Crazy table saw question

[Rob Horton]

Okay maybe this is crazy but I'm thinking of making a new tabletop for my Craftsman 10" table saw from Sears.

Here's my story:
Before I knew how much I would enjoy and love woodworking, I bought this table saw from Sears. The issue is this: it doesn't have a standard 3/4" miter gauge slot. It is some weirdo undersized slot with sort of an upside down t-shape.

Anyway, its hard to build jigs. And the table top/fence area is undersized. So I'd like a larger top and the standard sized miter slot for easier jig building.

A new table saw is a minimum of $300 for a decent one and frankly, I have other tools I'd like to buy. So I'd like to extend the life/usability of my table by building a new top - or perhaps purchasing one.

Does anyone have any resources for this? Is this a silly idea? Should I just pony up the dough and buy a new saw?

Thanks!

Rob Horton

[Chris Padilla]

Rob, how about adding a outfeed table and perhaps a sliding side table? This will increase the area of your top.

For jigs, just rip some hardwood or UHMW plastic to fit nicely in your miter slots. You don't need to fit the tee...the tee is useful for keeping jigs from falling off the table if you need start waaaay back of the saw.

Adding a top will have some issues:

How thick will the top be? You'll lose that amount in depth of cut for your TS. May or may not be a big deal. Some people like to put a top over their whole saw as a big zero-clearance plate. It can also aid in ripping very thin pieces of wood that could get stuck under your fence.

How will your fence work with a new top? You need to look carefully at this. I am unfamiliar with Craftsman to provide any advice. Thinking about my Incra 3-a fence, I think I could make it work but I am not sure...would require longer bolts and spacers to be made level with the new top.

Or, pony up for a nice new saw! :D

[Robert Mayer]

I am having the EXACT same problem here. Im so ticked off at crapsman right now for doing that. That was the first piece of woodworking equipment I bought so I had limited experience in what to buy. Little did I realize that it had odd sized slots on it. So that basically eliminates you from using most accessories that everyone makes. Plus you cant get a zero clearance plate for the blade. I realized the table top was small but I can work around that. Im going to sell the thing pretty soon and get a real table saw.

[Robert Mayer]

Hey Chris, whats up with the side profile shot of you in your avatar? It looks like its cut out from a mug shot. have you been in trouble lately?

[Chris Padilla]

LOL...that is the first comment I've had on it. I noticed most everyone has head-on profiles so I searched for a pic of me with a side profile...you know, just to be different! ;)

[James Carmichael]

Okay maybe this is crazy but I'm thinking of making a new tabletop for my Craftsman 10" table saw from Sears.

Here's my story:
Before I knew how much I would enjoy and love woodworking, I bought this table saw from Sears. The issue is this: it doesn't have a standard 3/4" miter gauge slot. It is some weirdo undersized slot with sort of an upside down t-shape.

Anyway, its hard to build jigs. And the table top/fence area is undersized. So I'd like a larger top and the standard sized miter slot for easier jig building.

A new table saw is a minimum of $300 for a decent one and frankly, I have other tools I'd like to buy. So I'd like to extend the life/usability of my table by building a new top - or perhaps purchasing one.

Does anyone have any resources for this? Is this a silly idea? Should I just pony up the dough and buy a new saw?

Thanks!

Rob Horton


Rob,

I'm in the exact same boat and feel your pain!!!

I was measuring my miter slots just the other night after my first try at runners for a crosscut sled. Making jigs, etc. for this saw definitely help develop your measuring skills!

The slot is 11/16 wide x 3/8 deep, with that goofy pair of "T" shoulders which are about 1/10" thick. I guess they are supposed to hold the miter gauge in, I dunno, haven't looked at enough TSs to know how the slots are normally setup. There's just over 1/2" clearance between these shoulders, so you make a rabbet on each side of the top of the runner about 3/32" wide and 1/10" deep. Having done all of this, when I screwed the sled panel into the runners, it pulled the runners up so they bind with the shoulders. I'm hoping once I attach front & rear fences the weight will make the runners ride on the bottom of the slot.

