Startrite TA 175/275 question - extension bars

[DodgyLogic]

I picked up my TA275 yesterday - many thanks to those who commented on my previous thread the advice about bracing the base with a piece of wood was extremely useful - thanks ttrees.

To my surprise it turned out to be the DS model, but sadly the sliding carriage is missing. This made it a little more of a challenge to get in the car, requiring the removal of the tilt handle - which in turn required lifting everything into and out of the car several times. As I'm clearly a little hard of thinking, I managed to lose the woodruff key somewhere along the way, but otherwise the journey was uneventful.

Once home we had the task of removing the fence that was frozen on - you can see the mark left on the table extension where it had sat for years.

However, on to the question! The saw is missing the extension bars, but a friend of mine has offered to make me some replacements. Could anyone with one of these saws let me know the dimensions of the extension bars, the length of the threaded section and whether it is all threaded or has a shoulder on it like the bolt that screws into the end?

Also the crown guard is missing - any suggestions on one I can buy that will fit, or some simple instructions to make one?

I have plenty of work to do, but it's lovely to have an accurate machine that doesn't sound like a bag of spanners in a washing machine when running.

 

[Ttrees]

It looks like the normal 275 with extension plate to my eyes from your picture.
Here is a pic of the DS275 which has a mounting plate on the corner of the sheet metal base
for the swingarm

Have you got other parts?

A bolt head is a ready start made on making a woodruff key.

As for buying parts maybe ...
http://www.altsawsandspares.co.uk/spares.html

Or Scott and Sargeant
https://www.scosarg.ie/

 

[DodgyLogic]

Sorry, not a great photo, and I'd taken off the sliding table mounting bar to get it in the car - the below is slightly better (I'm not at home at the moment so I can't take a better photo).

If you look closely you should be able to make out the side and top of the support arm, additionally the mounting bar is back in place. Its also had a first pass clean since the previous photo.

I have attached a rough sketch of the extension bars as I understand them, is someone able to confirm the overall length, the length of the threaded section labeled 'A' and confirm if the whole of 'A' is threaded.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Not the best photos but I hope they help. If you were nearer you could take one of the bars to copy!
Overall length is 15 1/2"

 

[Ttrees]

I haven't seen a 275 with a fence rail like that.
Presuming the extension is to have a longer rail for sheet goods.
I've seen that on 275's on google, but never seen a different rail on the side as you have.
Had to recheck a bodge it with brain youtube video to see if it was compatible with the sheet cutting version of the 275
and that is different to what you have also.

Do you have any more bits to make the sliding table from?
A few months ago, I was trying to fit a missing rail on a Magic tablesaw, trying different thicknesses of pipe to
fit a low rail design like yours.
There was rollers on eccentric pins that achieved this.
This wouldn't be all to easy of a task to manufacture, and might be simpler to make non adjustable.
If you are designing something do some checks first.
Make sure your base is totally level on the ground, as the sliding table will go off kilter on my 275 if on a bad floor
Make sure your table is flat so you can have a consistent measurement.
This stopped me in my tracks on the Magic tablesaw, as the rail will never be parallel with the table until it is flattened.
Its way way out and might not be achievable.
magic-machinery-tablesaw-italy-t103716.html

Tom

 

[DodgyLogic]

MrPercySnodgrass - Thanks so much, my friend (with the metalwork lathe) is taking a look.

Ttrees - agreed, mostly I've seen the DS with the rail attached directly to the end of the fences as yours, but in the manual here: http://sharkbandsawblades.co.uk/downloa ... E%20WM.pdf - page 26 does show exactly the arrangement I've got.

I don't have any parts other that those on the saw (the gentleman who owned it had passed away and despite having a look round there was no sign of any of the fence extension bars, or sliding table). My thoughts are probably to build a fold out table extension for sheet material, rather than a full sliding table using the sliding rail bar. I was expecting a non DS model so I'm not particularly fussed about the lack of sliding table - although it would have been wonderful!

 

[Ttrees]

Not sure, so depending on how much sheet cutting you envision doing...
It might be a better idea to make some sort of table instead of the sliding table thing.
You would run into issues if you made an extension rail for the front longer than the standard, as the maximum swing on the
support arm wouldn't give that much greater capacity.
Its more for crosscuts, and a sled would probably do a better job anyways.
An outfeed table would be high on the list, I probably should have designed my mobile base to integrate a outfeed table,
instead of designing a lever design at the back of the saw.
Might still be possible though, but I just clamp a plank to the bench for now.
Might be changing the saw location so may have to come up with something.

I wonder would it be possible to hinge another side table off of a hinged outfeed table?
That all depends If you are lacking the space for a permanent setup though.
Tom

 

[DodgyLogic]

Ah, I think you've perhaps misunderstood the need for the extension bar. I'm looking to extend the standard fence rails - the DS came with 4 such extension bars I believe.

As for the sliding mechanism, if I do anything, I intend to make a static table extension that would fold down when not in use. Occasionally I want to cross cut long (wide?) stock and additional support would be useful.