Repurposing cheap table saw?

I finally bit the bullet and bought a table saw (DeWalt DWE7491RS) that isn't a pile of junk. It's still not the hybrid or cabinet saw I wanted, but it's the best I can do until I have space and actually start doing more woodworking. But, now I have my old pile-of-junk saw, a Ryobi BTS21, and I don't know what to do with it. The fence is garbage, but there must be something I can do with it besides throw it out or recycle it.

Any ideas on how I could repurpose, rehab, or otherwise salvage parts of the saw?

I was considering pulling the motor and making a disc sander. But, what else can I do with it? The table is in decent shape. I don't know how flat it is, but maybe it could be used for something? What about the folding stand portion?

I would get it working and keep a dado set on it or sell it cheap. I have a sanding disc for my TS but it has limited uses due to the high speed. You can remove lots of wood really fast though.

The saw does run. My main problems with it are: the fence never stays put and the blade angle wanders during the cut because the clamp mechanism can't turn tightly enough. I'd be pretty hesitant to sell or donate it just because of safety concerns. Those are also the reasons I don't really feel safe using it as a table saw.

Is there any way to regulate the speed of the saw motor for sanding use? Being single-phase, it seems that may not be feasible.

I've already detached the saw from the fold-up base. I'm thinking I can use the base as a mobile tool platform for something else. Or even attach a simple box to it so I have a mobile outfeed table.

router table, Drill press table, flat assembly/glueup table.
Bil lD.

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Originally Posted by Eric Schubert

The saw does run. My main problems with it are: the fence never stays put and the blade angle wanders during the cut because the clamp mechanism can't turn tightly enough. I'd be pretty hesitant to sell or donate it just because of safety concerns. Those are also the reasons I don't really feel safe using it as a table saw.

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Either sell it with disclaimers for a few shekels or turn it in to be recycled. There's little point in trying to make a tool that doesn't stay adjusted work. It could go into a stand/fence setup like Rossau used to sell if they are still available, of course, but you'd be spending a lot of money for a tool you don't exactly need. And that would also take up valuable space.

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Originally Posted by Jim Becker

Either sell it with disclaimers for a few shekels or turn it in to be recycled. There's little point in trying to make a tool that doesn't stay adjusted work. It could go into a stand/fence setup like Rossau used to sell if they are still available, of course, but you'd be spending a lot of money for a tool you don't exactly need. And that would also take up valuable space.

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Good points. I may keep the mobile base, as I think it could be useful to mount something I want to be portable. But the saw itself... I may just post it for free (with disclaimers) on Craigslist to get it out of the shop.

I had one of the older Ryobi saws that finally gave up the ghost. It ran but it wasn't saf3 to use so it went to the junk yard. The mobile base now carries my older Delta planer after being equipped with four casters to make it easier to move. Works okay.

I've got an old BT3000 sitting in the shop. It's main function is a router table but it occasionally gets used for saw work if the Unisaw is set up and I don't want to break the set up. That said, I've also put a flat disc on it and used it as a disc sander. Yes the speed is high but when I used it it didn't seem to be a problem. Mine has a universal motor so it's possible to put a speed reducer on it to slow it down. No idea what sort of motor is on your saw but if it's Ryobi odds are it's universal. Would work for freehand sanding

If you sell it for a parts saw making perfectly clear what is wrong with it I would not sweat it. Someone might need the motor or other parts.

Rather than mess around with repurposing the parts and pieces, I ended up posting it for free on Craigslist. It was gone within an hour. I kept the mobile base to mount something else on it later.

If it still runs and cuts well and you have the room for it, fit a crosscut sled and make it a dedicated crosscut saw.

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Originally Posted by Davis Young

If it still runs and cuts well and you have the room for it, fit a crosscut sled and make it a dedicated crosscut saw.

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If you look at my earlier post, you'll see it does not cut well or run safely. In any case, it's already gone.

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Originally Posted by Eric Schubert

Rather than mess around with repurposing the parts and pieces, I ended up posting it for free on Craigslist. It was gone within an hour. I kept the mobile base to mount something else on it later.

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Good man.

One less trip to the landfill.

Kudos

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Originally Posted by Jim Matthews

Good man.

One less trip to the landfill.

Kudos

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At the very least, I try not to throw out stuff with usable parts. The motor still works. I figure someone can at least pull that out and use it for something. And if they toss the rest, they can make the trip to the landfill, lol.