Tablesaw cabinet material

[Doug Jones]

I've seen a lot of you folks tablesaw cabinets and you have inspired me to do something along the same line with my contractor saw this spring/summer. My question is, would 3/4" pine make a good durable cabinet? I have access to lots of pine lumber (actually they are pallets that have not seen any outdoor weathering).
TIA, Doug

[Todd Burch]

Doug, if pine is what you have, pine is what you should use! Joint it well and fasten it good.

[Doug Jones]

Doug, if pine is what you have, pine is what you should use! Joint it well and fasten it good.
Thanks for the reply Todd. Its not that pine is the only thing I have, its just I can't justify paying for wood for a cabinet out in the shop when free wood is readily available. My question was would pine stand up to the demands of a table saw as well as the weight?

[Chris Padilla]

Doug,

I think the pine will be fine as long as you design a strong, sturdy cabinet and finish it appropriately. One can make sturdy, long-lasting cabinets out of darn-near anything with some forethought into the design.

If I had a pile of basically free pile of wood you can bet your bottom-dollar that I would attempt to use it wherever I could.

Don't let the fact that it is called a softwood scare you at all. Go for it. I've seen plenty of floors made from pine, siding for barns, and even my front door is all douglas fir.

[Tyler Howell]

Doug,
Those pine pallets will be around long after the end of the world. My observation in trying to salvage some of the wood from pallets is they are put together so tough they that you will invest a lot of energy and time and may damage more lumber than recover. What is your time worth??
Good Luck, be sure to post some pics