# Laser marker for chop/circular saw



## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

I bought a laser arbor disk (actually I bought two) at Harbor Freight today. This thing replaces the outside washer on a chop saw or circular saw and generates a laser light where the blade will cut. I installed it and it worked great. It's a good upgrade to your chop saw or circular saw if you don't have a laser in it already. 

It comes with extra batteries and three spindle bolts IF the one on your saw is too short. 

Below is the discount coupon you can print and use.


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

thanks again for the info


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## mewilkinson (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Mike for the info and coupon, I'll be heading over to my local Harbor Freight tomarrow.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

My chop saw came with one already. So far I've not torn it back apart to get it aligned correctly. (sigh) I'ts not even close, being almost a complete blade width away and to the left of the blade. Of the disappointments of this saw (Rigid 12") that is one of two. The rest of the saw I love! Acutally the MSUV stand is the other disappointment. The whole thing just stinks. Saw horses are more portable & stable than this thing. 

Chas


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By wchasr on 07/03/2008 6:17 AM
My chop saw came with one already. So far I've not torn it back apart to get it aligned correctly. (sigh) I'ts not even close, being almost a complete blade width away and to the left of the blade. Of the disappointments of this saw (Rigid 12") that is one of two. The rest of the saw I love! Acutally the MSUV stand is the other disappointment. The whole thing just stinks. Saw horses are more portable & stable than this thing. 
Chas




I have my 12 inch makita sitting on one of these - 










It fits perfectly on the top section. Its also easy to move outside when I have big lumber to cut and you can never have enough storage. 

-Brian


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Mike - Let us know how well they work out. Also, how do you turn it on and off.


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## Dean Whipple (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By sheepdog on 07/03/2008 9:23 AM
Mike - Let us know how well they work out. Also, how do you turn it on and off.



Turns on at 500 RPM's


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Ain't technology grand


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

It works well for me. The laser is within 1/32nd of the blade cut...maybe 1/64th. It shines done the side of the blade...and the blade has carbide teeth...so I'm figuring that the error is due to the teeth being wider than the blade. BUT...once you get used to it, there's no problem offsetting your cut piece a smidge before cutting.


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## sheepdog (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Dean! That makes sense.


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Just curious,,, what if you align the blade so that the beam can travel down the gullet between the teeth? Also, before doing that, are you certain that the blade and the table are a perfect 90 degree angle to each other? A fraction of a degree out of square could throw the beam off couldn't it?


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By rkapuaala on 07/04/2008 12:15 AM
Just curious,,, what if you align the blade so that the beam can travel down the gullet between the teeth? Also, before doing that, are you certain that the blade and the table are a perfect 90 degree angle to each other? A fraction of a degree out of square could throw the beam off couldn't it?


I think my beam does ride down the gullet between the teeth. This thing is just a washer with a laser inside it and three batteries and a centrifical switch. It shines DOWN the side of the blade so I don't see how the blade/table relationship would effect the laser's accuracy...and you can't see where the laser is pointed exactly when you're mounting it...because it's NOT spinning...ergo, it's NOT on. I suppose you could mess around a bunch...but I found it easy to get used to and eyeball the offset. If you need VERY accurate cuts (closer than say 1/64th)...I'd still do it by lowering the blade to the work and using my Mark 1 eyeballs...but for most cuts where accuracy isn't that important...it's good enough.


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## rkapuaala (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks Mike, 
The table/blade squareness would only affect the laser if it was on a chop saw. 
If the blade is not square with the table, the arbor is still swinging down on the same perpendicular plane, but because of the angle of the blade the light would follow that angel and not the swing of the arbor, so the cut will be centered in the same location on the work piece, but might be a little wider and jaggedier than if the blade was square. 
I've only seen out of square blades on the bigger 12" chop saws, and thats usually because the blade is warped, but sometimes it is because the arbor has been tweaked and that happens from being banged around on the job site. 
I don't know about the new chop saws (mines about 20 years old) but on mine, you can't adjust the arbor once its out of perpendicular. You have to live with it, or get a news chop saw. A warped blade on the other hand is easy to detect, and remedy.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Mike, 
Sent the coupon to a buddy, there is a HF in his town, he was going to check for me. I don't think there is a HF in the whole state of Nebraska! Jerry


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## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By rkapuaala on 07/04/2008 12:18 PM
Thanks Mike, 
The table/blade squareness would only affect the laser if it was on a chop saw. 
If the blade is not square with the table, the arbor is still swinging down on the same perpendicular plane, but because of the angle of the blade the light would follow that angel and not the swing of the arbor, so the cut will be centered in the same location on the work piece, but might be a little wider and jaggedier than if the blade was square. 
I've only seen out of square blades on the bigger 12" chop saws, and thats usually because the blade is warped, but sometimes it is because the arbor has been tweaked and that happens from being banged around on the job site. 
I don't know about the new chop saws (mines about 20 years old) but on mine, you can't adjust the arbor once its out of perpendicular. You have to live with it, or get a news chop saw. A warped blade on the other hand is easy to detect, and remedy. 



OK...I think I'm following you now. By arbor...I mean the spindle that the blade mounts on. Hard to see how that gets bent. But yes...if the whole shebang is outta alignment...where the laser shows the cut to be when the chop saw is UP...won't be where it will show the cut will be when you lower it....BUT, you'll see the laser line move. It's ON the cutting blade. It shows WHERE the blade is gonna cut...period. 

If you have a warped blade...the blade is going to cut wider...but the line will be in one place...and you'll get used to the offset from the laser line where it really cuts. 

Lastly and frankly...if the whole tilting alignment shebang is out of kilter...you don't need one of these laser things. What you got is a CHOP CHOP saw...for chopping...not precision cutting. 

Then again...you've stimulated my thinking...and if I ever see that laser line move as I lower the saw blade...I'll know my whole tilting alignment shebang is out of kilter...and that it needs realignment. Seems like a good debug test...


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

I just used one on my son's saw. Very nice for indoors use and outdoors the line washes out in the sun.


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## NavyTech (Aug 2, 2008)

You could always make your own stand. Of course I recommend having it on casters.


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By NavyTech on 09/30/2008 4:45 AM
You could always make your own stand. Of course I recommend having it on casters.










So where is the rest of the shop? You know all the "stuff"? Someday i'll be that organized. But in the meantime I make do with aisles to get to stuff.

Chas


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## NavyTech (Aug 2, 2008)

Rest of the shop is at my web site.

http://users.eastlink.ca/~brownscountry/Shop.htm


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## wchasr (Jan 2, 2008)

I will not post photos of my poor attempt. Of course I've posted shots of the shop in the house in the past and currently it has become a catch all but hopefully at some point it will be for my modelling. 
The shop in the garage is in a shambles as I keep adding stuff to it and really need to pare donw what is there to what I need and can use. I've laready moved a good share of the gardening and lawn items to the shed. The current project in the garage as of last night was cutting some odd plywood for a dog house. I say odd plywood because it's surplus plywood from a local hardware/surplus store. they've got a source that is taking overseas shiping crates apart and they sell the plywood. Nice stuff if you do not need full 4 foot by 4 foot pieces. The chunks I was cutting last night were about 37 by 40 inches and a little over 15/16 thick. This is one big dog house that will NOT blow away. Still I'm working around too much "stuuf" currently and have some stuff stored under a canvas carport that will need to be taken down soon for the winter. I continue as teim allows to try to organize things but with presious little time to do so, improvements are slow in coming. 

Chas


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