Update on that 'wrong' way to set a miter saw fence

My dad always said 'just butt it against the stop block, the angle's in the gauge' for 45s, but after a 3/16 gap on a $5k oak install, I measured the fence itself. Anyone have a solid method to square it up for good?

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3 Comments

ivan1656mo ago

That $5k oak gap is why I trust a square more than my dad's old advice.

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harper_cooper216mo ago

Man, that's a tough lesson to learn. I saw a video once where a guy proved even a brand new, expensive saw can have the fence drift out of square with the miter slots over time. So now I check both with a square before any big project. That old advice probably worked on the simpler tools they had back in the day.

8

adam_adams6mo ago

Ever check the blade itself for runout first? That gauge can be spot on but a wobbling blade will still give you grief.

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