Okay, I see it now. Nice collection of equipment. I'd be jealous except that I couldn't fit any of your stuff into my space. Where are all the bits and pieces of stuff you can never bring yourself to throw away? Where are all the drop cords and air lines and saw dust and wood shavings? I also notice a serious shortage of meat.
My version of a cutting table
- Thread starter tom.smith
- Start date
I spent zero time cleaning before my picture was taken. I didn't even sweep the floor, as you can see. You're seeing my shop warts and all, exactly as it appears every day of the week. It's a working shop, not a tool museum. I'm pretty anal-retentive about keeping it kind of tidy most of the time. When you've got so little room, you don't have many alternatives. Likewise, when you don't have room to pile stuff up, you never get into that bad habit. Working in a closet is actually a good learning experience.
I love the fence though I don't really use it to its potential. I like to call it a mindless fence because it's so easy to use. I like the precision and repeatability and no bumping. Whatever your desired measurement is is what you set the fence to and a week later you can set it exactly to that same measurement again.fshanno said:
It's also great for left tilt saws because whenever you change blades you zero the fence by sliding the scale one way or the other.
Tom,
That is a very nice concept. I like it a lot and think about copying it.
When you saw through a sheet, do you just sacrifice the surface of the beams, or do you put a sacrificial sheet of mdf or whatever underneath?
Or, alternatively, do you reduce the depth of the saw to just the thickness of the sheet?
Best regards, Carl.
That is a very nice concept. I like it a lot and think about copying it.
When you saw through a sheet, do you just sacrifice the surface of the beams, or do you put a sacrificial sheet of mdf or whatever underneath?
Or, alternatively, do you reduce the depth of the saw to just the thickness of the sheet?
Best regards, Carl.
Hi Tom,
Nice table.
Wondering how you like the sawstop? I'm on the fence between the ss contractor and pro cab saw, but will almost certainly buy one of the two in the next month. Just have to decide if I want to spend the money to run a new subpanel down into my basement so I can have 220 available.
Fred
Nice table.
Wondering how you like the sawstop? I'm on the fence between the ss contractor and pro cab saw, but will almost certainly buy one of the two in the next month. Just have to decide if I want to spend the money to run a new subpanel down into my basement so I can have 220 available.
Fred
CJ,
I sacrifice the 2 X 4s and don't worry about them even a little bit. They'll last a lifetime. I do take care of the plywood that I throw on it when I need to use it as an assembly table or workbench. but that's it. The table in these pictures replaced something similar (minus the Festool profiles) that I'd been using for a decade, and it's still serviceable enough that I gave it to a friend.
bruegf,
The SawStop has been everything you'd imagine a high-end cabinet saw would be. Ultra-smooth, precise, a joy to work with. It makes me better at what I do. Knowing that I'll keep all ten (assuming the router table doesn't get me first) is icing on the cake. I've not needed the brake yet, and I hope to keep it that way. Of all the tools in my shop, it's the one that I feel best about letting my two grandsons work with.
I sacrifice the 2 X 4s and don't worry about them even a little bit. They'll last a lifetime. I do take care of the plywood that I throw on it when I need to use it as an assembly table or workbench. but that's it. The table in these pictures replaced something similar (minus the Festool profiles) that I'd been using for a decade, and it's still serviceable enough that I gave it to a friend.
bruegf,
The SawStop has been everything you'd imagine a high-end cabinet saw would be. Ultra-smooth, precise, a joy to work with. It makes me better at what I do. Knowing that I'll keep all ten (assuming the router table doesn't get me first) is icing on the cake. I've not needed the brake yet, and I hope to keep it that way. Of all the tools in my shop, it's the one that I feel best about letting my two grandsons work with.
Thank you Tom,
This will be one of the first things I will create when setting up my new workshop.
Currently we're discussing whether that will be an empty room in the house (4.5 x 4 m) or the garage (7x3m).
Both are at the ground floor. The room seems to win, because in the garage all other stuff that is stored there will get a nice sawdust-cover, despite using Festool.
Best regards, CJ
This will be one of the first things I will create when setting up my new workshop.
Currently we're discussing whether that will be an empty room in the house (4.5 x 4 m) or the garage (7x3m).
Both are at the ground floor. The room seems to win, because in the garage all other stuff that is stored there will get a nice sawdust-cover, despite using Festool.
Best regards, CJ
bruegf,
SawStop is also making one intermediate between the two, now. It's a slightly scaled-down version of the original cabinet saw, which is the one I bought before this new guy hit the market. If it had been available back then, I'd likely have gone with this intermediate model to save some money. Yeah, wiring isn't cheap. I spent $400 adding 220 to the shop, but it's only a one-time expense.
