RAS Table replacement???

[Jay Yoder]

I am currently designing a miter saw/RAS station and am now looking at the RAS portion. The table top on my RAS is pretty chewed up, so i was thinking of combining it all together as a single surface. I would make the top replaceable at the RAS. I am thinking of using solid core doors with a 1/4" thick hardboard on top, all wrapped in hardwood edging. basically I would "notch" the top around the RAS column. Any comments? Issues I am not thinking of? Thanks alot!

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Yeah...solid core doors don't cut very well unless you are near an edge. They are filled with material that doesn't stay together when cut. It would be very hard to trim out the cutout for the saw.

I used two layers of 3/4" MDF for mine and it's been holding up great now for 2.5 years.

[Jim O'Dell]

Several years back, I was able to obtain some MDF with plastic laminate on it from a counter top at work that was being dismantled and thrown away. I used it to make a new top for my RAS. Was slick, stable, and nice to look at. And CHEAP!! :rolleyes: I've since thrown that RAS away as I killed the motor cutting Pavestone concrete wall blocks. :eek: I kept the top and it is now the lower shelf in my roll around outfeed table. Adds a little weight to what is a top heavy unit, and the saw marks on it serve to remind me to cut concrete with something else from now on. :D I do like your idea of a renewable top though. Jim.

[Jeff Bratt]

The 1/4" hardboard layer sounds good. You won't need to notch the top around the column though - there is no need for the top to extend that far back. In fact, for crosscutting, the fence position is several inches in front of the column. If the RAS is only for 90° crosscutting, then a narrow sacrificial strip around the saw kerf line is all that needs to be replaceable. Have you though about if, or how, to combine the fence setup for the two saws?

[Rob Calkins]

Jay,
do a search on a Mr Sawdust table. the table is made of two 3/4" boards with steel bars in-between on edge for strength and then a 1/4 sacrificial top. I am making one right now and it is very solid.

Rob

[Rick Potter]

I made mine from MDF with a 1/4" masonite top, clipped it on the corners so I wouldn't walk into it, and banded it with scrap birch. There is a sacrificial strip of masonite 3" wide for the blade groove. When it gets sloppy, I can replace it without doing the whole top. Then again, it is over five years old and doesn't need replacing yet.

The chop saw is to the right of the RAS, and uses the same fence and stops.

Rick Potter

[John Bailey]

Jay,
do a search on a Mr Sawdust table. the table is made of two 3/4" boards with steel bars in-between on edge for strength and then a 1/4 sacrificial top. I am making one right now and it is very solid.

Rob

Hey Rob,

I'm rebuilding a DeWalt and would sure like to see a thread started on your top build.

John

[Joe Scharle]

Hardboard may work for you. Mine puckered and developed a large bubble. So my current top is 3/4 MDF laying on 3/4 sub-floor. A friend put melamine on top but due to the rough edges around the kerfs snagging work pieces, he's gone to MDF too. Held on with 2 screws on front corners.

[Fred Hargis]

Jay,
do a search on a Mr Sawdust table. the table is made of two 3/4" boards with steel bars in-between on edge for strength and then a 1/4 sacrificial top. I am making one right now and it is very solid.

Rob
Echo that. I'm rebuilding a Dewalt right now, and just finished the Mr. Sawdust top. It really is quite solid, and I've read threads from guys who have had it for years and claim it stays FLAT. I'm really looking forward to using it.

[Dave Potter]

Jay:

I don't know if this will work for you but I used an old cafe tabletops for mine. They were heavy and generally flat, the top smooth enough to slide wood with a fair amount of ease, and clean up nicely. Plus the blade isn't down in a trough in the "rest" position which I like.. Only drawback to what I have for the moment is the already low fence is "shortened" more than I'd like, but I'll be picking up a new piece for that this weekend.

The piece of melamine to the right in the second picture was the to top the previous owner used. I'd picked up four of these tops for free so I opted to use one for the base, one for each of the side benches, and one for the top. I still have some refining and edging to do.

Dave Potter

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

+1 on the Mr. Sawdust table. I've made one for four different DeWalts, and they work well. If you don't already have the Mr. Sawdust book, you really should pick one up. Loads of good info about RAS uses and techniques you won't find anywhere else. Instructions for the table are in the book.

[Steve Mellott]

Jay:

Why are you planning to wrap the entire top in hardwood edging? Won't that make it more difficult to change the sacrificial top (unless the sacrificial top lies on top of the hardwood edging)?

Steve

[will sanders]

What kind of RAS is it? I know for a fact that some of the older Craftsman( Emerson tool made ) saws have a retrofit kit including table available for free from the mfg. ( Due to some kind of class action lawsuit I think).

[Jay Yoder]

It is a Craftsman saw. I bellieve it has the upgraded safety guards on it, not sure about the table tho. Where might i get a new one?

[Kelly C. Hanna]

If it is of the right year, you can send for the whole upgrade that includes the blade guard and table, that's what I did for mine.

[Dave Potter]

The recall effects a wide range of Craftsman radial arm saws, but it is the saw blade guards that at issue. It has nothing to do with the saw tables. To learn more go to: Recall (http://www.radialarmsawrecall.com/).

As far as parts for the saw goes, if it is a Craftsman, get the model number off the frame and go to Sears Parts Direct (http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/#) to see what parts you might be able to get.

Dave Potter

[Kelly C. Hanna]

While the recall says nothing about the table IT IS INCLUDED with the kit.

[Steve Clardy]

While the recall says nothing about the table IT IS INCLUDED with the kit.

Yes. Sure is. I also got a new table

[will sanders]

That is what I did with mine ( which is in storage as it frankly overwhelmed my tiny shop) you need the serial number and model number and I think that is all. Great deal and really great service, don't know if the offer is still on.