gtrgeo

Jrbuilder - I sent you a PM with the files I have. I found it next to impossible to get accurate measurements by trying to measure the blade to the slot in the base. There just is not a solid place to easily reference from. I tried the suggested methods of making a cut and then measuring blade toe in using a business card but preferred to use feeler gauges as it is just a more reliable measuring tool. In the end I ran across an Instagram post (by jar944) which made me realize I had the tools to easily get reliable measurements. Using a dial indicator on a magnetic base, both cheaply available from a place like Harbor Freight I was able to get my toe-in to exactly .005". The guide rail is sitting on the edge of my table saw cast iron wing and the magnetic base is attached to the bottom of the table saw guide tube. By holding the blade down and sliding the saw back and forth I am able to see the difference in the blade with relationship to the guide rail. If you try this you will see that the blade is actually a little thicker towards the center of the disk so you really need to look at the reading at each edge and ignore the middle. Please remember to remove the batteries or unplug as applicable when making these measurements. Regarding the blade, I have stuck with the original blade for now as I am only using the saw for cutting up MDF and other sheetgoods. The stock blade actually works well in that application. I have been given the suggestion to try a Tenryu 28 tooth blade for ripping. This blade is a little thicker having a wider kerf and should not flex as much as the stock blade. However, it will cut into the rubber anti-splinter strip changing its relationship to the stock blade. I will wait until I have a need to straightedge some hardwood before I go down that path. Note that other than the Makita blades you will generally only find 160mm blades which are designed for the Festool. These blades work fine on the Makita but you do lose the ability to use the score function of the saw. Dewalt and Triton also use the 165mm blades but I have not bothered to look at them as the Triton blade sounds like it is has issues and have not heard much regarding the Dewalts. Some people like the Freud options and Oshland blades get decent reviews for a low priced option. With the new Kreg saw using the 165mm blade I am hopeful we will see some other 165mm options in the US market. Sorry for the long-winded answers but just trying to share all the details I have. Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. George

I am having a hard time seeing how over-tightening the adjustment knobs would cause the saw to cut the aluminum guide rail unless it was so tight it was causing you to pull the saw up off of the guide bar to move it. The saw has solid stops against the guide bar on the blade side of the base. No matter how much you tightened them it can only move the blade in to the positive stops. If you just snug them up slowly you can get to where the saw will still move easily but not be loose on the rail. Get the adjusters to where the are still allowing a slight clicking sound when attempting to push the base side to side. Turn the adjuster very slightly clockwise and try moving the base again. Keep repeating this until the clicking goes away and the saw still slides freely. Do one adjuster at a time leaving the other loose. Once you have both adjusted check the saw to see if it is still moving easily on the guide rail. If it is a little tight go back and do the first one again. That will usually clear it up. If your blade is not adjusted far enough from the rail (leaving ~3/32-1/8" of the rubber strip) then you would need to adjust the saw's alignment. This is not so easy on the Makita as it is all done by loosening the four screws holding the black plastic bevel adjustment pieces. The screws run through larger holes in the base permitting you to move the saw blade alignment. Beware once you do this it will take some effort to get things back into alignment. The blade should have a slight toe-in with respect to the rail, approx .005". This is best adjusted by only loosening three of the screws leaving one as a pivot point. Usually it would be the front screw closest to the blade but may need to be the rear depending on if your screws have bottomed out against the side of the hole you need to move in. I found my cordless' blade to be closer to the track than I preferred (~1/16") and slightly out of alignment, leaving cut marks from the back of the blade, and had to go through this effort. It can take a lot of test cuts to get things to where they should be. If you decide to try I have some info that may help. Also, I have found the stock blade while it provides a nice smooth cut is very flexible and can wander in hardwood or thicker cuts. This for me has for me shown up in cuts that are not quite square to the surface. Overall it is a great saw but the stock blade has some limitations. BTW - You can peel off the rubber splinter guards and move them over a few times before you have to replace them. I have found a heat gun works to re-activate the adhesive. Just make sure you keep it clean. George