Retrofit Unisaw with a custom granite top

[Andy Mail]

I've got an ancient Unisaw - 1922, I think, and I'm not going to make an irreversible Frankenstein.

However, I'm



really



tired of sanding and rewaxing the table top. I lust after those granite topped saws, but won't buy one.

It occured to me - why not remove the top I've got and get a custom granite top made? Does anyone know of a supplier of retrofit tops? Anybody have some compelling reason why I shouldn't?

[george wilson]

What is a custom made top with a properly made throat(with a step in it) going to cost? I wouldn't put a granite top on the saw myself. I have to move my saw sideways sometimes to clear a long piece of wood. I grab it by a corner of the top to do so. With a granite top,I'd never be able to go tugging on the top. Even with a 700# rated Shop Fox under it,my saw is still hard to swivel. BTW,the 700# Shop Fox rating is nonsense. I expect the wheels to give out at any time. My saw weighs 600#.

[Jamie Buxton]

How 'bout covering the table with formica? It doesn't rust. It isn't very thick, so you don't lose much cutting depth. You keep all the structural advantages of cast iron.

[Cary Falk]

Since the first Unisaw was built in 1939, I think, you have a very rare and valuable saw.:eek: You could probably sell it and buy yourself 10 granite saws:D Joking aside,by the timefind somebody to make a custom granite top, you would be better off selling your saw and buy a Steel City Granite top saw. I believe the Steel City saws have a 4" top. I think they also have steel rods drilled and inserted into them for strength. You also have to consider inserts for wings and fence. I'm not sure how the blade opening is designed. If you feel you want to make your own, you might want to look at the Steel City to see how they did it.

[david brum]

Ooh, you should have the top chromed!

[Cary Falk]

Chrome is great idea!!!

[Chip Lindley]

Yeah Chrome! That would probably have more longivity than granite.

World-famous Leica cameras are "black" chrome plated! Now that would be Classy!!

[PeterTorresani]

Careful what you ask for; steel tops are flatter, stronger, less wear resistant, and contrary to most people's impression, much lighter. Granite is surprisingly close to aluminum for weight and stiffness.

Although not cheap, I would bet that chrome or nickel plating would be cheaper than retrofitting it with granite. This would also maintain DOC

[Aaron Berk]

Gun metal gray has a nice look to it.

But nickle plating sounds fun as well.

I'd skip the chrome, but that's me.

[scott spencer]

Careful what you ask for; steel tops are flatter, stronger, less wear resistant, and contrary to most people's impression, much lighter. Granite is surprisingly close to aluminum for weight and stiffness.


I always thought granite was flatter and heavier, along with rust proof, and less prone to warpage.

[Pete Bradley]

However, I'm really tired of sanding and rewaxing the table top.

Well there's your problem! :D

Stop sanding it and let it look like a "real" table saw.

Pete

[Steve Schoene]

Haven't seen any saw tops made of steel except some stamped tops on low-end models. The common material is cast iron.

Sounds to me like the O.P. really needs a dehumidifier. Shops wet enough to cause rust regularly on cast iron aren't really good enviroments for storing wood either.

[george wilson]

Steve,this is true. And the projects going from a damp shop into an air conditioned house( like furniture) are liable to warp and crack.

[Joseph Tarantino]

I always thought granite was flatter and heavier, along with rust proof, and less prone to warpage.

+1 here. when i sold a new ridgid 4511, which weighed 477 lbs. ( the predecessor 3660 weighed 300 lbs), the buyer had to unpack the saw in the truck that HD had forklifted it into. the wings were extremely heavy relative to CI.

[Ryan Hellmer]

I love the thought of plating tables. For a while Steel city offered a titanium nitride coating on its cast tops... must not have caught on. I wonder what nickel plating would cost? Infinity nickel plates their blades and it seems to work really well. I guess I'd just worry about scratching the plating. Besides, the cost of any retrofit will buy a BUNCH of scotchbrite and paste wax. Maybe I'll stick with the ol' standard.