What really makes no sense though, is that tiny little raised strip down the center bottom of the miter slots. Look at the bottom of the gauge that came with the saw, and there is no corresponding slot, so a sloppy fit to the miter slot is guaranteed. It is also keeps my runners from riding in the bottom of the miter slot, until I cut a very shallow dado down the middle bottom of my runners (the raised portion is .175" wide). I was actually thinking of taking the gauge off of it's track and mounting to one of my homemade runners, which should fit the slots much better than the stock one once I'm done.

Then there's the making throat inserts. There's 7 different contact points in the throat that have to be inlet at 6 different depths to fit level.

I figure an infeed table and fence extension are a must, there's about 4" on the front of the table, not nearly enough for aligning longer pieces.

I understand Sears will refund 80% of purchase price on these things if returned within 1 year so long as you have the receipt. I've gotten my feet wet and don't think I want to waste anymore time and effort trying to make a pig fly.

Now, for you experienced folks, what are your TS recommendations with a $500 budget in mind? The Ryobi BT3100 looks like a lot for the money, but I also like miter slots and a big cast-iron top looks nice, too, so long as it's been stress-relieved and not prone to warp.

[Rob Bourgeois]

I have the same problem with my saw and my solution is to sell it as soon as I got enough saved for its replacement. Mine was a gift so I really cant blame myself.

I had a finger board that came with 3/4 toe for the slot, I replaced it with a cut down version to accomplish the same thing. I just roughly to size then planed and sanded to the correct width. The other thing you might do is look for a craftsman miter gage at garage sales and use that to make your jigs.

[Noah Alkinburgh]

WooooHooo!!! I am so glad I am not the only one!

Mine too was a gift, and for those who have been in my shop they know I don't have much choice as far as size.

The only thing I could think of was taking a router to the top of the slots and routing it flat and removing the tabs. Mine is an aluminum top so I think it would work. I just don't have the nerve to try :)

Noah

[Rob Horton]

Well it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my dilemma I suppose. I think I'm going to look at my saw tonight and see what it would take to actually remove the table top that came with it.

If it doesn't look like too much trouble to attach a new one, I might take a crack at building a torsion box top and buying an after market fence system to attach to it.

I just hate to throw away a decent, if admittedly short on features, tool. I seriously doubt I'd be able to sell if for much if anything, anyway.

Anyway, I'm thinking that if the new top works out, that would be pretty cool. I like the saw other than the problem with the top.

I'll keep you all posted (no pun intended) on how things go. And if I do make a top, I'd be happy to share the plans/photos and stuff with anyone else.

Thanks again,

Rob

[Chris Padilla]

Now, for you experienced folks, what are your TS recommendations with a $500 budget in mind? The Ryobi BT3100 looks like a lot for the money, but I also like miter slots and a big cast-iron top looks nice, too, so long as it's been stress-relieved and not prone to warp.

James,

If you can stretch your budget a bit (okay, double it minus some), Grizzly makes a fine cabinet TS for the money.

However, for you and that price range, a contractor saw will fit the bill and I don't have much experience with those. If I can remember, I'll try and look up what my various wood mags say for contractor's saw and post back.

[Scott Coffelt]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/items-list.cfm?key=530010&sort=price

They got to be better then the crapsmen. Two right around $500.

[Scott Coffelt]

the 1023S, Its a cabinet saw and I can vouch for the quality. Its not a PM or Unisaw, but then again it ain't the same price and does the same quality of work.

[Robert Ducharme]

Once I had space, I sold my 10" Sears TS to an enemy and purchased another saw. You can take it to a machine shop and have them mill out the track and/or put a separate (standard) track in the top.

There are a variety of add-ons to make the table top wider. If you like the saw, just add onto the top with router tables, different fences, etc. Make them out of wood and build some cabinet space underneath. Purchasing aftermarket add-ons to build up its capabilities may cost more than just buying a larger/better saw. Building your own at least gets you started and you will know what you want and how much space you can afford.

