Hi all,
I am new to this forum but have considerable experience as a home remodeler and general wood worker. My question concerns ideas for building a useful radial arm saw table. I am thinking of a 2’X4′ wing on either side of my DeWalt 10″ saw covered in formica or tempered hardboard. Before I get going on it, I would like some sage advice from those who have built something similar that really works well. I can visualize a polyethelyne wear strip on the fence and some adjustable hold down rollers too for ripping etc. Maybe slide-out extensions for handling large sheets.
So how about some ideas? I think the RAS is a fantastic tool that will do just about anything asked of it if you understand the dynamics of the machine. People who criticize it seem to think it is an upside-down table saw or something. No wonder they are disappointed and often afraid of using it to its full potential.
Randy
Replies
Rudy
You probably can't go by me, but I also like the RAS in my shop, I have 2.
I built a flat 30" deep 16 ft table along one wall.
I then put both saws on top, centered, and leveled to each other.
Then built a box for each side, also leveled, with a fence for all 16 ft.
Both saws act as infeed and outfeed for each other, with a stop on the fence.
I keep a dado blade on one and a Forest Woodworker on the other.
I use a jig for any angles, so I don't lose square.
I'm in the process of building a dust collection box (downdraft) to replace the left (infeed) box for sanding.
Dust collection is a simple box behind each saw with a port to my dust collector.
Works for me.
Jeff
Rudy,
I use my radial saw mostly for rough cutting stock to length. I have the saw mounted on a"table" that's about 16' long. The saw is off center, with about 10' of top on the left side (the side the rough lumber is coming from) . I have a fence the whole length of the table, with a short, replaceable section right behind the saw proper. Attached a measuring tape to the top of the fence. The space below the table is divided into bins for short but usable offcuts, separate bins for each species of wood I use most often.
Cheers,
Ray
Edited 1/30/2004 12:14:12 PM ET by joinerswork
Whoops, that should be 10' to the left side...
Ray
I built a combination table and wood rack for my saw. The table consists of two
three level back truss assemblies connected by a frame that supports
the saw. The frames are made of 2x4 dadoed for lap joints, glued and screwed.
There are four 3/4" plywood gussets on the back side that are tied to the
vertical supports and horizontal arms. The bottom frame (per each side) is covered
with aprticle board and the top is melamine coated. The top level also has truss
arms to further brace the frame. In short, it is about 94 inches long overall,
36" tall and 24" deep with trusses. The center section fits the steel frame of the RAS
and it provides a surface to bolt the steel frame to. The height of the center
section is set for a cutting surface of the RAS, and is replaceable. The left and
right sections have 500 lb adjustable levelers, and setup is easy. I keep about
90 board feet on bottom and mid level. The top also has a 3/4" thick by 1-1/2 "
raised fence on the back edge located to allow cross cuts etc. You can stand
on the top level (getting things off the rafters), it deflects about 1/8" at the front.
If you want a picture, let me know.
Hi,
Yeah, having a pic of your RAS table would be nice Duster. If you would mail it to me that would be great. Thanks a bunch!
Randy
[email protected]
Randy,
I uploaded the RAS pics; I think it was for your view only. Let me know if you got
them.
duster
Randy,
My RAS has a width of cut of just over 15". When I built my table I built the surface in front of the blade to a depth of 24"; this easily accomodates the wide sheet stock that you have to cut in 2 passes, flipping the piece over between passes. The table is a full 24" deep only for a couple of feet to left and right of the blade, then angles back toward the fence till it is only about 12" wide, which still allows wide stock to be supported by the section in front of the blade. This design takes up less floor space than a full 24" width the entire length of the table would. My table is 8' to right of blade, about 12' to left.
Another thing I did was to take some long sections of aluminum angle (1 1/2" X 1 1/2" X 1/8") and screw them to the top of the fence to left and right of the blade, shimming where needed till they were perfectly in line with each other, providing a fence that was straighter than my wood fence would have been. GP
gp's setup sounds very similar to mine, shown here:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mburnette/Shopradial.jpg
I attached the fence permanently and have never had any need to reposition it. For the fence I used 10' or so of "UniStrut" so I could make moveable stops or jigs that ride in the channel. Attached adhesive-backed tape rule to the face of the fence so I don't have to reach for a tape measure most of the time. I got rid of the stock metal stand and built a cabinet for the base that brings the saw table up to the same height as the left & right tables (mounted on old kitchen cabinets). All screwed together as one long 16' table. My only regret is that the whole assembly is quite permanent. It would have been nice a time or two to be able to move the saw & cabinets to make room for pulling in a car to have a warm place to work on it. Oh well--I never intended my SHOP to be a GARAGE!
I wish I had a photo of the one I built., If it sounds interesting to you I will get one for you. It is a really massive bench, but is completely dissasembleable. The bench consists of a mortice and tenon frame of six 4x4 ash posts and 1x5 ash rails with two wing table surfaces about 30" square on either side of the actual saw table, at saw table height/ THe overall top is 8'xabout 3'. I built it to a height of about 40" so it would be easy on the back to use. On either side adjacent to the saw undercarriage are two drawers on sliders that hold all the paraphenalia for the saw. Under the top is a vast area to store other stuff. There is a separate set of rails about six inches off the floor covered in plywood for this. I have a routed and painted 4X8 sheet of plywood for a back.On one of the wing tables behind the line of the fence I have my metal working vice. All the joints are pinned, but not glued. Drive out the pins and the whole thing comes apart. THe tops are bolted on. It probably seems way over-built, bit it has been my experience that not doing so usually results in tinker toy stuff.
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