the table is to the blade. I find that the best way to check for square is to make a small cut into a 1-1/2 thick piece of wood and then turn the wood around and see if the back of the blade will fit into the cut. If it fits then the table is square to the blade, if not then it needs more adjustment so the blade will line up perfectly with the cut. Also, if you happen to put some side pressure on the wood while you are cutting can also deflect the blade slightly and cause the blade to flex thus causing it to be out of square. I have cut as many as 10 pieces of 1/8 inch ply giving a total of 1-1/4 inch thickness and most of the time the pieces are exact, but once in a while they will be off slightly because I put a little side pressure when I was making a cut. I hope this makes sense to you.

[sawdustus]

I totally agree with Bill. The squareness of table and blade is critical not if the saw table is level. I use a small accurate square to check mine but Bill's method works also. As to side pressure, not easy to control but also critical to getting square cuts. This part just takes practice, paractice, practice and if you rush a cut, unsquare again.

sawdustus

[Gary W.]

Thanks for your help. I seem to have resolved the problem with the good advice from you fellows.