# Table Saw Tilt...Right or Left ?



## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

As some of you might remember I am slowly shopping for a table saw, used, in good condition and a good deal. And not a job-site model...

I may be wrong in my observation but are all Delta's and the like right tilt blades...? All pictures I have looked at on CL indicate the blade tilts towards the fence.

I'm not saying that's bad as I'm sure those of you with right tilts are either accustomed or like it that way.

My real question is in seeking advantages/disadvantages of each. It seems the right tilters might have less margin of error regarding kickback...? Am I wrong in assuming I should be looking for a left-tilt...? Is it just preference...?

Thanks in advance...Nick


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

Right tilts from Delta are common. I have found it is mainly a matter of personal preference.


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## jdonhowe (Sep 12, 2009)

AFAIK, it's a matter of preference/comfort. The fence is usually to the right of the blade, but for a right tilt blade bevel cut, the fence should be moved to the left of the blade to avoid trapping the wood between the blade and the fence. Many may find that orientation awkward.


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

I would find that solution acceptable but many of the models do not allow the fence to be positioned far enough to the left of the blade...the rails seem to stop short of allowing that. I'm not sure I'm as comfortable doing with my left hand what my right hand normally does...thanks for pointing that out...I will look at the ads again to see how many will allow the fence to go to the left and how far...

Nick


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## RainMan 2.0 (May 6, 2014)

I thought for the most part they were all going left tilt? All General international table saws except for one I believe is left tilt . 
I was told that it lessons the chance of putting the blade into the fence but I'm sure there's other opinions . 
The only disadvantage is that if you add GI's left cast router extention which replaces the left leaf , the router doesn't have any clearance underneith as it hits the cabinet door that has a bump on it to provide enough room for the motor , otherwise I would have done it as I'd like a second router table.

So now I'm going to use that huge extention on the right to mount a router plate


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I have a friend who's left handed and he says it make's a difference to him. Maybe. Unless you used both types then it's hard to make a conclusion and I've only used the right tilt.


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## 64 ford (Apr 21, 2013)

Nick
In our work shop our Delta is a left tilt and at home both my Grizzly and my Powermatic cabinet saws are left tilt. I've only tried a right tilt a few times and they seemed awkward to me - maybe because I wasn't used to them. If you're right-handed, I would stick with a left tilt for sure.
Dennis


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## mammoth millwork (Sep 8, 2010)

*TS tilt.*

Having used a table saw for almost sixty years as a cabinetmaker I always recommend a left tilting saw especially for a right handed person. Much better control. Grizzley makes a good one although a tad bit more expensive.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Right tilt or left tilt? The arguments are a bit like the Big Endians and the Little Endians in Gullivers Travels. So, as they say in Monty Python, "Is this the 5 minute argument, or the full half-hour?" 

I'll take the argument from the point of view of a right hander who works conventionally, i.e. I stand to the left of the saw blade. For me a right tilter is the way to go. I feel they are safer. Left tilters put the blade over towards you, towards the mitre guide and nearer to your hands. I feel this is especially dangerous if you work withut a guard over the blade, as I know many people do in the USA. A right tilter puts the blade away from you, away from your hands, but can lead to trapping of material against the bench if you use an unmodified straight through rip fence (the norm on US saws until recently) and of course that potentially leads to a kickback. As a European I'm familiar with and "acclimatised" to using a table saw with either a short rip fence or a through rip fence with a ripping plate attached (effectively making it into a short rip fence). To me that feels safer - heck it _is_ safer than the long fence approach and sidesteps many of the issues you have with kickbacks (although not fully because there is also the need for a riving knife, or failing that a splitter).

Over here in the UK we only really had one brand of table saw which came with a left tilt blade, the Startrite. Everything else I can ever recall was a right tilter. The Startrites also came with a through fence, although (from memory) their manuals recommended attaching a ripping plate (short sub-fence) to the main rip fence when rip sawing or using the rip fence as a length stop for repetitive cross cutting

Incidentally, every current European saw I know of tilte right and comes with a short rip fence (generally a sliding one)

Regards

Phil


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## PhilBa (Sep 25, 2014)

Since the implication here is that left handed people could use a right tilt more naturally, I thought I'd toss my dos centavos in. I'm a leftie, with what they call strong left handedness (strung my guitar backwards like Paul McCartney). But, I learned on a left tilt, own a left tilt and have only used a right tilt once. I will only use a left tilt saw. It's a learned thing but I don't find a left tilt clumsy or uncomfortable.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Right-tilt TS was a N. American thing. Left-tilt is coming back as being popular.

My old Rockwell was left-tilt. So is my panel saw.

One thing no one has mentioned yet is that with a left-tilt saw, you don't have to reset your rip fence scale when you change blades with a difference kerf width. It remains the same, because the right side of the blade seats against the arbor flange... The arbor flange is on the same side of the blade as the rip fence.

With a right-tilt saw, you have to reset that scale, when you change blades, because the right side of the blade is affected as the width of the blade varies. Tha arbor flange is on the opposite side of the blade than the rip fence.

On being left-handed. I am left-handed. It doesn't affect me, as I get used to what I do.