It depends on the power of the saw and what you will be cutting.

[James Carmichael]

WooooHooo!!! I am so glad I am not the only one!

Mine too was a gift, and for those who have been in my shop they know I don't have much choice as far as size.

The only thing I could think of was taking a router to the top of the slots and routing it flat and removing the tabs. Mine is an aluminum top so I think it would work. I just don't have the nerve to try :)

Noah


Noah,

That might work. I have I'm thinking of cutting a couple of runners to slightly undersized dimensions, then sticking on some 150-grit wet or dry and polishing the slots, ending up at 600-grit, just enough to smooth em, not really remove any metal. Those castings are pretty rough.

[James Carmichael]

http://www.grizzly.com/products/items-list.cfm?key=530010&sort=price

They got to be better then the crapsmen. Two right around $500.


Now that's what I'm talkin bout!! I've seen their ads in the WW mags. Anyplace to get these bad boys other than factory direct? The shipping costs must be brutal.

I also like the big cast-iron-topped Rigid at HD, can't remember the model#

I bought the "Crapsman" to do some HI projects, but after researching how do what I needed, got bit by the WW bug. Ironically, I've decided the big project I was gonna do with it, a big 4x7x2 built-in wall unit/bookcase, I'll have to cut with my trusty ol B&D jigsaw and a long straightedge, just too much trouble to make in/outfeed support for 4x8 panels.

[Robert Mayer]

can anyone vouch for the quality of the G0444? It definitely looks like a step above the crapsman I have.

[Perry Schmidt]

Rob,

Now, for you experienced folks, what are your TS recommendations with a $500 budget in mind? The Ryobi BT3100 looks like a lot for the money, but I also like miter slots and a big cast-iron top looks nice, too, so long as it's been stress-relieved and not prone to warp.

I got a BT3000 years ago - very nice saw! But it's a carpenter’s saw, not a woodworking saw. I still have mine, on a fold up cart for 'site' work - although not being a pro, I don't get much 'site' work. It does occasionally come in handy – friends houses, church, etc. And for what I use it for it works very well. If I have any remodeling type work coming up (which I’m done remodeling this house) I would use this saw a lot more.

But for woodworking, it’s not a good saw. To imprecise, no slots, not heavy enough, not enough power, fence is too small, etc… I upgraded to a Grizzly 1023S cabinet saw about a year ago. Wonderful saw!!

If $$$ is a concern (which it always is J) I’d go w/ a Grizzly contractor saw or look at General Industrial for a scratch/dent Jet, or comb the papers for a used saw – takes time, but they do show up occasionally. Or save up for that cabinet saw.

Perry

[Tyler Howell]

Gentlemen,

Be Fare.
You spent many an hour drooling in the show room and paging through the catalogue at the Tools of Craftsman arr arr arr. At one time they did have a quality product. I believe the people making Ridged once produced Craftsman products. Check my facts

Surf the net, there is a WW web sight just for those that use the stuff. There’s some impressive projects too. I spied many a Craftsman in the shops of some excellent WW at SMC.

Sears is “wood butcher light with training wheals”. Almost everyone started there but it is time to move on. Buyer beware. Research your product first. Do not start hanging a lot of stuff of your Craftsman to make it a real saw. Can’t make a silk purse out of a Sows ear.

[Tyler Howell]

Robert don't take a step take a leap. Never buy cheap tools.

[Eddie Severt]

James,
Go to the Grizzly web site to check shipping, they usually have a deal nationwide for a set price that is usually really reasonable. I will be ordering some of their tools as soon as the money is available.
Eddie

[Don Abele]

I had an old Craftsman tablesaw for the longest time (when I got it, it was already 10+ years old and I had for almost 15 more)!!! Of course, that was when they actually made quality products. But I too had the same problem when I started to become more serious in woodworking - the miter slot was odd sized. The top of mine was cast iron. Not wanting to spend money on a new saw, I actually cut the miter slot wider and deeper. I used a straight edge clamped to the table and a circular saw with an abrasive blade and made a series of cuts. Took about 30 minutes to finish and then I epoxied a new miter slot (from Rockler) into the opening. Worked great and was dead on straight and accurate. Stayed that way for about 8 years before the saw finally was killed when the movers dropped it.

