TS 200 Blade alignment

[greenwellies555]

Have read several explanations of how to align TS200 blade but can't seem to get it right. Have slackened off 4 corner nuts holding table top and loosened front and rear adjusting blocks . Plenty of movement at rear but cannot get front to move in direction needed to get accuracy. I reckon I am missing something here so am asking for HELP!
Thanks
Gerry

 

[andersonec]

Surely it's the fence is the thing which should be aligned with the blade?

Andy

 

[greenwellies555]

No Blade needs to align squarely with table, before getting fence to align ( that might become a further issue down the line)
Gerry

 

[Steve Maskery]

I'm trying to remember how the TS200 is built. Does the trunnion assembly hang from the table itself or it is mounted to the frame? I recently helped a mate set up another Axi saw but it was bigger and not in the same series. On that one the trunnions hung from the table, so that had to be slackened off first. Stuart sat underneath hitting everything he could until I, above with a feeler gauge, told him to stop. I think the TS 200 might be like that, in which case you may be slackening off the wrong screws. Is that possible?
S

 

[Rhossydd]

I spent Sunday doing just that.

Firstly; You shouldn't need to slacken off the bolts holding the table to the carcase, Leave them done up or everything moves around too much.

Once the four suspension bolts are loosened you should be able to move the adjusting blocks pretty easily, but my experience (like yours) was that although the back block moved freely, the front was very difficult to move.
I loosened off all the blade adjustments; middle of the range cutting depth, loosened angle setting and took it just off perpendicular. Still no freedom at the front end, annoying as it's position meant there wasn't enough adjustment at the other end to square things up.
Next take off the sliding table support arms to allow access to the front adjusting block, then hit it hard via a drift (actually a 12" socket set extension bar). That finally moved the front assembly enough (probably just a millimetre and a half overall) to use the back adjustment to square it all up. No idea why the front should be so hard to shift though.
Final result parallel to the guide to with +/- 0.015mm which is approaching the limits of my measuring reliability.

A while re-adjusting rip fence, mitre fence and the sliding table and all is now well.

The TS200 is hardly the most elegant bit of engineering, but it does seem to work fine once fettled up properly. Given the lack of anything substantially better for that particular spec. it's the only option for many of us.

 

[greenwellies555]

Thanks for your replies Steve and Rhossydd. Rhossydd you are obviously very familiar with this machine because what you have described sounds spot on. Will retighten the 4 mounting screws and then follow your instructions / suggestions. I am looking for 1mm at the front but hadn't resorted to a hammer and bar yet so come daylight I will be back to give it some attention.
I will report back tommorow.
Thanks again
Gerry

 

[Rhossydd]

I nearly pulled the entire thing apart, which would have been an epic job, but thought it might not help too much as it would be extremely difficult to use anything left as a reference for reassembly.
What puzzled me is why just the front is so suborn, hence would hitting it with a hammer be likely to damage something that might be preventing it's free movement ?

On the other hand it might be just poor build quality and pulling it apart might reveal a duff bit of casting that could be fettled to provide smooth adjustments. If it drifts out of adjustment in future I'll be bold and do the full pull down.

 

[stoatyboy]

I share your pain (although it was some years ago)

I too had to tap the adjusting blocks...

Tap check tap check tap check tap check tap check too far start again!

don't do it if you are stressed or in a rush

 

[greenwellies555]

Well, had a go at this problem this morning armed with Rhossydd's suggestions, re tighted the table mounting bolts and prepared to belt the front spacer with bar and hammer, but couldn't see (as Rhossydd mentioned) why the front should have this problem. One thing I wanted to check before I go further is are we talking same style spacers? The one's I have on this machine (only had it a few months) have the movement within the blocks (spacers) and are closed ended, where I think on earlier models the blocks (spacers ) were open ended (hope this makes sense) whereby belting the blocks on the earlier design would obviously move the front of the blade housing, on this design I am not so sure what would move. Would be interested Rhossydd which spacers are on your machine.
Anyway armed with this I decided while waiting for a reply I would belt the front spacer but it didn't seem to move (well anyway couldn't get any alignment joy), so decided to slacken off the two front table mounting bolts (rear ones tightened) keeping front and rear spacer bolts slackened off managed to get the blade about 90% better aligned than it was but still probably nowhere near as accurate as yours Rhossydd, so I await your comments on the spacers and any other thoughts.
Thanks
Gerry

 

[Rhossydd]

One thing I wanted to check before I go further is are we talking same style spacers? The one's I have on this machine (only had it a few months) have the movement within the blocks (spacers) and are closed ended, where I think on earlier models the blocks (spacers ) were open ended (hope this makes sense)

The ones on my machine have open ends, as shown in the photos on the alignment PDF available from Axi's web site at:-http://www.axminster.co.uk/media/downloads/501242_manual2.pdf
Curiously these aren't the same as those shown in the exploded diagram in the current manual (page 29) and you describe as fitted to your machine.

