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Tool Review:

The Delta 33-830
Radial Arm Saw

Page 3

Saw Provided by Klingspor's Woodworking Shop

Delta 33-830 RAS

 

  Besides leveling the table, there are a few other critical adjustments that need to be performed before your saw is ready for use. On the next two pages we'll go over setting the saw perpendicular to the fence and adjusting the bevel and heel. Before you get started you'll need to complete the table assembly by installing the two smaller boards where the fence board itself is actually behind the blade when it is set all the way back. A couple of nice clamps are provided that mount to the rear of the frame and secure all the table boards into place. The manual details all the steps such that they can be easily followed.


Aligning the saw.

  Setting the saw to 90 degrees of the fence is quite easy. After leveling the table you'll set the head back to its normal horizontal arbor position and reinstall the blade (raised only slightly above the table surface) but you'll leave the blade guard off. You'll need a carpenter's square and a couple of wrenches. Basically all you're going to do is loosen the track arm locking ring where it attaches to the elevating column, make sure the blade tracks perfectly down the straight edge of your square, then retighten the track arm locking ring.
 

Zero Degrees 
Alignment.

Miter Scale
The miter index.

  Now you'll loosen the screws that hold the miter index pointers and adjust them to '0' when the track arm is in the normal position. There is a pointer on each side of the saw. Don't forget to retighten the screws! The index is pretty accurate when setting the track arm at different angles but you might want to use a bevel gauge or sight down a line to verify for the exact angle you're cutting until you get comfortable with the settings.

  45-degrees are a snap once you've set up the 45 degree stop. From then on all you'll do is release the track arm locking lever (not the ring!), rotate the arm to until it stops, then lock the track arm handle and make cuts you know will be 45 degrees!
 


Adjusting the bevel.

  After removing the bevel locking pin/bevel index assembly and loosening the four bolts that lock the motor head in position, you'll use your carpenter's square to set the bevel (plumb the motor and blade). Once you have the blade aligned with the square retighten the four bolts and reassemble the locking pin assembly.
 

Adjusting the 
bevel.

Bevel Index.
The bevel index.

  It didn't take long to discover that the bevel index is extremely accurate. With markings for every single degree, it's even possible to set the saw bevel at half-degree settings confidently. If you're only making 90 degree and 45 degree cuts the locking pin features positive stops for both (45 degrees on either side too!) Whenever you finish making compound miter cuts you just rotate the head back to the normal position until the pin snaps back into place! The bevel index pointer is adjusted by loosening the screws just like on the miter indexes.

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