Be well,

Doc

[Bruce Page]

The slot is 11/16 wide x 3/8 deep, with that goofy pair of "T" shoulders which are about 1/10" thick. I guess they are supposed to hold the miter gauge in, I dunno, haven't looked at enough TSs to know how the slots are normally setup. There's just over 1/2" clearance between these shoulders, so you make a rabbet on each side of the top of the runner about 3/32" wide and 1/10" deep. Having done all of this, when I screwed the sled panel into the runners, it pulled the runners up so they bind with the shoulders. I'm hoping once I attach front & rear fences the weight will make the runners ride on the bottom of the slot.

Whoa James, back the truck up!

If I’m understanding you correctly, you are trying to make the runners with an inverted "T" and a channel to clear the hump at the bottom of the slot? That’s way too much work! :eek: The runner doesn’t need to be any thicker than about ¼” and just a hair thinner than the width of the main slot, (.687 I believe). The main purpose of the t-slot is to hold the miter gage in the slot when cross cutting wide boards.


Like most of us here, my first saw was a Craftsman. I put a lot of $$ in upgrades with the hope of having a saw with repeatable accuracy that I didn’t have to fiddle with. I finally cut my losses and bought a Unisaw.

[Jim DeLaney]

I also like the big cast-iron-topped Rigid at HD, can't remember the model#

Thar Ridgid saw is basically just a Craftsman in a new suit. Both are/were made by Emerson Electric. Craftsman dropped Emerson maybe five years ago when they went to offshore manufacturing for thir saws, and Home Depot picked them up for their Ridgid line.

[James Carmichael]

Whoa James, back the truck up!

If I’m understanding you correctly, you are trying to make the runners with an inverted "T" and a channel to clear the hump at the bottom of the slot? That’s way too much work! :eek: The runner doesn’t need to be any thicker than about ¼” and just a hair thinner than the width of the main slot, (.687 I believe). The main purpose of the t-slot is to hold the miter gage in the slot when cross cutting wide boards.


Like most of us here, my first saw was a Craftsman. I put a lot of $$ in upgrades with the hope of having a saw with repeatable accuracy that I didn’t have to fiddle with. I finally cut my losses and bought a Unisaw.


Hmmm,

If the runner is just 1/4", that sure doesn't leave much to screw into, plus about a 1/8" reach from sled to runner. Or do you put a spacer block between the runner and sled and screw through that? That would work, so long as the spacer block were only about 1/2" and centered to clear the shoulders for the T.

Anyway, shoulda listened to my gut and waited to get a more serious saw, but had lots of RM projects and a limited budget. Like you, I'm finding a TS to be a money and time pit, I love working with it, but if I'm going to spend that much time and effort, would rather spend it on something better.

[Bruce Page]

Hmmm,

If the runner is just 1/4", that sure doesn't leave much to screw into, plus about a 1/8" reach from sled to runner. Or do you put a spacer block between the runner and sled and screw through that? That would work, so long as the spacer block were only about 1/2" and centered to clear the shoulders for the T.James,

It sounds like you are attaching the runners through the sled base and into the runner. Most sleds, including mine, have the runners attached by screws into the sled base. If you use ¾“ material for the base that would allow for a ½“ bite using a ¾” wood screw.Here is a recent thread that I replied to with some pictures of my sled.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?threadid=5915

[James Carmichael]

James,

It sounds like you are attaching the runners through the sled base and into the runner. Most sleds, including mine, have the runners attached by screws into the sled base. If you use ¾“ material for the base that would allow for a ½“ bite using a ¾” wood screw.Here is a recent thread that I replied to with some pictures of my sled.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?threadid=5915

Thanks for all the input, Bruce. Seems to me no matter how the runners are attached, if they are snug with the panel, they're going to pull up and bind on the T shoulders. Do all TS have a miter retainer like this?

