Homemade table saw and fence
- 7 years ago
This topic has already been covered extensively on YouTube, and as such, I saw no reason to bother with a build video. But I do think that I have a few good ideas to offer to the making of a simple homemade table-saw, and so I decided to make this video as a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing. I am especially pleased with the fence design. \r
\r
The table-saw:\r
This was made quickly and without too much thought; I did not look at any videos or designs from others first, because I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I know from experience that the more I think on a subject, the more I tend to add to and develop to the original ideas, which can quickly start to burden (what was) a simple plan. As an aside, I was out of 2x4 when I made this, so I had to make the main support beams shorter than I would have preferred. I may replace them to add length to the right side of the saw table, or just build another- I havent yet decided. In either case, the saw is limited to cuts under 6 inches, and that will work for now, but thats far too small for the homemade table-saw show. \r
\r
The fence:\r
I did look at several of the designs out there for these before I built it. Without mentioning any names, there have been some nice approaches to this (rather difficult) problem out there, but none of them quite seemed to nail the right balance of ease, simplicity, and functionality. I had also considered making an upside-down French cleat styled friction lock as backup plan A, and backup plan B was to simply mount a permanent Harbor Freight clamp (that was cut in half and recessed inside) to the operators side of the fence. As it turned out, the final product has exceeded my expectations, which justified making this into an impromptu video about the thing.\r
\r
ZIP-TIES: \r
No, I do not want to use zip-ties to hold the trigger on. The last thing that I want is a power-saw that turns on whenever it is plugged in. That goofy-shaped stick makes it abundantly clear that the device is on, but it can be quickly yanked out without having to cut and replace anything. Further, an additional switch adds complexity with little advantage. Add one if you prefer, but I see little benefit. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a secondary saw; you need to know when to stop improving things, especially since improvements always add weight, and in this case, cords. All that being said, I think that if I were to be using this for an extended period of time, I still might plug it into a power strip temporarily for the switch, but I would certainly not consider doing so as essential.
\r
The table-saw:\r
This was made quickly and without too much thought; I did not look at any videos or designs from others first, because I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I know from experience that the more I think on a subject, the more I tend to add to and develop to the original ideas, which can quickly start to burden (what was) a simple plan. As an aside, I was out of 2x4 when I made this, so I had to make the main support beams shorter than I would have preferred. I may replace them to add length to the right side of the saw table, or just build another- I havent yet decided. In either case, the saw is limited to cuts under 6 inches, and that will work for now, but thats far too small for the homemade table-saw show. \r
\r
The fence:\r
I did look at several of the designs out there for these before I built it. Without mentioning any names, there have been some nice approaches to this (rather difficult) problem out there, but none of them quite seemed to nail the right balance of ease, simplicity, and functionality. I had also considered making an upside-down French cleat styled friction lock as backup plan A, and backup plan B was to simply mount a permanent Harbor Freight clamp (that was cut in half and recessed inside) to the operators side of the fence. As it turned out, the final product has exceeded my expectations, which justified making this into an impromptu video about the thing.\r
\r
ZIP-TIES: \r
No, I do not want to use zip-ties to hold the trigger on. The last thing that I want is a power-saw that turns on whenever it is plugged in. That goofy-shaped stick makes it abundantly clear that the device is on, but it can be quickly yanked out without having to cut and replace anything. Further, an additional switch adds complexity with little advantage. Add one if you prefer, but I see little benefit. Keep in mind that this is supposed to be a secondary saw; you need to know when to stop improving things, especially since improvements always add weight, and in this case, cords. All that being said, I think that if I were to be using this for an extended period of time, I still might plug it into a power strip temporarily for the switch, but I would certainly not consider doing so as essential.