Home » Audio » Craftsmen » Table saw recommendations?
Re: BT3100 [message #29000 is a reply to message #28999] Wed, 31 March 2004 05:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
wunhuanglo is currently offline  wunhuanglo
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Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
I haven't tried one either - primarily because I bought their 8" portable radial arm saw. It sucked so bad that when I bought a new table saw I bought the DeWalt 10" portable. Has a 25" rip capacity and a really excellent fence.

Need more capacity? Make a bigger jig. [message #29001 is a reply to message #28999] Wed, 31 March 2004 06:06 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Fitzmaurice is currently offline  Bill Fitzmaurice
Messages: 335
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
I didn't go into great detail on my jig, but should you need a larger capacity all you need is to make the jig bigger; going four feet by four feet is not out out the question, but rather a matter of how big your shop is. Also keep in mind that with a larger jig it's critical that the saw stand be securely bolted to the floor to keep the whole thing from tipping over.

Re: follow-up [message #29002 is a reply to message #28998] Wed, 31 March 2004 06:11 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Fitzmaurice is currently offline  Bill Fitzmaurice
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Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
But the tracks aren't always square with the blade. The picture shows a square being used to align the back perpendicular to the blade, clamped in place, and then you screw the back to the platform from underneath.

Re: follow-up [message #29003 is a reply to message #29002] Wed, 31 March 2004 06:33 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dean Kukral is currently offline  Dean Kukral
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Registered: May 2009
Master
I see what you are saying.

If the tracks are not parallel to the blade, then the fence is also not parallel to the blade. Since I spent $300 for a fancy fence for my Sears saw, I HAD to go check and see if it was parallel or not!

I was pleased to see that mine is parallel to the blade. :)

I don't think that my blade is moveable, but it has been a long time since I set it all up, so I may have forgotten. It is belt-driven.

I suppose that if this is an issue on an individual saw, then the directions for that saw will discuss it.

Wait a minute [message #29004 is a reply to message #29002] Wed, 31 March 2004 06:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Dean Kukral is currently offline  Dean Kukral
Messages: 177
Registered: May 2009
Master
I have been thinking about this some more.

Whether the back of the jig is square to the blade or not is irrelevant.

If you want the newly cut edge to be square to the old edge that is resting against the jig's back, then the back of the fence must be square to the track, not to the blade. This is because the jig slides in the track.

If the blade is not parallel to the track, then either it angles away from the cut, which will probably cause a rough edge or maybe even some binding, or it angles into the cut, which would definitely cause binding and would be dangerous.

I am not an experienced craftsman, so I am certainly open to disagreement, but it sure seems to me that if your blade is not parallel to the track, then you have a serious problem.



Re: follow-up [message #29005 is a reply to message #29003] Wed, 31 March 2004 08:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Fitzmaurice is currently offline  Bill Fitzmaurice
Messages: 335
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
If the blade and tracks are more than 2 degrees or so out of whack you have a serious problem, to be sure, but for less than that I've found it not a problem if the jig is square to the blade. One other tip: never assume a piece of stock comes squared. I always run all 4 edges with the jig; I've not yet come a across a piece of Russian Baltic Birch that was true.

Re: follow-up [message #29006 is a reply to message #28997] Wed, 31 March 2004 09:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
crazychile is currently offline  crazychile
Messages: 46
Registered: May 2009
Baron
Thanks for the photo, Bill.

I,ve been studying this for the last day or so and am a little confused by the photo. If you could clarify a couple of things for me I would appreciate it.

1. I build a new top surface for the saw out of plywood. (This fits over the existing surface).

2. In this new top surface is a slot where a perfectly square "L" fits and this is used to feed the piece of wood across the blade.

3. Do you also clamp a strip of wood on the other side of the blade to guide the varying sizes of wood?

Thanks for the info!

crazychile

Re: follow-up [message #29007 is a reply to message #29006] Wed, 31 March 2004 09:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bill Fitzmaurice is currently offline  Bill Fitzmaurice
Messages: 335
Registered: May 2009
Grand Master
Actually what you do is start with a sheet of plywood large enough to handle whatever size panels you anticipate cutting. It sits on two hardwood rails that fit into the slots on the saw top, glued and nailed to the jig with brads. The large piece of hardwood on the back of the jig is set in place using a T-square to make sure it is 90 degrees from the blade, as shown in the photo, clamped in that position and then also screwed and glued to the jig. When the glue is set run the jig across the table, so a slot will be cut right through it. To use just slap the piece being cut atop the jig, resting against the rear brace, and push the jig across the table.

Re: REply to bigger capacity and sucky Ryobi [message #29008 is a reply to message #28999] Wed, 31 March 2004 16:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
BillEpstein is currently offline  BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
First, the Ryobi. Not it's fault. Radial arm saws have always been out of square and generally inaccurate. Ditto the newer "chop saws" and especially the sliding miter saws. Just look, as I have, at the throat plates on Porter-Cable, Bosch and Ridgid saws: after several cuts the plate looks has jagged edges far wider than the blade.
The sliding miter table is the answer.
The one I built was a copy of Kelly Mehler's in a way past issue of Fine Woodworking. He has a book of Table SAw tips you can find with the design. It addresses the issues of accuracy, safety and flexibilty better than any other. Just don't try to use maple runners or fool with the plexiglass "safety" stuff.
The fence enables the use of all manner of clamped on jigs for dadoes, mortises, finger joints and lots of other stuff. You'll never use a chopsaw again. And make several in different sizes as Fitzmaurice suggests: I had one that trimmed 36" wide interior doors!
If you can;'t find the book just think: 1/2" quality birch plywood for the 'floor', 2 metal mitre gauge runners, a fence at the back about 4" tall of 2 layers of ply laminated together and a main, front fence 2 ply thick that's 4" tall except at the center where it rises to 6 or even 8" tall for a width of about 6". The high point has 2 effects: it holds a box that protrudes a further 4" to the front which encomp[asses the saw blade for safety and it allows a surface to clamp to right on top of the blade kerf. This is where you attach the jigs, usually.
Attach one metal runner to the floor at one point and then square the floor to the blade. Run another screw into the runner. Attach the front fence to the floor with one screw at the one end and sqauare the fence to blade. Be real anal about this one. Now run in the rest of thescrews and attach the secon runner. The rear fence doesn't ahve to be very square at all. Finish with routing slots in your outfeed table, (you do have an outfeed table?) so you can push this and larger jigs past the blade.
The saw kerf indexes the cut, you can clamp workpieces to the fence for extreme accuracy, make one for use with the dadoe head with "zero clearance", another with a right angle piece built in for tenons, etc, etc.


Re: More so with MDF [message #29009 is a reply to message #29005] Wed, 31 March 2004 17:00 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
BillEpstein is currently offline  BillEpstein
Messages: 886
Registered: May 2009
Illuminati (2nd Degree)
We've all seen the wavy edges on MDF and some have experienced the 'wedding cake' edges on Melamine panels. What we do in the shop is run the panels over the saw to cut an eighth off, then flip it around so the cut edge is against the fence and make another pass.
Now the 2 long edges are roughly parallel and smooth. You won't have the big capacity sliding table (neither do I anymore) so you take your best shot at pushing the 49" edge against the fence and repeating the process. That's prety square on all four edges but, for a box, remember to over cut the panel that meets the edge slightly so you are always trimming edges and never sanding down panels.
Squareness is a virtue but eliminating dips, depressions and waves from sanding is a necessity. The best possible workpiece would never be touched by a plane or sander.


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