Startrite TA table saw advice - probably UKcentric

[Wuffles]

So, I've got this table saw. Had it for a while actually, bought it cheap off a man and had it shipped down to me last year, but one thing and another has stopped me from giving it a go.

It's a Startrite TA (specific model 300PS I believe). According to an old manual I have found, the recommended blade is a 10" 30mm bore TCT 24T or 42T for cross cutting depending on what finish is required.

Any recommended blades to try with this? From the looks of it, the one that's on it might have been on it since the 1980s and never been sharpened.

I should add, I'm new to this type of thing so whilst I can still type using all my digits, any recommendations for setting up apart from what the book suggests.

If anyone is in the Somerset neck of the woods and fancies a cup of tea and knows anything about these things, feel free to pop in.

 

[tyke]

Try Atkinson Walker one of the last remaining Sheffield toolmakers. Good quality and reasonably priced.

 

[Wuffles]

Try Atkinson Walker one of the last remaining Sheffield toolmakers. Good quality and reasonably priced.

They look like the sort of people who know what they're talking about. Cheers.

 

[Ed Bray]

Don't discount the Freud Pro range of blades, I have used them for years with no issues in all my 10" saws (table, mitre & radial arm.

If you shop wisely you will occasionally find them at very good prices so having specific blades for certain tasks becomes affordable rather than just using a combination blade for everything.

The Startrite TA saw is a very good saw and well worth taking the time to set it up properly, once you have, build a crosscut sled and then cutting small pieces becomes very much easier and safer.

 

[Wuffles]

Don't discount the Freud Pro range of blades, I have used them for years with no issues in all my 10" saws (table, mitre & radial arm.

If you shop wisely you will occasionally find them at very good prices so having specific blades for certain tasks becomes affordable rather than just using a combination blade for everything.

The Startrite TA saw is a very good saw and well worth taking the time to set it up properly, once you have, build a crosscut sled and then cutting small pieces becomes very much easier and safer.

As a starter blade for a lazy idiot, would it be worth going for a 24T, 40T or perhaps both do you think? Mostly ripping hard & soft wood (is the plan at least), plus repeat panel cuts in plywood for this never ending kitchen build.

In fact, it's one of the reasons the dust has been blown off this Startrite, cutting the panels for the kitchen cabinets is a bit of a faff with a track saw. I fully expect the faff of getting it all up and running successfully to FAR exceed any track saw faffing, but I might do it again for someone else if I do a decent job of this one.

 

[Stone Message]

Someone posted recently that the new blades from Axminster were good value. I have not tried them but they do have them in your size...

http://www.axminster.co.uk/axcaliber-premium-305mm-tct-saw-blades

Peter

 

[Wuffles]

Cheers Peter, I'll give the Freud ones a go as I already have an FFX cart on the go and see how I get on.

 

[Wuffles]

Actually, you might be able to help with another thing. I know you once did a video on sticking a dolly? under a bench or some piece of kit. Any idea what I ought to be looking for to purchase to go under this thing to make it slightly portable? I've stuck it on some 150mm lockable castors temporarily just to shift it about, but would like something a little more solid and less hilariously high.

It's like watching a very dangerous heavy object tiptoe around on stilettos, reminds me of my very first date with Mrs Wuffles.

 

[JeromeM]

Don't discount the Freud Pro range of blades, I have used them for years with no issues in all my 10" saws (table, mitre & radial arm.

If you shop wisely you will occasionally find them at very good prices so having specific blades for certain tasks becomes affordable rather than just using a combination blade for everything.

The Startrite TA saw is a very good saw and well worth taking the time to set it up properly, once you have, build a crosscut sled and then cutting small pieces becomes very much easier and safer.

As a starter blade for a lazy idiot, would it be worth going for a 24T, 40T or perhaps both do you think? Mostly ripping hard & soft wood (is the plan at least), plus repeat panel cuts in plywood for this never ending kitchen build.

In fact, it's one of the reasons the dust has been blown off this Startrite, cutting the panels for the kitchen cabinets is a bit of a faff with a track saw. I fully expect the faff of getting it all up and running successfully to FAR exceed any track saw faffing, but I might do it again for someone else if I do a decent job of this one.

