weve got a forum for just about every machine except table saws. so i thought id add one. need info on buying a saw, or advice on problems with your saw this will be the place to ask. or share upgrades youve done with your saw thats made it better.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
so yes there is a reason i started this is because im hoping someone can help me with this problem. my saw is about 35 years old, italian made by MINI MAX. problem is i need a miter gauge but pretty much every saw out there has a standard 3/4 x 3/8 miter slot. this saw is 3/4 x 1/4 ! i cannot find any one that makes one this size. anyone know of a manufacturer that makes one ? the one that came with it is not square and no way to adjust it.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
MiniMax rebadges European tools, typically the higher end stuff. My Mini Max bandsaw is an Itialian Centaro.
You always have to watch out for the subtle items that might be non-standard.
I bought two lenghts of 3/4" x 3/8" machined steel bar for future miter uses from MSC driect. I'm sure they also sell the same in 1/4" so you could retrofit most any aftermarket miter.
oh thanks kenny. ive been looking at the jess em. but now im think of a sled like incra and rockler make with an adjustable angle gauge. even if it raises the sled i can shim the bottom to make it level ? still trying to decide what will best suit my needs ? but hey if i go with the jess em ill take ya up on that very generous offer my friend.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
My first stop would be a Sketchup designed, laser cut mitre guage. However if you have mastered bowl turning, you'd be crazy enough to make your own mitre slide to fit to any reasonable mitre gauge... even an Incra.
As you have asked for upgrades and other non-related feedback....
Upgrading from a Triton 2000 Workcentre,
(which was upgraded from a Triton MK.II... g'donya George), not really knowing what I was doing I bought what was then classed affectionately as "contractor's saw", before I was banned from the big smoke and forced into cohabiting with the rabble in downtown Churchill... so pottzy, you're banishment from LJ is back page news)... which makes it about 16+ years old.
It has a sliding table on the left and that poopsie fence was quickly replaced by a more functional Biesemeyer style fence. Naturally, wheel were a must, which should've been the move before the assembly... amounting after, was a pain... but i was a green novice.
Over the years, I have gotten rid of that framework base, added a router table extension and provided some better under table storage, to the point that I now consider it as a full sized tablesaw.
Unfortunately, I cannot spruik the saw as it has been discontinued. IT was one of those generic styles that came off a Taiwanese production line and branded by anyone that had a few shekels to spare. Unfortunately it was a bloody great saw and upon re-evaluation by manufacturers/suppliers, when the cost was raised to what it was actually worth, no one was prepared to pay that much for a non-full sized saw (at least that was the rumours in the trade).... so dream on and if you can find a 2nd. hand one I would recommend it Bottom line is that a good tablesaw is what you morph your purchase into. Off your rrs and make a timber mitre slide. All saws have their pros and cons and probably most owners will say theirs is the best, but it's what you make of it that makes it good (and unique).
However, in my humble opinion, if you must pick a brand, it has to be SawStop. With it's foibles and countless premature ejacu. tripping reports, a few hundred shekels is not a great sacrifice for that avoidance of medical intervention that can add a few 0's to the end of what many considered excessive wasted shekels.
A for the axe on top of the tablesaw, Here in Aussieland, guns are banned and there are many home invasions by young recidivating thugs armed with machetes. I think I can better protect myself with a Tormek razor sharpened, than my bare arms.
If your first cut is too short... Take the second cut from the longer end... LBD
LBD, the base my saw sits on looks very similar to yours but I haven’t gotten around to putting the drawers in yet. I’ve had the slides since I build the base about 5 years ago. I really need to do it. I’m wasting a lot of organized space.
duck thanks for your contribution. ill post some upgrades ive done to my tablesaws tomorrow.
martin seems content with the growth of the forum, i am not. so ill do what i can to encourage more new members to join us rather than the prison colony known as lumber jocks !!!!!
so what im saying people is create content that will be of interest and get people to join us. i think for someone checking us out we might seem like a good ol boys club of advanced woodworkers, and that will deter most from joining.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
This is the old Craftsman 113.xx contractor’s saw my father-in-law gave me many moons ago. It was underpowered, but worked ok with thin kerf blades. I added the Incra fence because the Craftsman fence sucked. Then I hung a router lift on the left side…then I went down a rabbit hole and built a surround for it as a way to add storage and to work on my cabinet skills. I upgraded to adult saw blades and it actually works just fine for what I do. I never meant to keep the saw, but it’s still with me! Does what I want it to do, although I keep telling myself I’m going to upgrade the motor…but I haven’t.
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Much like LBD, my Powermatic 63A contractor saw came on a folded steel stand. I needed it mobile so decided to build a rolling cabinet for it.
Unlike LBD, I quit before I got drawers and shelves done so the storage area is just an open space with everything thrown in. The drawer on the left is one I found on the side of the road and is just sitting in there. No slides. On the right, a blade carrier, a dado stack, box joint stack, and my Incra iBox jig and spare backers.
On the top shelf under the right extension: My Incra HD miter gauge, my most used blades in much nicer carriers that I eventually intend all my blades to have, and a tenon jig.
On the left side, I put a cleat where my fence can sit when not in use and a couple hangers for a second dado stack, a sander disc, and a plate for setting up the fence and miter gauge square.
The back just has the motor hanging off but eventually the plan is a fold-down extension table. The saw came with a really nice Vega fence so I haven’t had any need to upgrade it. The PO put some blade marks in it but it’s never been a problem so I haven’t even put a sacrifical face on it.
It’s one of those projects I stopped at “good enough for now” and never completed. Maybe one day I’ll be able to show an update with drawers and custom built holders for the blades and jigs. I can say for sure, it’ll never look like Ryans though! That’s awesome Ryan 😎
damn ryan you took a cheap saw and made into a pretty nice setup. kenny that was my second saw after a cheap makita portable saw. mine came with a vega fence which i really liked a lot.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
Great thread Pottzy!!! Love looking at the set ups....Greaty jobs guys....Ryan, last time I saw that much gold extrusion was in a jewelry store!!! Well done!
the fence is an excaliber that has been stretched to 48" with a BOW auxilery fence clamped on. it's 5" tall and has a channel to attach their feather boards. i did a review on it if your interested. a clip board holder rides with the fence so your cut list is always handy. push sticks ride on top so always right where you need em. this drawer is for measuring gauges and wrenches. i have a wixey for the fence. i made this to store my sleds, spline jig and sacrificial fence. nitrile gloves and bostik sprays. another compartment for feather boards and throat plates. this saw has a sliding table but i rarely ever have it on the saw as it takes up a lot of floor space and i do all my cross cuts on my RAS. i just checke it for square and it's dead on. the miter gauge that came with it is crap though. dust collection is not very good though, way too many open areas under the top so it's hard to get any suction.
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
A bit embarrassed because none of my shit is pretty, and only semi functionable at best. I know most of you are restricted by space, but the biggest help for me has been the fall off table and extended side table. I also have a roll around bench the same height as the table saw which lets my old man muscles cut down 4 x 8 sheets without a lot of trouble.
I've been using this set up for probably over 20 years. I also have my RAS table at the same height so panels can slide right off the table saw onto it. I always said to myself some day I will build some nice stuff, but it just never happened.
Figuring out how to do something you have never done is what makes a good challenge.
for what you do bent youve got a setup thats does what you need, something many wish they had the room for. pretty doesn't make you money. now you know those RAS are "dangerous" dont you ? 😁
working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.
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