sliding table

[anthony wall]

after reading an article on table saw safety i thought that a sliding table for my table saw(contractor type)would be a good investment sadly no such thing is available for my saw so i am now considering building one .has anyone here ever built their own ,is it even a good idea if it is then i am looking for suggestions or ideas or plans :confused:

[Clarence Miller]

ShopNotes magazine featured a shop built one a couple years ago, I built it last year and have been pleased with it's performance.

[Clarence Miller]

http://www.shopnotes.com/issues/15/

[Rich Engelhardt]

Another different spin on a sliding table is the Festool MFT/3 and the Eureakzone Power Bench.
Both offer a safety advantage as well as superb cut quality and superb dust control.

What always seems to get lost in the discussion of track saws is how well they perform as part of an overall system.
Most people only see them as a tool to break down sheet goods. While they do that function well, it's only the tip of the iceberg.

My own long range plans include making my own version of the MFT.

[frank shic]

i am using an exaktor sliding table that i mounted to my powermatic contractor's saw. it does make using the tablesaw a lot safer especially crosscutting large sheets of plywood or even narrow pieces of wood. which contractor saw do you have? if you remove the left wing of it you can probably install the bracket that holds the sliding table to the saw.

[Jerome Hanby]

ShopNotes magazine featured a shop built one a couple years ago, I built it last year and have been pleased with it's performance.

FWW did one too. It's reprinted in their
Shop Accessories You Can Build (Best of Fine Woodworking) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561581186/ref=oh_o04_s00_i02_details)
book. I haven't built it (yet) but it looks like a good layout.

[Cary Falk]

I'm sure one of these would fit.
http://www.jessem.com/MAST-R-SLIDE.html
http://www.grizzly.com/products/Sliding-Table-Attachment/T10223

http://www.exaktortools.com/index2.htm
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/fullpres.asp?partnum=914-351&utm_source=google&utm_medium=feed

[Ray Newman]

Before getting ‘too hot to trot’ about building or maybe even purchasing a sliding table, figure out how much space you can afford to loose in your shop.

At one time, I had an Excaliber or Exaktor (can’t recall which one it was, they are basically the same) on my Uni-saw. Finally took it off because it just took up too much floor space. To break down sheet goods, a Fe$tool track saw now does the job quite easily.

The Exaktor web site FAQ has information as to the overall size of their sliding tables.

The Jessem and the Grizzly tables are smaller. If you plan on cutting sheet goods, probably a larger sized sliding table would be better.

[frank shic]

ray makes a good point, the large exaktor sliding table takes up a fair amount of real estate but it's worth it for me not to have to go through complicated setups to be able to cut SQUARE cabinet parts with just two passes without having to trim afterwards. i would caution you to stay away from the either the delta or the grizzly since it's so similar because the delta does not hold its squareness that well if you bump into it occasionally although the sliding action is smoother than my exaktor. just got a replacement flip/stop bracket from them the other day free of charge.

[Timothy Wolf]

I have one on my saw that is pretty nice but I lose my left miter slot so if I had it to do over I would look at a sled for cross cuts and a track saw for breaking sheets down.

[David Micalizzi]

Build a couple of sleds to accomplish what you want to do. FWW had a large sled that used a sawhorse support on the side of the saw that allowed the cutting of large panels. Build a smaller more manageable one for most of your other needs. You could incorporate hold downs and whatever else you want. When you don't need them hang them on a wall or store them some other way. This way you get back the real estate a sliding table would take up all the time. If you have to rip panels get a track saw or build a cutting guide. Have fun with it!

[Peter Aeschliman]

Anthony, as others have said, most sliding table attachments are universal fit. The only complication in most cases is that you'll have to drill a few holes in the side of your cast iron table to attach one of the rails. It's really easy to do.

I would definitely recommend just buying one because I think you'll end up spending a lot of time building and fussing.

[anthony wall]

i already have a good crosscut sled which works just fine but thanks for all the other suggestions however i simply cannot purchase ready made sliding tables in thailand hence the question about building one. i now think it will be more prudent to build a large sled with moveable supports as i don't have masses of room to play with but again thanks for all the replies

[Jim Falsetti]

Anthony,

I built the FWW Ultimate Crosscut Sled (John McCormack's article in FWW #199 July/August 2008). It works well and maybe uses less permanent floor space than a slider, but you should plan to dedicate some wall space when storing the sled. The sawbenches are useful for lots of things. One caution - the recommended Kreg flipstop is not long enough to lay flat an the surface of the sled.

Jim

[Todd Brewer]

ray makes a good point, the large exaktor sliding table takes up a fair amount of real estate but it's worth it for me not to have to go through complicated setups to be able to cut SQUARE cabinet parts with just two passes without having to trim afterwards. i would caution you to stay away from the either the delta or the grizzly since it's so similar because the delta does not hold its squareness that well if you bump into it occasionally although the sliding action is smoother than my exaktor. just got a replacement flip/stop bracket from them the other day free of charge.

Frank,

How accurate it the miter gauge on the Exaktor? I have an Incra fence on my table saw and love the accuracy. I don't see much mention of a miter gauge or it's accuracy on the Exaktor. Can you easily set the angle and then change it and yet come back and repeat that angle?

Thanks,

Todd

[frank shic]

todd, i've never changed the angle. the miter gauge on the exactor is alright but i doubt it's as good as your incra. it's good enough if you eyeball it like me but if you want it perfect down to the last millimeter you probably won't be happy since adjustment is limited to coarse movements.

[Bob Falk]

I have the Jessem on my Sawstop and like it because it doesn't require floor support and I can still use my mobile base. It works well and is accurate, but it was a bear to get it aligned.....

[Philip Loria]

I have the laguna sliding table on my Jet and am, quite happy with it. I did not remove the left wing so had to drill it and made an open oak frame to connect the two as the rail for the fence extended past the wing.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H7kjoI5tL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Jim Foster]

Does anyone have the Grizzly slider attachment?

[Tim Janssen]

Does anyone have the Grizzly slider attachment?

Yes, see this thread on another forum

http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?39180-Sliding-Table-Attachment

Tim

[Todd Brewer]

Exaktor and Excalibur, they look very much alike. Are they the same?

[Todd Brewer]

todd, i've never changed the angle. the miter gauge on the exactor is alright but i doubt it's as good as your incra. it's good enough if you eyeball it like me but if you want it perfect down to the last millimeter you probably won't be happy since adjustment is limited to coarse movements.

Thanks Frank, I'd really like to find a slider with an idiot-proof miter gauge. The Exaktor/Excalibur look really nice. I would like to have precise/repeatable miter capability.

[Gary Herrmann]

I've got the Jessem sliding table. I've used it to miter and it works very well. Wait until Rockler has one of their 25% off sales. That's when I bought mine.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Does anyone have the Grizzly slider attachment?

Jim, the grizzly sliding table is exactly the same as the one Laguna is selling.

[Todd Brewer]

I've got the Jessem sliding table. I've used it to miter and it works very well. Wait until Rockler has one of their 25% off sales. That's when I bought mine.

The Jessem table was discontinued some time ago. Word is it will be back, but nobody knows when.