I think my best bet will be as you said, make the runners 1/4" high, but glue on blocks about 1/2 w x 1/8 h that will ride between the T to screw the panel to.

[Chris Padilla]

....I'll have to cut with my trusty ol B&D jigsaw and a long straightedge, just too much trouble to make in/outfeed support for 4x8 panels.

James, I picked up one of those 1.5" thick foam panels from HD (white foam, shiny paper on the other side, used for insulation), lay that on the floor, and use a straight-edge and my worm-drive circular saw (Skil Magnesium one...nice saw...also from HD) to chop up the 4x8 panels into manageable chunks.

When the foam is beyond use, I toss it a buy another one. I still have the one I bought 4 years ago...just don't push the blade to far below the plywood and it'll last a good long time.

[Kurt Aebi]

Noah,

Try using a 1/2 " end mill in your router and running the router on the slower-side (usually routers run a little fast for metals, but aluminum is pretty soft) if you have an adjustable speed. You usually run a mill pretty fast when machining aluminum and if you set-up correctly, you can get good results with your router.

Good luck and if you try it, let us know how it turns out.

[Noah Alkinburgh]

Kurt,

I may just do that. I have a Bosch 1617EVS so I can turn it down slow. Where might I get a 1/2" end mill though?

Noah

[Dar Lounsbury]

Maybe not the easiest idea but a local machine shop quoted me about $100 to re-machine the slots to fit the standard bars. This would be one way to improve the saw without total replacement costs. Perhaps someone in your area would do it for less.

[James Carmichael]

James,

It sounds like you are attaching the runners through the sled base and into the runner. Most sleds, including mine, have the runners attached by screws into the sled base. If you use ¾“ material for the base that would allow for a ½“ bite using a ¾” wood screw.Here is a recent thread that I replied to with some pictures of my sled.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?threadid=5915

Hey Bruce,

First, apologies for turning this thread into War & Peace :D

I was over at Harbor Freight this evening to pick up some clamps and looked at their cabinet saw. Now I know HF stuff is questionable, but the miter slot on this saw was an upside down T. Is that the standard type? On the Craftsman (the lower end stuff made by Rexxon), the T would be rightside up, there's only two of them (I call them shoulder's) about 1.5" long on each slot. I think the only way to make runners that won't bind is to make them to fit between these shoulders, rather than the full width of the slot.

If I keep the saw, I liked the earlier suggestion of grinding out the slot and replacing with an after-market slot.

[CPeter James]

Rob,

I'm in the exact same boat and feel your pain!!!

I was measuring my miter slots just the other night after my first try at runners for a crosscut sled. Making jigs, etc. for this saw definitely help develop your measuring skills!

The slot is 11/16 wide x 3/8 deep, with that goofy pair of "T" shoulders which are about 1/10" thick. I guess they are supposed to hold the miter gauge in, I dunno, haven't looked at enough TSs to know how the slots are normally setup. There's just over 1/2" clearance between these shoulders, so you make a rabbet on each side of the top of the runner about 3/32" wide and 1/10" deep. Having done all of this, when I screwed the sled panel into the runners, it pulled the runners up so they bind with the shoulders. I'm hoping once I attach front & rear fences the weight will make the runners ride on the bottom of the slot.

What really makes no sense though, is that tiny little raised strip down the center bottom of the miter slots. Look at the bottom of the gauge that came with the saw, and there is no corresponding slot, so a sloppy fit to the miter slot is guaranteed. It is also keeps my runners from riding in the bottom of the miter slot, until I cut a very shallow dado down the middle bottom of my runners (the raised portion is .175" wide). I was actually thinking of taking the gauge off of it's track and mounting to one of my homemade runners, which should fit the slots much better than the stock one once I'm done.

