Did we scare him away with all the good responses? I was going this way but, veered off. It seemed to work better for me to use the saw as it was until I was ready to upgrade. My saws were 1970's Rockwell and a 1970's Craftsman/Emmerson. Neither would hold alignment at a bevel angle due to frame/trunnion flex under the stress of the motor weight. I still have Granpa's 1950's Emmerson that I plan to use as a 90* rip-only station and will undoubtedly build it into some sort of base if/when I do.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler