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Post by newuser on Feb 24, 2022 15:20:28 GMT -5
New erika user here and having difficulty getting always accurate cuts with saw. Have had a lot of trouble getting fence square, it also bizarrely can be square in one orientation, and then out of square by 90 degrees in the other.
But also now wondering if technique is to blame as some cuts seem very accurate and then others just slightly out. I am trying to cut absolutely square 12mm plywood at about 900 x 470 and then square cuts for the tops and bottoms.
I found that sliding the plywood on extension table would often result in wood straying from the fence so instead will cut part of the wood by sliding it on the sliding table (often clamped down if multiple pieces) and then if the cut is too long I will then finish off the cut by pulling the blade to the wood. Also unclear if the table is only meant to cut up to 16mm on the pull action as Mafell mention that figure, but so far have done up to 48mm.
It seems that over a length of 4-500mm I might be out by .5mm or so which is showing as out of square slightly.
Have complete erika set, also new to table saws in general so might be making a more critical error somewhere.
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Post by wrightwoodwork on Mar 7, 2022 16:24:44 GMT -5
To set the mfa fence square set it parallel to the saw blade but don't lock it down. With the fence set to 0 off the saw. Then with a large plain screwdriver turn the screw in the pointer and the fence will move around. Now set it to 0 on the control end. Now using the pull function pull the saw and the blade should run along the fence. The fence is now square. There is also a screw below the adjustment screw that might need tightening just when tightening watch you don't adjust the setting off square. Also make sure tight on the dovetails
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Mar 8, 2022 6:59:04 GMT -5
Aaron! Great to see you posting. How are you?
John
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Post by wrightwoodwork on Mar 8, 2022 18:21:44 GMT -5
Aaron! Great to see you posting. How are you? John doing fine. Being busy training getting ready for the race season. Was out in Spain a few weeks ago on a training camp. Still working away
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Post by Knight Woodworks on Mar 9, 2022 12:46:04 GMT -5
Glad to hear you're doing well. Good luck with your race season.
John
edit for spelling
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Post by newuser on Mar 10, 2022 23:09:41 GMT -5
Thanks for tip, yes I did find out early on that I should tighten the knob before loosening vertical lock to expose bottom screw as its possible that movement could offset the adjustments just made (can get confusing as theres 3 knobs in all to tighten). Its a pity the vertical and horizontal locks don’t have more substantial grips as often have had to struggle with two hands to loosen one in an effort to ensure it is tight enough to fully align dovetail rail with carriage, but usually don't make them that tight now if I can help it as it doesn’t make much difference.
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Post by matchesder on Mar 12, 2022 4:12:18 GMT -5
Erika has a few short comings by design. It is a light portable pull saw for work on construction site. One should not expect accuracy of a massive stationary sliding table saw. Half a mm is not much. You may find it is absolutely no issue when you clamp the pieces with glue together.
Erika, being a pull saw, has a slightly angled blade so if you pull the blade, the up coming teeth wont cut in the work piece on the left side of the blade. I found the sliding table does not accommodate for that. So i added a shim to angle the rail slightly. Now my table slides parallel to the saw blade. This helps when you want to make longer cuts with the sliding table. Also I screwed an Incra fence to the sliding table and aligned it to be as close to 90° as I could.
Always put the long edge against the fence.
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Post by halland on May 30, 2022 9:29:28 GMT -5
So i added a shim to angle the rail slightly. Now my table slides parallel to the saw blade. Can you show how you did that? I like to make my Erika parallel as well.
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Post by matchesder on Jun 15, 2022 12:04:07 GMT -5
Yes, see here. I took a not really square cut it to length and drilled holes so the screws will fit. It hat the perfect thickness.
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Post by focal designs on Dec 17, 2022 14:12:40 GMT -5
Yes, see here. I took a not really square cut it to length and drilled holes so the screws will fit. It hat the perfect thickness. Thanks for sharing.. I might try this as I never use the pull function and would rather this be in its best stationary position as possible.. when you say you screwed the incra fence down to the sliding table. Care to elaborate? Any pictures? Thanks again.
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Post by matchesder on Jan 14, 2023 11:54:58 GMT -5
I drilled holes in the sliding table and fixed the fence at 90° as precisely as I could. At the bottom left corner you can see a hole from another fence I had before this one. Most angles I had to cut different from 90° were rather small parts. For these I use the MFA mounted to the main table and use the pull function. Maybe even at the sliding table. Mostly when I have to cot something else than 90° it is a random angle that has to be checked anyways, so the slight error between sliding table and main table is not so important. In case you are wondering, I cut the clamp of the older style MFA so I can put it on and off without having to dismount the sliding rail. On the new style MFA, the lever has to be cut out a little for it to not interfere with the sliding rail.
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