I've made some purchases, what else do I need?

[Kyle Costlow]

I have my 100$ used craftsman saw now so I got on amazon.com and bought a new Fenner Drives 0418030SL PowerTwist Plus V-Belt and the new Freud p410 blade, total was about 104$
I hope those were good choices. After I get the saw cleaned up, what other accessories will I need/want. I have a good fence already.
I think a panel jig sounds cool, but I don't quite understand what the benefit is. I will need to cut lots of matching panels for the projects I plan to build, is that jig one I should try to build? Any other necessities I should look into.
I still have a small budget surplus going:)
I am really thankful for all the advice I have gotten thus far!

[Greg Hines, MD]

A panel sled is a good first project, because you will use it to make the others. The benefit to it is that it allows you to accurately make crosscuts a lot safer than with just the standard miter gauge that came with the saw. I use mine all the time, and not just for making wide panel cuts, but for narrow board cuts too, and it works great for that as well.

As to what else you need, I would invest in some pushsticks or pads, or you can make your own. Personally, I have a Grripper, and think it is a big help with ripping and holding down stock as it is milled.

Doc

[keith ouellette]

I'm not sure if you are talking things to go with your saw or tools in general but

I think a router and router table are very valuable to the workshop. There is a show called the router workshop and I am amazed at all the things the guy does with his router table.

Build a cross cut sled. Its a must for squaring up small panels and cross cutting long pieces.

dust collection: Harbor freight has a small cheap one on sale in march. you will have to get their bag upgrade.

don't forget the clamps.

[Julian Wong]

Clamps! Clamps! Clamps!
You can never have enough clamps!

[Ben Cadotte]

Cross cut sled should be top of your list. If you have the time, I would make a large one for panels, and a small one for normal use. If you don't have a miter saw. Maybe try and pick up a GOOD miter gauge for the saw for miter cuts. There are several good ones for $100 - $130 or so right now. Incra, Osborne, Kreg, Rockler, more. Can get precise miters easilly with these.

Don't forget to get some WOOD!! :D

[Greg Peterson]

I have my 100$ used craftsman saw now so I got on amazon.com and bought a new Fenner Drives 0418030SL PowerTwist Plus V-Belt and the new Freud p410 blade, total was about 104$
I hope those were good choices.

Indeed, these were good choices. The saw will run very smooth with that belt. And a quality blade is always a must.

Next thing to buy? Depends on what you plan on building. Looking at your reptile enclosures I'm guessing you may want to look at Kreg joinery systems. Perhaps a circular saw for cutting down sheet goods.

[Marc Prudhomme]

Figure out what you will be using for a dust collection system.I recomend at least a 1200 CFM MODEL WITH A 1 MICRON BAG.Whatever machines you buy in the future can be hooked up to this unit
Marc

[Kyle Costlow]

I probably should have elaborated on what I already have. I've been piecing together my little shop over the past year.
The tools I have include;

Hitachi 7" Circular saw, with basic 24 tooth blade
Black&Decker Plunge Router(newer model)
Hitachi 3/8th inch corded drill
Ryobi 18 volt cordless Drill and circular saw
Grizzly 14 volt cordless drill/jigsaw(pretty crappy jigsaw, but to their credit, its a discontinued model...)
Ryobi 10" Miter saw(I put a 50tooth avanti blade on it)
Kreg pocket hole jig, the portable one with two drill holes, the big kit seemed overpriced.
A few clamps, 12-24inch spreader/clamps and a few 36" cabinet clamps.
a 55" circular saw/router guide
48" and 12" levels, hammers, tape measure, utility squares, speed square, combination square, architects triangles(my father is an architect) nail punches, vice grips/pliers all those sorts of things
I would really like to make a panel sled, can anyone tell/show me how?
I would also like to get/make a router table. the plans I have seen so far seem a bit beyond my current skill set.
I would also like to know what other table saw care/performance items you find useful(I realize some things are quite specialized)

[Greg Hines, MD]

A panel sled is not that hard to build, but you just need to pay attention to keeping thing square as you build it.

That said, the first thing you have to do is tune up your new tablesaw. You don't want to build a sled square to the blade, only to find out later that the blade was not square to the table.

There are really only three pieces to make a panel sled. A runner, planed or ripped to the width and thickness of your miter slot, the base, which can be any size that is comfortable for you, and the fence.

By mounting the runner to the bottom of the base with a bit of material to spare, when you run it by the blade, it will cut the edge flush with the blade, and parallel to the miter slot. Then use a framing square to mount the fence at 90 degrees to the cutline. Viola. You are done.

I did make a piece to fit the far side of the blade opposite the sled, to catch the fall off piece. I used one for a while without it, but was always disappointed at the tearout I would get at the end of the cut, and having support on that side seems to work best for me.

Doc