[Myk Rian]

Well there's your problem! :D

Stop sanding it and let it look like a "real" table saw.

Pete
That IS the problem. Aged iron is not supposed to be shiny. It develops a patina.
Stop sanding it.

Clean it with Bar Keepers Friend to get any rust off.
Wipe it down with alcohol.
Gob on furniture paste wax.
Melt it in with a heat gun or hair dryer.
Buff it up.

Oh, and STOP SANDING IT

Got a serial number for the saw?
There is a Delta chart on vintagemachinery.org to tell you how old it is.
I doubt it was made in 1922.

[Paul Ryan]

I owned a granite saw for about a year. I have nothing bad to say about it is was really maintenance free. I know have a cast iron top which requires more upkeep. After fighting the elements for years I have found ways to protect my machines. Frequent coats of past wax work better than anything. Along with keeping the tops covered. My table saw top when not in use is always covered with a magnetic sheet that works great. Another option is to build a large cross cut sled that is the same size as your top and store that on the table saw when not in use. I don't use sleds nearly as often now since I have a SCMS but they still come in handy at times. My jointer, planer, band saws, mortiser, drill press, are all waxed frequently about once a month or more depending on use and covered with wood scrapes and other magnetic covers. You can't rely on just wax to do the trick but with wax and covering them it keeps the condensation off the surface. Summer months are not much problem. It is the wet but warm spring days, or the warm winter days when the snow is melting that are the problems. This makes the air like pea soup and the condensation is hell on the cast iron tools. But if you could I think chrome would be the answer. I like steel cities titanium idea as well. I dont know what any of these other manufactures dont try something to make their tools less prone to rust.

[Andy Mail]

That IS the problem. Aged iron is not supposed to be shiny. It develops a patina.
Stop sanding it.

Clean it with Bar Keepers Friend to get any rust off.
Wipe it down with alcohol.
Gob on furniture paste wax.
Melt it in with a heat gun or hair dryer.
Buff it up.

Oh, and STOP SANDING IT

Got a serial number for the saw?
There is a Delta chart on vintagemachinery.org to tell you how old it is.
I doubt it was made in 1922.

I've got a four-footed Unisaw, serial number H-226. I was corresponding with Kieth Bohn in 2003 (he's the guy with serial number A-100). His research showed that four footed Unisaws were made in 1939 and by 1940 the feet were replace with a plinth.

He included my saw and information in his registry, but I don't see that copied to the OWWM machine registry. I'll have to fix that.

I guess I remembered the date wrong :o.
192949192950

So, I guess I'll stop sanding it! Bar Keepers Friend it is.

[Andy Mail]

Ooh, you should have the top chromed!

Funny you should suggest that! We have had subsea parts coated with Nedox from General Magnaplate in Oxnard. It's a really tough nickel coating with teflon. It seems somehow sacreligous to do that to this top though.

[Noah Katz]

Granite is indeed close to aluminum in density, which is about 1/3 that of iron/steel.

Granite tops are heavier because they're thicker and not webbed.

Chrome plating was the first thing that came to my mind, though I imagine it would cost several hundred $.

It's hard/scratch resistant and needn't be garish/shiny; machinists' tools have a satin chrome finish.

[Jim Rimmer]

I've got a four-footed Unisaw, serial number H-226. I was corresponding with Kieth Bohn in 2003 (he's the guy with serial number A-100). His research showed that four footed Unisaws were made in 1939 and by 1940 the feet were replace with a plinth.

He included my saw and information in his registry, but I don't see that copied to the OWWM machine registry. I'll have to fix that.

I guess I remembered the date wrong :o.
192949192950

So, I guess I'll stop sanding it! Bar Keepers Friend it is.

Maybe it's the mist from when you flush the toilet that is causing the problem. :D

[Andy Mail]

You'll notice the toilet's not bolted down, there's no water supply, and there's no drain.

Every garage needs a portable toilet like this. And the upside is, you never flush it!

Ok, ok, jk.