How much slop or "wiggle" should I expect between the universal support and the plastic guides in the straight edge jig? Mine seems to have a lot of looseness, and I wonder if I should worry about it. I don't have a lot of hours on the jig, so I can't believe I've worn out the guides. Is this normal and benign?
Yes, it is normal, and completely benign.
I'm a new user as well. I don't notice much wiggle, but in any case I think the wiggle is immediately taken out of play when the blade engages on the wheel, so it doesn't matter. Jeff can correct me if I'm wrong.