Sliding Mitre Saw not Cutting Square

[Glyn1959]

Hi I noticed when cutting smaller pieces of wood that they weren’t cutting at 90 degrees. I didn’t notice this problem when I first bought the saw from new. Looking at the photos the back clearly isnt square!
Any ideas how to correct?

 

[blup]

Can you post a pic with a straight edge or spirit level against the fence, the piece of wood you have looks to have a twist in it. If i am wrong you won't be able to adjust it to square it it's that far out, unless the fence is adjustable with a screw or screws.

Blup

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Your horseshoe fence is a mile out. Make-up a sacrificial sub-fence by fixing a long piece of plywood end to end on the horseshoe fence (drill and screw through the outer ends of the cast ally fences). Add packing shims behind the sacrificial plywood at the inner ends of the cast ally fences and screw through (each end of the sacrificial plywood sub-fence now has 2 screws to hold the it in place. Make a cut through the new sacrificial plywood sub-fence. Check if the two halves of the sub-fence are straight - if not add more packing shims to straighten. Cheaper than buying a new horseshoe fence.

 

[Glyn1959]

Thanks both. You don't need a true straight edge to see the fence is out. I assume there is no adjustment for this???
In the absence of any i will go down the plywood route. Just don't know how it coud have gone out of true.

 

[big-all]

Thanks both. You don't need a true straight edge to see the fence is out. I assume there is no adjustment for this???
In the absence of any i will go down the plywood route. Just don't know how it coud have gone out of true.

more often than not like that since new possible but unlikely through abuse like dropping or storing in a van in a heap under tons off crud

 

[foxhole]

With cheap saws the fence can bend with repeated kickback from loose timber, eventually cracking.

 

[Munroast]

"Double Bevel" wish mine did that, would save a bit of bother - and positive stop for those tricky mouldings! mine doesn't even have those angles marked. (have them wrote down on sticky's)


Still not sure how you bent the whole machine - LOL - it looks quite robust.

 

[SFK]

Was going tio suggest you made a "Zero Clearance Fence" (And also a new insert).
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mitre+saw+Zero+Clearance

But looking at how far off from straight your orginal fence is, I am not sure how you would attach it.

Just don't know how it coud have gone out of true

Still not sure how you bent the whole machine - LOL - it looks quite robust.

I bet dropped/tipped forwards onto floor whilst on stand.
Central bevel hits floor first and pushes only middle section of fence backwards.
Bending starts at the thiner sections near the saw to stand attachment points.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

With cheap saws the fence can bend with repeated kickback from loose timber, eventually cracking.

I've had the fences on two Makitas and one DW saw do this over time. I don't think kickback helps, but equally I think that the castings are rather weak and start out with stresses which cause them to warp over time; when the harder skin of the casting is machined to form the front and underside stresses are often released which are not always fully countered by the annealing and stress relieving thst castings undergo. Not surprisingly I have had similar problems with jigsaw feet - but in that case it's pressure which assists the process of bending

Was going tio suggest you made a "Zero Clearance Fence" (And also a new insert).

But looking at how far off from straight your original fence is, I am not sure how you would attach it.

Please see my earlier post about sacrificial sub-fences. Making up a sacrificial fence is only the way to go unless you are mad keen on replacing the cast aluminium horseshoe fence (which is never cheap)

 

[notenoughcash]

same issue with my evo saw, fence ended up splitting in half. i got a new one from sparepartsworld for 17 quid + PNP iirc

i have since bought a makita one, and that is in a different league.

i learnt, buy once buy well the hard way, and that old evo saw conked out as well

 

[Diver Fred]

If the guarantee is still current take it back - it looks to be 3 years.

Yours is the second mitre saw have this problem this year - the other one the owner knew it is his fault as it slipped in his van and was knocked badly.