Sliding Table Saw addition

[Al Wooley]

Just got my new General saw and looking at a sliding table to go with the 52" fence on this new machine:D
I am looking for input on brands and feed back on those who have what model.I am using the saw for cutting up speaker cabinets up as large as 24X24 sub cabinets so that gives the starting depth of bed travel I am looking at.


Thanks a new member as of today.

Al

[Jim Becker]

Important question...did you get a right- or left-tilt saw? It's important for folks to help you find a slider that will accommodate your needs. Left-tilt saws cannot take many of the sliders due to interference with the motor cover.

[Al Wooley]

sorry forgot that
And it is a large contractor saw not cabinet so I have the motor out the back.
http://www.general.ca/product/inter/50175an.html

[Rick Potter]

I have had a couple of Excaliburs. Started with the big Excalibur, and when I got a real sliding table saw, I kept the Unisaw, and put a 'baby' Excalibur on it.

If I read your post correctly, you just need it for crosscutting up to 24". If so, and you want to save space, the 'baby' model might be a good choice. It normally crosscuts only 16" but......

Mine is moved back, towards the operator, about 7". This is simply done by just using the two rear holes for the wing, rather than the two front holes. This allows the small unit to crosscut 27". The downside to doing this is that it will not be able to properly cut angles.

This is of no concern to me as I have the other saw. My reason for doing it this way is to allow me to crosscut dado's in 24" cabinet parts. It works fine, and takes up a minimum of space.

This being said......if I had it to do over again, I would buy the Exactor (almost identical)........because it has stainless rails. The painted rails on both Excaliburs I have had get scratched from use.

All the above is assuming you do not move the saw around, as the units discussed have legs.

Rick Potter

[Al Wooley]

Thanks Rick.
The table saw will be staying put, all though I did get a base for it , just incase I have to move it.
My cabinets also have dados as well in them and yes the largest one is 24".
http://www.exaktortools.com/pages/slidingtable.htm
so you are recommending the EX26 am I correct.
This is another one I am looking at
http://mulecab.com/products.asp?mnu_Products=4


Al

[Keith Outten]

Al,

I'm not sure about using a slider mounted on the left side of a saw with a left tilt blade. Sliding lumber under the blade isn't normally a good idea as the possiblity of kickback increases drastically. You might want to get more information on this before you decide to purchase a slider that mounts on the left side of your saw.

I own the Excalibur 60" slider mounted on a right tilt saw and I have been very happy with it for over four years. Nothing can compete with a slider on a table saw, it makes any saw safer and more enjoyable to use. The Exaktor is almost identical to my slider with some improvements so I don't reccomend the Excalibur over the Exaktor.

If you have the space get the 60" model, this is the best money you can spend on any woodworking machine in your shop since the table saw is used on almost every project. Once you use a slider with the ribbed table you will find that you can clamp odd shaped pieces to the table when you don't have a flat surface to ride on the fence. This is impossible to do on a traditional table saw setup. This is really handy for trimming chair legs and rocking animal legs to get them to sit level.

[Jim Becker]

Originally posted by Keith Outten
I'm not sure about using a slider mounted on the left side of a saw with a left tilt blade. Sliding lumber under the blade isn't normally a good idea as the possiblity of kickback increases drastically.

I think it would make a difference as to how much bevel cutting Al plans to do. I know I rarely tilt the blade and you can always use alternate methods of moving the stock through the cut when doing so.

That being said, your cautions are valid.

[Rick Potter]

I just went out and measured my Excalibur. The table is 16x20, like the Exactor you mentioned.

The Exactor must have longer rails than the Excalibur, because it is rated to cut longer stock. I am pretty sure mine crosscuts 16" before I modified it. This is with the fence positioned closest to me, not way up front. I don't like using it that way.

I also made a simple fence for dado's from 1 1/2" aluminum angle, with a wooden face that goes over the blade, so I can easily see where the dado is being cut.

Hope this helps.

Rick Potter