SawStop is also making one intermediate between the two, now. It's a slightly scaled-down version of the original cabinet saw, which is the one I bought before this new guy hit the market. If it had been available back then, I'd likely have gone with this intermediate model to save some money. Yeah, wiring isn't cheap. I spent $400 adding 220 to the shop, but it's only a one-time expense.
kfitzsimons
Member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2007
- Messages
- 303
I want to add to the Saw Stop discussion. Last week I read all the posts on the fine Woodworking site about table saw safety. Many tales of fingers cut off or mangled, many close calls too. And many folks rushing to purchase a Saw Stop. I told my wife it made me worry about working with wood. I ordered a Biesemeyer splitter / anti-kickback accessory for my Unisaw. After installing it and putting on a newly sharpened blade, I calmed down. I cut some wood yesterday and felt totally safe. At least as safe as I'm ever going to be. The wood cut like butter and the newly installed spitter worked as intended. The wood DID close up past the splitter and could have kicked back if the splitter was not there. I got to thinking this evening and here's my 2 cents worth: the common thread in the stories of losing limbs was the operator MADE A MISTAKE by not paying attention and concentrating on what he was doing. The saw blade never came out of the saw, no flying saw blade teeth attacking the operator. It was a temporary lapse of concentration in most cases. In a small number of other cases, in which an injury occurred from kickback, the operator did not use the safety accessories that were available to help avoid a problem. Splitters, riving knives, safety guards, etc. If you're purchasing your first table saw, buy the Saw Stop. If you already have a saw or can't afford the Saw Stop, use the safety accessories and learn to use safe techniques. You'll be fine. Stupid = problems.
I'm not so certain it's stupidity that causes problems. People who get injured on saws aren't first-timers doing dumb things. They're thirty-years-in-the-business people who either lose respect for the tool because nothing bad has happened in thirty years, or they just get distracted for half a second. That half a second is all it takes. Salesman at my local tool store is missing three, and he lost them just last year, thirty years in. The workpiece was falling off the outfeed side and he reached over to catch it and that was all it took.
I didn't buy the SawStop for the brake so much. I bought it because it was the best saw for me. It was the exact right height, it felt right, it had the accessories I wanted, it had a riving knife, it had wheels so I could move it out of the way, it fit into my space, it had that huge table, it was so smooth and sawed like a dream and was really quiet for a saw. I fell in love at first touch. The fact that it was also the safest saw on the planet was the icing on the cake. Make no mistake, though, I bought the cake. If the icing weren't there, I would have bought plain cake anyway. All these years later, the icing is pretty darned cool in itself. I worry a lot less when the teenaged grandsons come into the shop. If the brake is ever tripped, I'll be really bummed because that will toast both the brake and my Forrest Woodworker II to the tune of a couple of hundred bucks. A pittance compared to $20K per digit to have them sewn back on afterwards. I hope I threw away $1000 buying the SawStop. $50 a year of insurance for twenty years of work. I can live with that quite nicely.
I didn't buy the SawStop for the brake so much. I bought it because it was the best saw for me. It was the exact right height, it felt right, it had the accessories I wanted, it had a riving knife, it had wheels so I could move it out of the way, it fit into my space, it had that huge table, it was so smooth and sawed like a dream and was really quiet for a saw. I fell in love at first touch. The fact that it was also the safest saw on the planet was the icing on the cake. Make no mistake, though, I bought the cake. If the icing weren't there, I would have bought plain cake anyway. All these years later, the icing is pretty darned cool in itself. I worry a lot less when the teenaged grandsons come into the shop. If the brake is ever tripped, I'll be really bummed because that will toast both the brake and my Forrest Woodworker II to the tune of a couple of hundred bucks. A pittance compared to $20K per digit to have them sewn back on afterwards. I hope I threw away $1000 buying the SawStop. $50 a year of insurance for twenty years of work. I can live with that quite nicely.
kfitzsimons
Member
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2007
- Messages
- 303
Yep Tom you're right. It just takes a split second and it can happen to anyone. I still have the Saw Stop in the back of my mind and I may yet spring for one. You can't be TOO careful.
woodwreck
Member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2008
- Messages
- 179
Similarly likewise - I ordered the two supports and in answer to your question, I have a 1 1/2" piece of aluminum extrusion mounted on the right edge of the infeed (hinge up) table that provides the true 90 degree having the same pencil mark experience at first.
Also, I find that 1" x 3" stock from lumber or plywood is more than adequate for strength, but substantially reduces the weight (and some cost).
Also, I find that 1" x 3" stock from lumber or plywood is more than adequate for strength, but substantially reduces the weight (and some cost).