The 24T, 40T will be fine for ripping, it's nice to have a course blade option, but probably neither will be great for plywood you will probably need to go to an 80T or maybe 60T for that depending on the plywood and setup.

 

[Wuffles]

Right on, cheers.

 

[Ed Bray]

Like with the Kapex, one of the things that will make cuts very much better is a zero clearance plate.

I bought some 10mm thick uhdpe and using a bearing pattern bit in a router cut a copy of the original throat plate and then used the router to thin the edges down to give a perfect fit (garden was fully of fluffy pink plastic for days).

 

[Wuffles]

Like with the Kapex, one of the things that will make cuts very much better is a zero clearance plate.

I bought some 10mm thick uhdpe and using a bearing pattern bit in a router cut a copy of the original throat plate and then used the router to thin the edges down to give a perfect fit (garden was fully of fluffy pink plastic for days).

You're going to love having a CT.

 

[Ed Bray]

I've already got 2x large dust extractors with cyclones in the garage and didn't want to pollute the wood waste with plastic so deliberately didn't use it.  [big grin]

 

[Stone Message]

Actually, you might be able to help with another thing. I know you once did a video on sticking a dolly? under a bench or some piece of kit. Any idea what I ought to be looking for to purchase to go under this thing to make it slightly portable? I've stuck it on some 150mm lockable castors temporarily just to shift it about, but would like something a little more solid and less hilariously high.

It's like watching a very dangerous heavy object tiptoe around on stilettos, reminds me of my very first date with Mrs Wuffles.

Here is a picture of an undercarriage that I built fro my old spindle moulder. The final height of the machine was only 25 mm more than its design height when sitting on the floor. It needs a strong base with intermediate pieces going up to outriggers under which the castors are mounted.

[attachimg=1]

When I bought my Axminster planer (about 160 kgs) I created a more refined "castor carriage" using brake twin wheeled Coldene castors. Here that is:

[attachimg=2]

When I bought the Jet planer I needed to build a strong castor carriage and updated this design to take 75 mm castors and used thicker oak.

I can send plans to you if you PM your email address to me.

Peter

 

[Wuffles]

Ha ha, the first one looks loads better than I could manage, but would probably do perfectly well. I couldn't seem to find a weight listed anywhere so took to over-sizing the castors I bought.

I'll leave it teetering for a bit until I know where it's going to live and probably leave it as a centrepiece.

Much like Mrs Wuffles.

 

[Wuffles]

Placed the top on it last night with the help of a mate, then chucked a 13A plug on it as the max power draw on this particular model is under 13A, in fact it's less than my mitre saw.

Fired it up and nothing happened.

So, after reconnecting a loose neutral, all seemed fine.

Couple of things I need info on if anyone has the knowledge. Firstly the fence is a scuffed up piece of metal, I would rather attach something to that to make it flat again. People in US videos tend to have a white plastic sort of strip screwed to it which I reckon could be really slippy too. What would that be called? I can picture it and have probably held something like it in my hand in the past. Am I even making sense?

Secondly, there appears to be a couple of metal pins that go through the top into the base which have snapped off during the dis-assembly the other end, do I just pop to an engineering place and get them to flog me a couple of replacements do you think? I'm assuming these are important and square things up.

 

[Ed Bray]

The plastic you want is UHMWPE (that is Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene), one of the slipperiest 'dry' substances known to man, they use it for artificial Ice Rinks amongst other things. It isn't cheap though, although as a one off purchase for a fence personally I would probably buy it, next is HMWPE this is next down from the Ultra and is a fair bit cheaper. This is what I bought to make my Zero Clearance Insert for my Cabinet Saw and it works okay, I can see it also working okay as a face for a fence.

http://www.directplasticsonline.co.uk/UHMWPESheet/Natural/

 

[Wuffles]

Nice one Eddie, I'd never have guessed that. Will have a quick measure later, perhaps get some for the zero clearance insert too (different thickness of course).

Found some blades at Lawsons too, dirt cheap compared to FFX.

 

[Ed Bray]

Don't make your zero clearance insert too thin. It is better to use something like 10mm or 12mm then take just the edges down to fit using a mortising bit on a router table.

The first one I made I made from 5mm thick stock and it flexed too much in use for precision cutting.

 

[Wuffles]

Nice catch, that's why I don't earn the big bucks.