Then there's the making throat inserts. There's 7 different contact points in the throat that have to be inlet at 6 different depths to fit level.

I figure an infeed table and fence extension are a must, there's about 4" on the front of the table, not nearly enough for aligning longer pieces.

I understand Sears will refund 80% of purchase price on these things if returned within 1 year so long as you have the receipt. I've gotten my feet wet and don't think I want to waste anymore time and effort trying to make a pig fly.

Now, for you experienced folks, what are your TS recommendations with a $500 budget in mind? The Ryobi BT3100 looks like a lot for the money, but I also like miter slots and a big cast-iron top looks nice, too, so long as it's been stress-relieved and not prone to warp.


The General 10" Contractor saw at $649 looks real good. Two cast iron wings. The 30" fence is made in Canada. It is a Bies knockoff under license. Two hp motor and can be had in either left or right tilt. Left is safer.

CPeter

[Bart Leetch]

I messed around with a saw similar to this one with the aluminum top & the wings that pulled out & a pull out extension on the rear of the saw.

The Miter slots had 1 narrower area a few inches in from the front & back of the miter slot these narrower areas were about 1" - 1 1/4" long front to back and were about about 1/3 the depth of the miter slot & stuck out into the miter slot about 1/8". Is this what you have?

I made a sled by gluing 2 pieces of oak together with the narrower one on top but it still gave me some problems because the machining on these saws is not very precise. I would file these protrusions off & machine a miter bar down to fit. Or junk the saw & get a good one.

[CPeter James]

I have spent over $1,000.00 fixing up an older cabinet saw and while it does work well, it is still a 60 year old saw that has been fixed up and it does have a few strange things about it. For $649.00, you can get a General 10", 2 hp contractors saw with 2 cast iron wings and a Biesmeyer type fence. The fence is made in Canada by General and they have the saw made in Taiwan, just like everyone else. This looks like a great deal and a good solid saw that wieghs over 300 pounds, so it should be stable and smooth. DON"T spend any more money on what you have. I have a friend in the same situation and he is going to bite the bullet, sell his old saw for what he can get and buy new. That is my advise to you also.

Fixing up you saw is a slippery slope you don't want to start down. Been there and done that and it ain't woth it, trust me!!!
CPeter

[David A]

Former lurker -- just registered in order to join the "unhappy with craftsman table saw purchase" club.

I don't have much to contribute to the non-standard miter slot issue but I could add a couple of holistic / philosophical comments: I think the first reaction of those of us who purchased one of these (as opposed to those who just ended up one through hand me downs etc) is understandable disappointment. I certainly have gone through that in the last couple of months (purchased Sept 2003). Even felt cheated (?) But did Sears really cheat us - I doubt it. We just made a mistake.

I'm not even sure it was a mistake. What options did we have - or actually, did I have? At the time, I didn't know zilch about woodworking. All I wanted to do is to cut wood to make "things". Didn't know about slots, iron vs aluminum, good and bad fences, the difference between shopvacs and dust collectors. As methodical as I am, I didn't have the slightest about what questions to ask before I purchased. The three outlets for me were HD, Sears and Woodcraft. I never considered HD a good source for equipment. Woodcraft only carried expensive stuff. And I didn't know if I'd keep "cutting wood" or get bored and stop. So I never thought of spending $400 and above at the time. Good old dependable Sears "had to have" something passable. I got the $179 Sears table saw with "dust collection system" which is nothing but a fabric bag, and the wheeled stand. On second thought, could have gotten just saw for $100 and done quite well with the saw on a bench.

What did I get for $100? A motor that spins a blade. Everything else is second grade. Did I make anything with it? Yes I made filing cabinet that's still standing and made many mistakes and learned a lot.

Which brings me to the phiosophical part. We made the best judgment at the time. In exhange for $100 to $200, we learned a lot. ** We would not have gotten started if we had not bought one of these ** Real woodworking requires precision, you don't get precision for under $200. Spent many hours / days figuring out how to really adjust the fence (hopeless), how to attach the DC hose, how to make the miter slot runner (took me a day to make one that would fit) Those learnings are worth more than $200. And we wouldn't have learned if we had spent $800 and above.