(only had it a few months)

If you've recently bought the machine new, I'd suggest getting Axminster to help you, it should be a warranty issue really. Especially so if the parts aren't matching their instructions.
Mine was bought secondhand and is a few years old, so I've no option to get them involved.

 

[greenwellies555]

Contacted Axminster who pointed me towards the same PDF file. When I mentioned UK workshop, a lump hammer and how does that affect my warranty they said they would collect my machine tomorrow and sort the problem. Pain in the neck having to remove all of the extras but no use to me as it is. Watch this space........
Thanks
Gerry

 

[Rhossydd]

It will be interesting to see how accurate the returned machine is. Keep us posted please.

 

[david123]

Did a similar thing to mine which is now lined up and working well. Every now and again I check the fence alignment with a engineering straight edge (two inch by 3foot) against the blade ( not the teeth, but the body of the blade) and the fence just to make sure that is still in alignment and parallel to the blade. Seems to work fine for me. Good luck

 

[Steve Maskery]

It's really annoying when you've gone to the trouble of spending time setting something up and geting nowhere and then you have to dismantle it all to send it back.
The good news is that Axi are very good at what they do. We do have to remember that machine are infinitely cheaper than they used to be. My first TS was indeed from Axi, in about 1992. I can't remember what it cost, but it was a lot of money and nowhere near the machine the TS200 is. I spent a day assembling it, but the blade was still out of alignment with the mitre slot. Not by a few thou but by a few mil.
I ended up sending it back, after I'd spent all that time. But the one that was returned to me had been checked and set up properly by Axi. That machine, basic and crude as it was, it still being used today.

The alternative to this risk is to buy a British-made equivalent at several times the price.

Ah, I forgot.....

 

[greenwellies555]

Well, dismantled and packed up saw table last night, fortunately retained packaging so that part was easy. Put box outside of my workshop at 8am and me and my dogs listened out for the courier until 5pm when I telephoned Axminster Tools to confirm collection had been arranged. The nice man from Axminster assured me it was in hand and not to worry, TNT were the carriers and collect up until 6pm. At 6.40 I gave up, put the box back in the workshop and went out to do all of the things I had put off in anticipation of the Courier. I got back at 8pm and there on the doormat was TNT's calling card timed at 6.45pm. Now its nice to see that they are dedicated to the customer and did turn up but hell wasted best part of a day and missed them by 5 minutes!! The great thing is I can ring Axminster at 8am and start the whole procedure again!! Happy days!

 

[greenwellies555]

Saw collected and returned within a week, no thanks to grumpy courier with a pony tail who on delivering the saw reckoned he had hurt his back moving it so I would have to remove it from van and carry it myself....Thanks TNT, but no problem!

Didn't have time to unpack and try out immediately but today did just that. Spent an hour rebuilding the saw and tested the cut. All seemed spot on with the tasks I set it and for sure was now as accurate as it hadn't been before. Been waiting to finish making a bee hive I had started on before the earlier problems so had some nice 225mm x 25mm Redwood ready to roll. Unfortunately on the second cross cut of this redwood the saw gave a bit of a 'bump' followed by a metal on metal noise at which point I switched it off. Not sure what happened but blade has movement left to right and get the impression that a shaft holding it or something else has broken (not sure how these things work so stand to be corrected!)
Decided to telephone the nice man at Axminster and told him what had happened. Assured him no nails were involved in the cutting process and exactly what I had been cutting and after 'holding' several times he has arranged for it to be collected for repair or possible replacement.
must say I am usually upbeat about most things but can't help but be a little disappointed at this latest development, Hope I haven't bought a 'pig in a poke' will just have to wait and see what happens next.
Will be boxing it up over the weekend (getting good at it now) in anticipation of the grumpy man from TNT to collect sometime between 8am and 7pm on Monday!
Happy days!