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## Dmeadows (Jun 28, 2011)

MAFoElffen said:


> One thing no one has mentioned yet is that with a left-tilt saw, you don't have to reset your rip fence scale when you change blades with a difference kerf width. It remains the same, because the right side of the blade seats against the arbor flange... The arbor flange is on the same side of the blade as the rip fence.
> 
> With a right-tilt saw, you have to reset that scale, when you change blades, because the right side of the blade is affected as the width of the blade varies. Tha arbor flange is on the opposite side of the blade than the rip fence.


I have heard that several times... but if the edge of the carbide is further from the edge of the blade's plate(happens a lot with dado sets in particular) that scale is going to need reset whether left tilt or right tilt. May not be a large change, but it will change!

As long as the difference between the plate edge and carbide edge remains the same, the scale will remain the same... right or left tilt. No? The scale needs to be calibrated to the carbide, not the plate! The side of the plate that touches the arbor flange is the only thing that remains constant, either way.

On a right tilt saw with the fence to the right of the blade, the distance from the plate to the fence will remain the same. On a left tilt saw the distance from the plate will(and the teeth) will change with blade thickness.

Put the fence on the left side of the blade and that all reverses. Not sure I see any advantage there one way or the other.

There is an advantage to left tilt for cutting bevels as the fence can remain on the right side of the blade... other than that it is a matter of personal preference and the specific job.

Only thing I don't like about my right tilt is no riving knife and that can be a problem with left or right, also!


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## Herb Stoops (Aug 28, 2012)

I am right handed and learned on a Delta unisaw in 1949 in shop class. It was a right tilt saw and we ripped with the fence on the right of the blade,no riving knives,splitters or such, and bevel ripped with the fence on the left side of the blade. Since then I have always had a right tilt saw and the fence stays on the right of the blade. To me it is awkward to rip to the left of the blade. 

Herb


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Thank you all...you have hit on my concerns...comfort and bevel cutting trapping the wood. This was my biggest concern with right tilt. The point about having the blade point towards you and closer to the left hand I had not considered so thank you for the heads up.

I appreciate your thorough responses...Nick...


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## OPG3 (Jan 9, 2011)

Well, I've used saws with left-tilts and right-tilts. I am right-handed. 3- table saws, with two being identical Hitachi C10FL's (left-tilters) and a Delta being a right tilt. The Delta is dang-near worthless to me or my employees, but when southpaws were in my shop, they liked it. People get their butts kicked hard if I ever see or learn of them trap-cutting things. We do use the fence on both sides of the blade, but only on the right when the blades are tilted on left-tilt saws. 

Being right or left handed is not a subject for debate, but TRAP-CUTTING is one of the most efficient ways I can think of to get seriously injured. SAFETY IS IMPORTANT FAR ABOVE ANY PROJECT!

Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

OPG3 said:


> Well, I've used saws with left-tilts and right-tilts. I am right-handed. 3- table saws, with two being identical Hitachi C10FL's (left-tilters) and a Delta being a right tilt. The Delta is dang-near worthless to me or my employees, but when southpaws were in my shop, they liked it. People get their butts kicked hard if I ever see or learn of them trap-cutting things. We do use the fence on both sides of the blade, but only on the right when the blades are tilted on left-tilt saws.
> 
> Being right or left handed is not a subject for debate, but TRAP-CUTTING is one of the most efficient ways I can think of to get seriously injured. SAFETY IS IMPORTANT FAR ABOVE ANY PROJECT!
> 
> Otis Guillebeau from Auburn, Georgia


That has been my biggest concern, Otis...trapping the wood on bevel cuts. Luckily, the Darra James I picked up is left tilt (see my other post).

Thank you all for acknowledging my concern...


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## wormil (Sep 6, 2012)

Been using a right tilt for over 15 years, if you cut to the right the wood automatically trapped and there is nowhere for it to go except out the back.

- sent via Tapatalk


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

wormil said:


> Been using a right tilt for over 15 years, if you cut to the right the wood automatically trapped and there is nowhere for it to go except out the back.


Which is precisely why you need to add an auxilliary rip fence on right-tilters. Curse the trapping issue 100%


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Phil P said:


> Which is precisely why you need to add an auxilliary rip fence on right-tilters. Curse the trapping issue 100%


Phil...do you mean a short aux fence...?


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## wormil (Sep 6, 2012)

Phil P said:


> Which is precisely why you need to add an auxilliary rip fence on right-tilters. Curse the trapping issue 100%




In my case I can just slide the fence rearward. One of the perks of a Unifence.


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## Phil P (Jul 25, 2010)

Nickp said:


> Phil...do you mean a short aux fence...?


Yes


wormil said:


> In my case I can just slide the fence rearward. One of the perks of a Unifence.


Yes. I've seen the Unifence when I was in the States - very similar to the type of fence I was brought-up on and far superior to a Biesmeyer IMHO

BTW my previous post should have read "Cures" not "curse". 

Regards

Phil


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## Nickp (Dec 4, 2012)

Phil P said:


> Yes
> 
> Yes. I've seen the Unifence when I was in the States - very similar to the type of fence I was brought-up on and far superior to a Biesmeyer IMHO
> 
> ...


Thanks, Phil...makes sense...and "curse" that keyboard... :lol:


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