Melamine radial arm saw top?

[jason mowery]

Hello! I just bought an old Dewalt GWI RAS that's in great shape except for the table. I have built the "Mr. Sawdust" table suggested by the Mr. Sawdust book (apparently the definitive resource on these saws), but it turns out the plywood, despite being cabinet grade, wasn't flat to begin with, so despite all the steel bar stock reinforcement and epoxy in the world, it's not going to work. I have a nice, flat piece of two sided melamine, would that work? I'm beginning to wonder if the Mr. Sawdust table isn't a little bit overkill anyway. All I'm going to do with the saw is crosscut and dado. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help!

[Fred Hargis]

Jason, for almost 12 years, that's what my RAS table top was. It's cheap, smooth, and works fairly well. But that was on a Sears saw (a early 70's C'man), and the frame supported the top a little better than the Dewalts (if I remember correctly). On a Dewalt, the more common support is 2 (or 3) brackets that set on the frame, so the top actually spans some distance. That leads to a tendancy to sag, and to the design of the Mr. Sawdust table. I would bet you could cut the bars out of you plywood top and start over. On an MBF I just did I used MDF and it worked out really well. I also will be getting a 1030K next week (I hope) and will do the same thing for it. But, you could try the melamine and see how it works for you, if you have to start over it's very little cost to toss it, and sometime to realign the new top.

[Michael Prisbylla]

I'm pretty sold on the Mr. Sawdust tops, but I use my saw for everything, crosscut, miter, bevel-miter ripping and molding. I use MDF for mine and 1/4" hardboard for the sacrificial top. I've played around with plywood for both and found that it doesn't work as well.

BTW- good score on the GWI, I've been looking for one for some time now. Let me know if you ever want to sell it. They're a great machine.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

+1 on MDF for the Mr. Sawdust top. Flexible enough that it will conform to the flat surface you clamp it up on. Just make sure you cut the slots for the steel deep enough that you aren't trying to bend the steel when you clamp it. The epoxy is there to take up the vertical space between the steel and the MDF. Be sure to seal the MDF well afterwards, and you'll be all set.

The GWI does have a table cleat directly beneath the blade in crosscut. In a pinch that can be used to correct a lot of sag in the table. However, if you're planning on keeping this saw for a long time, the Mr. Sawdust table is not overkill.

Good luck!!

[jason mowery]

Thanks so much for all the input guys. I think part of the problem too is my adjustment "technique." I start with the back left adjuster, per THE BOOK, then move along the left and forward, raising or lowering the table to maintain the .005" clearance, but every single time, without fail, when I move the saw back to the previous adjuster, to check that it's still right, it will be either considerably higher or lower than it was before. Maybe I'm just too D-U-M dumb? :o Does anyone have any good suggestions on the adjustment procedures? I've read and reread the book, but frankly, I don't think that section is particularly clear. Mine has the adjusters with the double nuts, one above the surface of the table legs, and one underneath for each. Thanks again very much for taking the time to post!

[keith ouellette]

I am hoping to redo the very poor to on my rs and i was thinking of building a small torsion box as a permanent top so I will always have a dead flat surface (or as close to dead flat as I can do) and then cover that with a 3/8 sacrificial table.

Is that a workable idea or is there a point I am missing?

[Rick Potter]

Mine is two layers of MDF, covered by 1/4" tempered masonite, which is waxed. There is a strip of the masonite about three inches wide that is sacrificial. The whole thing is banded with hardwood.

Rick Potter

[Fred Hargis]

I am hoping to redo the very poor to on my rs and i was thinking of building a small torsion box as a permanent top so I will always have a dead flat surface (or as close to dead flat as I can do) and then cover that with a 3/8 sacrificial table.

Is that a workable idea or is there a point I am missing?
The Mr. Sawdust table will do the same thing and be a whole lot easier to build, plus it will probably be a lot more durable over time. Fastening the torsion box to the brackets, or frame, or whatever, may be a problem.....particularly on a Dewalt.

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

Jason, the way I adjust the tables on my saws, is to pick three points on the table to define the plane I'm aligning to. Back off the nuts on all screws except the middle one on the left cleat, and the front and rear ones on the other. Now the table is resting on these three points. Next, lock down the front left one. If you don't have a dial indicator to attach to the motor, the next best thing is a feeler gauge. Point the motor arbor down, and lower it until you can just slip the feeler gauge between the end of the arbor and the table. Do this very close to the front left which you've locked down. Next, move the arbor to the rear right adjustment, and adjust the nut so you have the same clearance as the front. Once you have these two points set the same, go to the left side and adjust the middle for the same clearance. If you check the table very close to where the screws are, you should be very close at this point. Go back and fine tune until you're satisfied. After that, assuming your table is flat, you just adjust the remaining nuts to lock them all down without influencing your original three point plane.

Hope this isn't too confusing. Do you have Roger Hill's DeWalt adjustment article?? If not, PM me and I can email it to you. It seems my link to it is dead.

[Fred Hargis]

Hope this isn't too confusing. Do you have Roger Hill's DeWalt adjustment article?? If not, PM me and I can email it to you. It seems my link to it is dead.
Here's the url...I'm not sure you can link the document, but if you cut and paste into your browser you should get it...it is a great article. The link doesn't pick up the paper title at the end.
www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/ (http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/)dewaltrebuild.pdf

[Tim Sgrazzutti]

Actually Fred, the one I was refering to is the "How and Why of adjusting a DeWalt." It explains the adjustments in the correct order, using a dial indicator to measure the results. There's a link to it in the FAQ's of the Delphi DeWalt forum, but the file server says it's been downloaded the maximum number of times already. I can email it as a .pdf to anyone who needs it.

[Mike Wilkins]

Several years ago I had a Ryobi radial arm saw. I replaced the original table with melamine, with a replaceable 1/4" plywood insert for the blade path. I just routed a 3" wide dado, the depth being the same as the thickness of the plywood. It was secured with countersunk brass screws in the corners and in the middle. I made several spares to always have a zero-clearance insert when one got chewed up too much. Cheap and simple.

[jason mowery]

Thanks again for all you guys' help. I think I've finally got it all squared away. You've all been tons of help!