Machine to cut same length legs - every time

[Bond]

Hi,

Im a newbie to the forum, have been woodworking with a mix of Hand / Machine tools for a little while now but always get frustrated at not being able to get same length legs for tables etc. ie always a few mm out here and there.

I was thinking of getting the axminster AWSMS102 Chop saw, but ive also been considering a Charnwood Table saw. Either the W618 or W614 as a slight upgrade to my borrowed Triton with upsided down circular saw.

Question is, will the chop saw do the job do you think without going to all the expense of a new table saw (the triton chops ok for dimensioning then I run the edges on the planer/thicknesser)

It really is frustrating not being able to cut 100% accurately with any tool , I think the hand saw with mitre box is not that bad, but slow!

When I line the 4 legs up on the bandsaw table and compare one or 2 are always out! Doh! cmon whats the secret! haha!

So when I use the engineers square and check out I usually have to revert to the old shooting board method, which sometimes can make matters worse.

I just want to cut accurate legs really, without using the shooting board!

Any ideas gratefully received!

 

[wizer]

Well firstly the Charnwood would be a step down from the Triton Workcentre (if that's what you have). A good Tablesaw can do crosscuts very well, but a good chopsaw is much more suited for the job. It seems like your budget is on the low side. In which case a chop saw in this instance is a no brainer. I have no experience with the axminster model. Tho one thing has to be noted, your marking out needs to be spot on, no tool will improve that.

 

[Tony Spear]

Hi,

borrowed Triton with upsided down circular saw.

I just want to cut accurate legs really, without using the shooting board!

Are you using the Triton in "upside down" mode?

If so, that's basically for ripping.

For cross-cuts you turn the carriage right way up and put the table underneath, fit it with the cross-cut fence and then you make up a stop to get all your cuts the same length.

Alternatively, depending on the width you're trying to cross-cut, you can cut each leg slightly over length, line up one end of each leg, clamp them together and cut all four at one time.

I use both methods on my Triton and don't have any difficulty. :wink:

Edited to add:

When I've been feeling lazy, I have used the Triton in upside down mode, clamped several pieces together as described above and then cut all the pieces together as one, using the protractor.

The problems with this are that firstly; you are limited as to the length of cross-cut that you can make and secondly; there is just enough "slop" in the fit of the Protractor to cause your cut to go slightly out of square.

 

[mailee]

Get a chopsaw and use a stop block to ensure each one is the same length. Mark out the first leg and then put a stop block in place, every suceessive cut will now be the exact same length. HTH. :wink:

 

[OPJ]

If you're likely to be working with longer lengths then, a mitre saw of some kind sounds like the best solution. Higher-priced table saws can produce good results but, smaller saws are not well suited to anything that overhangs by more than a foot!

When I'm cutting several components to the same length, I find that it isn't the accuracy of the cut (ie. is it a perfect 90°?) which matters but, a secure stop block, as mailee suggests, is essential.

 

[Bond]

Thanks for your swift responses!

I think I will go for the Axminster Chop Saw as Its all I can afford right now!

Triton - one my neighbour is loaning me is a small table which takes the Circular saw underneath, that too is an axminster £48 job unfortunately
when turning the new-ish 66T blade by hand it doesnt run 'true' so I have to give each cut a bit more - think its the spindle or is it the Blade?

Anyway thanks for the answers, I hope I can set the Axminster Chop saw up to make fine cuts!

Also, I'll take some pics and post in the other forum section of my work and Garage workshop!

Cheers!

 

[Chems]

I have a cheapish chop saw which I bought for rough cutting. If its anything like the cheap axminster you won't get the results you want. I'd save up for something better if I were you.

 

[wizer]

I have a cheapish chop saw which I bought for rough cutting. If its anything like the cheap axminster you won't get the results you want. I'd save up for something better if I were you.

agreed

 

[Chems]

I find with my saw, although it cuts where its supposed to there is enough play in the mechanism that the end cut is not square. So for anything but a very rough cut its useless. I bought mine for £20 for that exact job and its done me well but a cross cut sled on the table saw is used for accurate cuts.

 

[SVB]

Hi Bond - PM sent.

 

[Paul Chapman]

Im a newbie to the forum, have been woodworking with a mix of Hand / Machine tools for a little while now but always get frustrated at not being able to get same length legs for tables etc. ie always a few mm out here and there.

When making a table, getting the legs the right length can be difficult because there are several areas where errors can creep in - not only in cutting the legs to length but also in assembling and cramping up the table.

I think a better approach can be to make the table with the legs slightly over length. Then turn the table upside down on a flat surface and measure up from the flat surface with, say, a piece of MDF and mark the legs the correct length. Then cut the legs by hand saw and hand-plane them to the marked line. Done well, I find this works every time and the table won't wobble.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[woodbloke]

A similar way to make legs the same length on a table is as follows:
Assemble the table, legs over length. The place it on a dead flat surface and shim each leg so that the table top at each corner measures the same distance to the dead flat surface. Then take a small bit of scrap, bang a nail into it which is sharpened to a knife edge and scribe round the bottom of each leg to mark in some waste...the leg above the line will now be the correct length and the table will be stable...provided you've removed the waste accurately :wink: - Rob

 

[cambournepete]

Back on the chop saw front...
Do you really need the capacity of a sliding saw?
For little more you can get an accurate makita/bosch or even dewalt chop saw.
For rather less you could get a very good hand mitre saw like the Nobex champion...
Sorry to add to the confusion

 

[big soft moose]

I have a cheapish chop saw which I bought for rough cutting. If its anything like the cheap axminster you won't get the results you want. I'd save up for something better if I were you.

agreed

I normally agree that buy cheap = buy twice , but i have a very cheap mitre saw i bought from B&poo (performance power) for 19.99 that cuts dead on 90 deg square every time, even with the bog standard blade.

the down sides are that its 45 deg settings arent perfect so you need to set that with a guage manually, and that tilting the head for compound cuts dramaticaly reduces capacity. The other problem is that it only cut 200mm at 90 deg (less at 45 natch) so its not much cop for wide stock.
but for 90 deg cuts on narrow stock it is fine.

All that said this isnt a slider - cheap sliders are generally rubbish, due to play in the slide mechanism. That said the axminster quiet slider which is circa 230 folding is pretty damn accurate.

 

[Chems]

I'd say BSM that we have the same chop saw, mine is a Performance Power £20 from Aldi. It does chop a 90 degree ok to be honest which I've used for table legs and bits so far but even on a 90 degree cut if you don't apply pressure one way you get a wavy cut down the leg side.