Table saws with safety systems
Improved table saws and table saws designed to implement safety systems that detect contact between a person and a dangerous portion of the saw are disclosed. The table saws may include an elevation mechanism, a tilt mechanism, and an adjustment system configured to adjust the parallelism between a tilt axis and a blade. The elevation mechanism may include a vertical slide that includes two shafts, and the adjustment system may include a mechanism to adjust the parallelism of the two shafts.
1. A table saw comprising:
a table defining a work surface;
a nominally planar, circular blade configured to extend at least partially above the work surface to cut a workpiece on the work surface;
a motor to drive the blade;
an elevation mechanism configured to position the blade at various elevations relative to the work surface;
a tilt mechanism configured to lilt the blade at various angles relative to the work surface around a tilt axis; and
an adjustment system configured to adjust the parallelism between the tilt axis and the plane of the blade.
2. The table saw of claim 1 , where the elevation mechanism includes a vertical slide.
3. A table saw comprising:
a table defining a work surface;
a nominally planar, circular blade configured to extend at least partially above the work surface to cut a workpiece on the work surface;
a motor to drive the blade;
an elevation mechanism configured to position the blade at various elevations relative to the work surface, where the elevation mechanism includes a vertical slide;
a tilt mechanism configured to tilt the blade at various angles relative to the work surface around a tilt axis; end
an adjustment system configured to adjust the parallelism between the tilt axis and the plane of the blade;
where the vertical slide includes two spaced apart shafts, and where the adjustment system includes a mechanism to adjust the parallelism of the two shafts.
4. The table saw of claim 3 , where the mechanism to adjust the parallelism of the two shafts includes an eccentric bushing.
5. The table saw of claim 3 , where the mechanism to adjust the parallelism of the two shafts includes a bracket to constrain only one degree of freedom of one of the two shafts.
6. The table saw of claim 5 , where the bracket constrains side-to-side movement of one of the two shafts.
7. The table saw of claim 5 , where the bracket is substantially V-shaped.
8. A table saw comprising:
a table defining a work surface;
a nominally planar, circular blade configured to extend at least partially above the work surface to cut a workpiece on the work surface;
a motor to drive the blade;
an elevation mechanism configured to position the blade at various elevations relative to the work surface;
a tilt mechanism configured to tilt the blade at various angles relative to the work surface around a tilt axis; and
alignment means for adjusting the position of the blade relative to the tilt axis.
9. A table saw comprising:
a table defining a work surface;
a nominally planar, circular blade configured to extend at least partially above the work surface to cut a workpiece on the work surface;
a motor to drive the blade;
an elevation mechanism configured to position the blade at various elevations relative to the work surface, where the elevation mechanism includes two spaced apart shafts; and
an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the parallelism of the two shafts.
10. The table saw of claim 9 , where the adjustment mechanism includes an eccentric bushing.
11. The table saw of claim 9 , where the adjustment mechanism includes a bracket to constrain only one degree of freedom of one of the two shafts.
12. The table saw of claim 11 , where the bracket constrains side-to-side movement of one of the two shafts.
13. The table saw of claim 11 , where the bracket is substantially V-shaped.