Now do I think Sears should continue selling these units? As long as they describe it accurately, I guess they should. (Please, drop the "dust collection system" and "accu-ride fence" designation) Will the buyers be happy? Probably not. But they'd be one more aspiring woodworker. Will they be induced to buy a better unit from Sears? I wouldn't. Question: Do you think this is all a ploy by the better manufacturers to get newbies in to the field in order to sell them expensive units later on? :-)

Now that that's off my chest, I wouldn't try real hard to make real good runners for it because you won't keep the machine long enough to enjoy them. But if you take it as an exercise you will learn about how to make things that fit right and may give the runners away as a gift to the next unsuspecting aspiring woodworkers that you unload your table saw for $10 in the next garage sale.

Cheers
David

[Ted Shrader]

I was over at Harbor Freight this evening and looked at their cabinet saw. . . but the miter slot on this saw was an upside down T. Is that the standard type?

James -

Yes. The T slot is designed to accommodate a washer on the bottom of the miter bar. The washer's job is to keep the miter gauge (or whatever is in the track) from tilting while it is not fully on the table.

Ted

[Chris Knight]

Tee slots are very common on most machines here in the UK where everything has gone European. Unfortunately there's no standard for the tee slots various mfrs use! I have made up runners in wood and metal - but I have had to mill the metal ones on my little Myford metal working lathe.

They are uneccessary and a pain in most woodworking situations where no vertical pull is going to be exerted on them but we have to live with them. It is not hard to make good wooden runners on the router table and I make up a bunch of two to three foot lengths at a time in oak. I find these can be used in most situations where you need a runner to fit the slot.

My router table is equipped with an Incra Ultra jig and a Woodpecker plunge lift, so I have plenty of control over fine dimensions, I would not like to have to make them without these aids.

I have at times simply made the runners to fit the narrow part of the slot and they work too.

[James Carmichael]

I messed around with a saw similar to this one with the aluminum top & the wings that pulled out & a pull out extension on the rear of the saw.

The Miter slots had 1 narrower area a few inches in from the front & back of the miter slot these narrower areas were about 1" - 1 1/4" long front to back and were about about 1/3 the depth of the miter slot & stuck out into the miter slot about 1/8". Is this what you have?

I made a sled by gluing 2 pieces of oak together with the narrower one on top but it still gave me some problems because the machining on these saws is not very precise. I would file these protrusions off & machine a miter bar down to fit. Or junk the saw & get a good one.

Yep, you described my miter slots to a T Bart (pun intended!) .

Well, I guess chalk this one up to "lesson learned". As a former competitive shooter and amateur gun hack, I am near obsessive about metal finishing and can't believe I didn't look give this miter slot a better inspection before buying. The really annoying thing about it is that rather than finish the bottom of the slot flat & smooth, they give you a narrow flat .175" wide for the miter gauge to ride on, a sloppy fit is guaranteed.

Started on my birch plywood bookcase last night using my old Skill circ saw and a $20 Johnson straightedge. Using this straightedge and lighly scoring the wood with the blade first, then making a second pass to actually cut, I'm get squarer, smoother cuts than I've ever gotten on my Craftsman and the DeWalt TCG blade I bought to cut plywood on it (my circ saw blade is also a DeWalt plywood blade, but runs about $8!).

[Bart Leetch]

James

I would just use the living day lights out of this saw I used one while my Big Craftsman contractors saw was down (I had a new arbor made for it so I could cut dado's) I used a straight edge & my circular saw to cut down 3/4" plywood into handleable pieces & used the little Sears saw to cut smaller pieces & the rip the Birch for the face frame for the 57" long base cabinet for my Craftsman contractors saw. I now have the new arbor installed & the saw is on the new cabinet with 6 drawers & a dust chamber with sloped floor which I am now running the duct work from the DC for. The cabinet made a big difference the saw now has a much more solid feel plus all the storage for push sticks & the 2 Grr-Rippers that I am waiting to arrive that I ordered through SMC, blades, board buddies, throat plates, router bits, wrenches for the saw & router table in the left wing which I still have to build & install.

