Planing to make my own table saw out of a circular one... what would make a good circular saw to use?

[keithy1959]

I don’t think you understand how a fence works. It won’t simply cut a taper it will cause the saw to cut on opposite edges of the kerf. If the taper is toe in, closer at the back of the blade, that is asking for nasty kick back. It will produce a straight cut with a wide kerf set like this but almost guarantee kick back at some point. If it is toe out you might be able to hold it against less aggressive kick back but the work will inevitably wander away from the fence as the kerf tries to follow the blade, not the fence, and you will finish up with terrible cuts and hopeless accuracy.

This only applies to front-to-back fences though, doesn't it ? If the fence stops at the blade then most movement caused by an out of square fence will be able to move away from the back of blade - or have I got this wrong ?

Richard

 

[paulrbarnard]

This only applies to front-to-back fences though, doesn't it ? If the fence stops at the blade then most movement caused by an out of square fence will be able to move away from the back of blade - or have I got this wrong ?

Richard

It applies to any fence that runs parallel to the blade and covers the length of the blade. The toe in situation is less dangerous on a short fence but the toe out, higher risk situation, is exactly the same. In terms of cut accuracy the toe in on a short fence is pretty much the same as free handing as the fence is only being used to engage the start of the cut and after that following the blade, not the fence. So as accurate as a circular saw without a guide…

 

[MarkAW]

Anyway what I was trying to get at with my post about fence and kickback is there's a lot of things that you may not know you need to consider just for safety, before designing a tool.

@Felipe I did the same thing. Watched a lot of you tube before setting up my workshop, thought a table saw was the way to go. Then I learnt how dangerous they could be about riving knives and guards etc, how European saws have more feature limiting safety than the US saws. I've also since learnt I can probably do without it and have a tonne of space back. If I started again I'd probably buy a track saw and bandsaw first until the need for a table saw arose

 

[HamsterJam]

I inherited a folding workbench which amongst other things is designed to do precisely what you propose (Triplex Powerbase 900). I used it as table saw once and won’t be rushing to do it again. Despite having a crown guard it still struck me as quite dodgy.

 

[Jameshow]

I made one using 18mm buffalo board with a erbaur 235mm saw worked ok for rough stuff. Mainly making shed corner beads etc.

Pretty dangerous for most part though...

Cheers James

 

[TRITON]

I made one using 18mm buffalo board with a erbaur 235mm saw worked ok for rough stuff. Mainly making shed corner beads etc.

Pretty dangerous for most part though...

Cheers James

Looking good James, that'll make the job a lot easier. Mind to adhere to as much safety as you can - push sticks etc.

I don’t think you understand how a fence works

Yeah, I must have missed that bit out doing my degree in fine furniture design. And those 10 years working in a professional workshop.
However did I get through it

 

[paulrbarnard]

Looking good James, that'll make the job a lot easier. Mind to adhere to as much safety as you can - push sticks etc.


Yeah, I must have missed that bit out doing my degree in fine furniture design. And those 10 years working in a professional workshop.
However did I get through it

at least you know now

 

[Jameshow]

Looking good James, that'll make the job a lot easier. Mind to adhere to as much safety as you can - push sticks etc.


Yeah, I must have missed that bit out doing my degree in fine furniture design. And those 10 years working in a professional workshop.
However did I get through it

I don't have it any more brought a Screwfix basic table saw.

Didn't like not having a guard / NVR switch.

Cheers James

 

[Stevekane]

Im rather stuck with my home made sawbench, this incarnation is a large Bosch skillsaw (ex bootsale) mounted on a piece of mdf which in turn is bolted to a very old workmate frame. It has a riving knife but no guard, no nv switch.
My carpentry is not fine quaity stuff but I make bits and pieces for home and family and though I say so myself, they turn out okay, and the saw will cut good enough to “joint” well enough for me and Ive used it to cut the profile on some very large crown moulding I built up running it on a jig across the saw blade, plus ripping down nearly every bit of timber I get, usually out of skips!
I know track saws are seemingly everyones favourite tool but I really like being able to trim and retrim bits to fit. Sure setting the height is a pain though bevels are not so bad and kickback has never occoured despite a full length fence held secure at both ends with wing nuts, setting the fence is not a quick job either but its somthing I suppose Ive just got used to,, Im fortunate that I could buy any saw I wanted within reason so why don't I? well the one thing I really like is that it still folds up like a workmate, I flip it up and carry it into the shed where it stands flat agaist the wall and that to me in the way I work is invaluable. I try to be very careful with it and Ive been lucky I suppose but I dont think its fair to just say they are not fit for purpose without knowing what the user is trying to do with it,,,So for me Its my choice and Im happy with it, but in saying that I wouldn't let my kids use it!
Steve.

