Tablesaw Outfeed table.....Uh Oh!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I am in the process of completing a tablesaw outfeed table roughly patterned after one in Fine Wood Working.

The top is removable and made from 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood screwed and glued together. After edging it with some scrap white oak, I glued on white Formica and chamfered the Formica/white oak edges. I was ready to route in the miter slots when it dawned on me......I don't know where the screws are located.

When building the top, using a square, I had marked out a 4" grid on the entire top. After putting glue between the two sheets of plywood, I used the aforementioned grid and put a steel screw every 4". Yeah, I know...overkill again! Then I installed the Formica. Unfortunately, the screwheads are under the Formica. Grrrrrr.......

I tried using one of my new multi-talented electronic stud finders that has a metal sensing function. It located the screws but only within a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" square. The distance between the miter slots is such that I needed a closer tolerance. I tried desensitizing the stud finder by installing pieces of cardboard under it. It didn't work as my new one uses "auto-calibration". My old electronic one you set the sensitivity but it wouldn't sense metal and I could not find it anyway.

Several decades ago I had a simple magnetic stud locator that was just a cylindrical magnet with an axle that allowed the cylinder to rotate and point to the magnetic material. Eureka. I don't have that one any more. A shopping trip to a local HD didn't result in finding one but I was able purchase one at a local Ace Hardware stop. It allowed me to locate the screws under the Formica top to a 1/4" by 1/4" area.

A $4 tool is cheaper than a new carbide router bit or an emergency room trip.

[Matt Day]

I'm sure you tried the strongest magnet you have around the shop right? We have a child proofing system that uses a very strong rare earth magnet and gets through 3/4 maple no problem, that's what I'd try.

My electrical contractor had a little side "business" of selling metal stud finders to other contractors on the job - he stacked magnets into old pill bottles. Worked like a charm and was not a likely target to get stolen on the job.

[Clint Baxter]

Best thing I've found is these, http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=45088&cat=1,42363,42348&ap=2. Like the description states, they will come to a quivering halt atop your screw(s).

Clint

[glenn bradley]

Yep, magnet. I have backed screws out once the glue dries since my moment of "uh-oh" as you describe. Been there, done that ;-)

[Malcolm McLeod]

There are small round magnets available (like ball bearings) in many sizes. Roll them across the laminate and they should stop on the screws.

Edit - just followed Clint's link to LV :: exactly that.

[Tony De Masi]

Nice save Ken.

[Bruce Page]

Great save! I've boxed myself into a corner like that more than once.
I'm going to get some of those spherical magnets!

[Brian Tymchak]

Best thing I've found is these, http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=45088&cat=1,42363,42348&ap=2. Like the description states, they will come to a quivering halt atop your screw(s).

Clint

Now, that's pretty cool. Might get a few of those just for the fun of it.

[Matt Winterowd]

I'm not saying that you should forget about the screws and rout your slots, but when I decided that I wanted a little wider chamfer on the leading edge of my outfeed table I found out that a carbide router bit will cut cast iron a lot more easily than you'd think. :rolleyes:

[Dennis Peacock]

Oh great.....NOW you are bragging about your outfeed table and that clearly reminded me that I NEED to make one for mine TS.!!! Ken, you are now responsible for adding yet one more item to my winter to-do list. :)

[Roger Feeley]

best magnets I found for cheap come from old disk drives. they all have neodymium magnets. I used to take them out and give them to teachers at my wifes school. They used them to hang up kids artwork. The magnets stuck to the metal studs through the sheet rock and were still strong enough to hold up a painting.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Shouldn't this thread be in power tools forum? Seems that's where it would do the most good.

[David Gutierrez]

This is the power tools forum?

[Robert Engel]

I would make a scoring cut with the router to take off the laminate and maybe 1/16 of the ply.

The use that shoulder to handsaw the dado to depth.

Then use a chisel I don't care about much to remove the ply.

If you run into a screw grind it down with a Dremel or other similar tool.

[Doug Hepler]

Boy scout compass? Well, I suppose a girl scout compass would work as well.

Doug