Bandsaw Table Top

[Mark W Pugh]

So, it's time to make a table top for my bandsaw (18" Grizzly). It's to eliminate the waviness of my top. Just have a couple of questions. Any pix of anyone else's?

1. I have some "T" track miter slot. I started thinking, "how often is the miter used on the bandsaw?". How often do you actually use your miter guage on your bandsaw? I'm thinking of not putting one on the table.

2. I will need to add some sort of leveling feet/screws. I was thinking of using lock nuts and screws. Any ideas?

3. What is a good size?

Thanks

[Curt Harms]

I use my miter slots for feather boards. I find a feather board to hold the bottom of the board tight against the fence when resawing useful. People who saw logs on their band saw often use a carriage jig that rides in the miter slot to hold the log . Have you looked into having the table ground to remove the waviness? Some people seem to be able to get cast iron surfaces reground fairly inexpensively. Do you or might you want to use magnetic jigs or fixtures?

[Bill Huber]

Could you not pull the table off and have it ground at a machine shop, then you would not have to make a table.

I know I use my miter slot all them time for feather boards and a miter gauge.

[Prashun Patel]

I also use the miter slot for a feather board. The issue I see is that a CI top adds some nice mass to an 18" saw. Might you miss that mass?

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Mark, I use the mitre slot for mitre gauges and for sleds, I couldn't do without it on the band saw...........Rod.

P.S. Here's a link to me sawing lumber on a bandsaw using an infeed and outfeed table along with a sled.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?182034-Making-Lumber-on-a-Bandsaw/page2&p=1877202&highlight=bandsaw+lumber

[Michael Dunn]

Tenons on a BS would need a miter slot. I would not want to go without the miter slot.

[Mark W Pugh]

OK, miter slot it is.