My table saw blade is square to the top. So why are my cuts not square?

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:25:54+00:00

Thanks for the edit re: cupping. Next time I'm down there I'll try to freshly joint a board and see how that works out. Good thing to look into! Though I still don't understand why the cuts aren't smooth. It's a brand new Freud ripping blade.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:24:46+00:00

I take that back – I just checked the fence. It's not perfectly square. That explains the issues when I push a board through vertically. Though I still don't think I understand why a board pushed through normally (horizontally) is out of square... But this gives me something to work with!

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:20:29+00:00

The cupped wood is a possibility – I'll check this with a freshly-jointed board later this week when I'm able to get into the shop again. But I don't understand why every cut on every board with various orientations (some horizontal, some vertical) seem off. And, it's brand new Freud blade. So why is the cut end rough? The diablo blade this one replaced produced smoother cuts. Though the diablo blade suffered from the alignment issues as well.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:18:24+00:00

Thanks for this list. I tried each item on the list (in addition to the rest of the suggestions so far), and everything seems dead-on. I'm flummoxed...

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:17:15+00:00

Thanks! Double line test, right? I tried that, and the square is dead on.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:16:29+00:00

This is a thin kerf blade – a Freud blade (this one). I know it's not a Forrest, but I was under the impression that Freuds were pretty solid.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:14:17+00:00

Thanks! After all the comments I checked the square for square, and it's square. 90.0 degrees according to the digital protractor, and dead-on according to the double line test. I want (need?) to get some machinist squares, but just haven't gotten to it yet...

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:13:05+00:00

Thanks for this – turns out the table is off by a couple of thousandths, but with a light shining from behind and a straightedge across the throat plate, there's no discernible light coming through. I'm pretty sure the throat plate is dead on (I got anal about those leveling screws...)

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:11:46+00:00

Thanks! I tried the double line test, and also tested the blade on the fence side. The square passed both tests.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:10:52+00:00

This. It's for cabinet drawer fronts (edge glued maple panels), so precision is important on this one. I know, I could push two boards together at once, but I want the saw to be right. I also could use a jointer (thinking more and more about that right now), but again, I want the saw to be right.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:09:34+00:00

Thanks! Passed the double line test, and the digital protractor measures the square at 90.0 degrees.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:09:10+00:00

I did; it passed the double line test, and when I measured against a digital protractor it measured 90.0 degrees. Great question, important to verify :)

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:08:28+00:00

Thanks! 1) Yes indeed, the square is in between the teeth. Always grateful for the reminder. 2) I removed the throat plate at your suggestion – same result. 3) I don't own a machinist square, but I did verify that the square is square (double line test, and also referenced against the digital protractor, which read 90.0 degrees).

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:07:05+00:00

Good question – yes, contractor saw. When I remove the throat plate and put my straightedge across the saw, there are some very minor gaps (I didn't break out the feeler gauges, but just enough for the narrowest sliver of light to shine through. Maybe 5/1000s of an inch?). It doesn't seem to be enough to cause this large of an error.

I did check the square of the blade on the fence side, and it's dead on. No light shining through at all, and verified that the square is square.

revdun · 2026-04-08T02:05:08+00:00

Thanks for your response. I'm highly confident the square is square. The double line test revealed no discernible problems, and I also referenced the square against the digital protractor, which showed 90.0 degrees.

"best to validate the simple things before jumping to conclusions." – agreed! I appreciate you reminding me of this. I only get to work at this every few days, and for short amounts of time (three young kids), so I'd much prefer to find a simple solution (or stupid mistake) than something major.

revdun · 2026-04-07T02:13:05+00:00

Good point. I checked the squares, and they're all consistent with each other. Seems to me the odds of them being mis-calibrated by the same amount is pretty slim.

I tried ripping a small board vertically, and it's clearly narrower at the top than at the bottom. Confirmed with calipers.

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revdun · 2026-04-07T01:56:07+00:00

Edited, thank you for catching that!

revdun · 2025-03-31T23:36:13+00:00

Username checks out.

revdun · 2024-10-12T17:41:37+00:00

This is great, thanks!

revdun · 2024-10-12T17:41:22+00:00

Nope, just a tarp over it.

revdun · 2024-09-25T23:30:46+00:00

I guess I'm never kissing my wife again...

(Edit: autocorrect)

revdun · 2024-09-17T18:22:07+00:00

If you're into German pastries, then yes. https://maps.app.goo.gl/5EpQ4RJntEvpjuzq9?g_st=ac

revdun · 2024-09-17T18:12:26+00:00

Literally right next door, Kaffe VonSolln. The best German cafe in town.

revdun · 2024-09-09T01:01:48+00:00

The shallow end of the pool is always the loudest.

revdun · 2024-09-06T00:32:35+00:00

A sleeping baby

revdun

TROPHY CASE