 

[Sheptonphil]

My first table saw in the mid 80’s was made with a black and Decker circular saw attachment mounted in a plate that was designed especially for it. The plate was let into a piece of chipboard (all hand carved recess, no routers for diy then) and a frame of dexion style angle irons. A fence of two optic clamps and a strip of wood. It had only a maybe 18” square top, but the work I was able to do ripping long lengths of T&G for kitchen cladding (all the rage in the day) and making my own smallish profiles of timber lengths was amazing. This was way before the day of the big DIY stores, and wood came from a timber yard or small ironmongers. B&D also made a top for the workmate that held the circular say upside down or even the jigsaw attachment. I think it was called the Workcentre. A pre cursor to the Triton by thirty plus years. Amazing to think we had a B&D ~400w drill used a a power source for the circ saw, sander, jigsaw, lathe, pillar drill, horizontal mount and grinder. I still have the orange and grey, and gold and silver power drills from the 70’s.

 

[rafezetter]

I take all your objections to making a table saw out of a circular saw and raise you one Mirock.

If you think it's a bad idea, think again. His system is genius and solves a great many issues inherent with a table saw, I'll be very surprised if there isn't a commercial version of his system at some point in the future.

Watch and learn.

.

 

[Sheptonphil]

And here it is, the original complete workshop which would fit in a 6’x4’ shed Comfortably. My workshop is now fifteen times the area and is struggling for space.

the table saw has the plate I used in my self build.

and the replacement top for a B&D workmate which holds the circular saw or router C1985-90

that was a really solid worktop.

 

[Jameshow]

Th

And here it is, the original complete workshop which would fit in a 6’x4’ shed Comfortably. My workshop is now fifteen times the area and is struggling for space.

the table saw has the plate I used in my self build.

View attachment 113788

The original multi tool!

I have the lathe which I have used for making knobs etc.

Cheers James

 

[JobandKnock]

I take all your objections to making a table saw out of a circular saw and raise you one Mirock.

The saw is the Festool TS55 but with the depth control off the CMS TS55 system insert. Mabe it's me, but for the price a TS55 plus that depth adjuster you could actually buy a table saw and have a fair bit of chsnge.... Which sort of defeats the object, surely?

 

[Felipe]

This weekend I played with the plunge saw. Tried rip, cross, 45 degree cuts. Made the cross cut jig from the 10 miutes workshop videos, tried a picture frame but the angles were slightly off… overall lots of fun, mistakes and learning I wanted to share this as a thank you for all the recommendations here.

And most important I learned that the saw dust is really a lot! Always thought I could live with, but no, next purchase has got to be a shop vac.

 

[TominDales]

This weekend I played with the plunge saw. Tried rip, cross, 45 degree cuts. Made the cross cut jig from the 10 miutes workshop videos, tried a picture frame but the angles were slightly off… overall lots of fun, mistakes and learning I wanted to share this as a thank you for all the recommendations here.

And most important I learned that the saw dust is really a lot! Always thought I could live with, but no, next purchase has got to be a shop vac.

That is very wise move. For years I used hand tools and they don't produce must dust in the atmosphere - apart from sand paper. Whereas machine tools produce huge amounts of find dust. Woods such as oak are quite toxic and even pine dust will damage ones lungs. Its really important to have an adequate vac on each mechanical tool. I've heard of many woodworkers having to retire due to damage to their lungs.

I have some personal experience, I was part way through rearranging my garage when my son came home for Xmas and we made a pine and oak table. My table-saw was only partially connected, so I did the machining on my own and then we used the ripped pieces. Even through I did a minimum amount and then let the dust settle and hooverd it up, my lungs felt the effects of the dust for about 6 weeks. I wont be taking that chance again.

 

[Felipe]

That is very wise move. For years I used hand tools and they don't produce must dust in the atmosphere - apart from sand paper. Whereas machine tools produce huge amounts of find dust. Woods such as oak are quite toxic and even pine dust will damage ones lungs. Its really important to have an adequate vac on each mechanical tool. I've heard of many woodworkers having to retire due to damage to their lungs.

I have some personal experience, I was part way through rearranging my garage when my son came home for Xmas and we made a pine and oak table. My table-saw was only partially connected, so I did the machining on my own and then we used the ripped pieces. Even through I did a minimum amount and then let the dust settle and hooverd it up, my lungs felt the effects of the dust for about 6 weeks. I wont be taking that chance again.

Thanks for letting me know. I am wearing respirator, safety glasses and hearing protection, but didn’t know saw dust could be toxic.

 

[Inspector]

Thanks for letting me know. I am wearing respirator, safety glasses and hearing protection, but didn’t know saw dust could be toxic.

Something else to be aware of is that fine dust (10 micron and under) can't be seen with the naked eye and it hangs in the air for hours after it is made, so don't take the respirator off after you have finished the cuts.

Pete

 

[keithy1959]

Something else to be aware of is that fine dust (10 micron and under) can't be seen with the naked eye and it hangs in the air for hours after it is made, so don't take the respirator off after you have finished the cuts.

Pete

Agreed - I have one of those cheap chinese air quality meter thingies in my workshop, and whilst I don't neccessarily believe the numbers, I use it as a relative scale, and it's always a surprise how long it takes to normalise to first-thing readings after even the briefest powertool work. My shop is well ventilated, and its surprising how much fine dust a particularly windy day moves around the roof space.

Richard

 

[Sideways]

To Felipe,
It's very positive to see someone ask for help, then listen, learn and act on the advice they get.
Credit to you, and wish you many happy hours and many successful projects