If I has it to do all over again I would purchase one of the Grizzly G1023SL's or the G1023Sax's. However having already had this saw I opted to go this route. Anyone having a good contractors saw I would recommend building a good base cabinet, you won't believe the difference it makes.




Yep, you described my miter slots to a T Bart (pun intended!) .

Well, I guess chalk this one up to "lesson learned". As a former competitive shooter and amateur gun hack, I am near obsessive about metal finishing and can't believe I didn't look give this miter slot a better inspection before buying. The really annoying thing about it is that rather than finish the bottom of the slot flat & smooth, they give you a narrow flat .175" wide for the miter gage to ride on, a sloppy fit is guaranteed.

Started on my birch plywood bookcase last night using my old Skill circ saw and a $20 Johnson straightedge. Using this straightedge and lighly scoring the wood with the blade first, then making a second pass to actually cut, I'm get squarer, smoother cuts than I've ever gotten on my Craftsman and the DeWalt TCG blade I bought to cut plywood on it (my circ saw blade is also a DeWalt plywood blade, but runs about $8!).

[James Carmichael]

James

I would just use the living day lights out of this saw I used one while my Big Craftsman contractors saw was down (I had a new arbor made for it so I could cut dado's) I used a straight edge & my circular saw to cut down 3/4" plywood into handleable pieces & used the little Sears saw to cut smaller pieces & the rip the Birch for the face frame for the 57" long base cabinet for my Craftsman contractors saw. I now have the new arbor installed & the saw is on the new cabinet with 6 drawers & a dust chamber with sloped floor which I am now running the duct work from the DC for. The cabinet made a big difference the saw now has a much more solid feel plus all the storage for push sticks & the 2 Grr-Rippers that I am waiting to arrive that I ordered through SMC, blades, board buddies, throat plates, router bits, wrenches for the saw & router table in the left wing which I still have to build & install.

If I has it to do all over again I would purchase one of the Grizzly G1023SL's or the G1023Sax's. However having already had this saw I opted to go this route. Anyone having a good contractors saw I would recommend building a good base cabinet, you won't believe the difference it makes.


Bart,

Would love to see some pics and details of your cabinet. The lightweight feel of this saw is my chief complaint, along with the miter tracks. At lot of people complain about the fence, but I haven't had a problem with it, it's plenty accurate.

I know now it was silly to think I could rip 4x8 stock on this saw, it'd tip over. So instead of building a bunch of in/outfeed support, I just built a simple 4x8 frame out of some studs that were lying around and put it on top of sawhorses. With the Johnson straightedge, it's a great poor-man's panel saw, the workpiece is completely supported and clamped to the frame. Make's much more sense to move the saw over something that big than the other way around.

I can't get over how smooth the cuts come out by scoring first, with one little piece of tape on the end where the blade exits the cut, I get zero tear out and don't even need to sand. One of the tricks I've learned by visiting this and other WW forums.

[Bart Leetch]

James

For that saw I would just build a base that is about 1/3 deeper front to back & as wide as the wings will go out of 4x4 legs & 2x4 cross pieces with plywood on top to bolt it to with a shelf underneath & put a couple of 8" concrete block on the shelf. Presto not much material & plenty of weight. Don't build a cabinet like I did for my contractor saw you'd have more money & time in the cabinet than the saw is worth. I just read this to the LOML & she said thats true.

I think what I got the most tired of was how this saw flung the sawdust in my face not to mention all over the shop.

I'll post pics some day I still need to finish the enclosure for the backside of the saw & wipe it down with Watco.

I just finished running the DC for it today still need to make the blast gates for it & the jointer & router table. I plan to use choke cables to actuate the blast gates as they are on the other end of the tool from where I stand.