Replies

1. 
   Michmesquite | Nov 29, 2004 12:59am | #1

   I have a MiniMax with a sliding table, but it is right tilt.

   I think the author is really overstating a non-existent problem. If you have a piece of stock on your slider, backed up against a mitre guage or clamped to the slider, where is the stock going to go if it gets "trapped" under the blade. Worst thing that will happen is you'll pause pushing the stock through the blade the first time it happens and possibly blacken the kerf from the momentary overheating cause by leaving the stock in one place. Your PM 66 with a 3 or 5HP motor is not going to stall even with a dull blade ripping White Oak.

   Think about this: if the stock were to get "trapped" while cutting a left-tilted mitre, what's going to happen?

   Once you learn to rip with your slider, you'll forget ever reading the comment.

   _________________________________

   Michael in San Jose

   "In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted." Bertrand Russell 

2. 
   JMartinsky | Nov 29, 2004 02:19am | #2

   Dear Johnny,
   I have the same PM 66 5HP, left tilt. I have been wanting to add a sliding table or ideally switch to a MM combo. I have already bugged Mike from SD about his. I am very interested in your setup with the Laguna slider. Could you post a pic? Do you like it?

   Thanks,

   John

   
   

   ---

   Edited 11/28/2004 6:19 pm ET by JMartinsky

3. 
   mudman | Nov 29, 2004 08:13am | #3

   If you have ever had any thing "bad" happen on the TS you know that it happens fast. If the piece gets jammed things will happen in a split second. Like the other poster said because of the fence it is unlikely to throw the piece at you. Worst case senario is that it ruins the piece you are cutting and damages the blade. I have a right tilt TS (no slider) and I am fearfull of beveling on the right side of the blade. No hard evidence to back up that fear, it just looks bad. If I were in your current position and had no easy way to exchange the saw I would bolt it up and have at it. You have some awsome equipment there, enjoy it.

   Mike

   please excuse my spelling.
4. 
   migraine | Nov 29, 2004 06:36pm | #4

   I have a 66 with a jet sliding table with an after market Jet slidong table and it is "pretty good".  I have used a 66 with and excaliber and mine is way better in quality of cut compared to the excaliber, but still lacks precision when comparing it to a true sliding table saw.  Being with what I have, I'm still happy.

   I think the biggest point you have to rember is that there really isn't a perfect machine out there for what need at any given point.  They have their +/-.  I prefer a left tilt saw because of the reasons that have given over many previous posts.  But If I was using my saw stickly for panel processing(panel saw), then I would want a right tilt.    At one time, I hade two saws and this is how my shop was set up.  But this is not the case anymore.  So now, I stick with what I have and try to stay aware of it's draw backs.

   Another thing to make to a potential  sliding table(aftermarket) buyer is that a jet will fit on a powermatic, but not out of the box.  You need to make some modifications to the saw base, but when it is all done, it takes less than a day.  It

5. 
   AlbionWood | Nov 29, 2004 09:59pm | #5

   I have the DeWalt left-tilt TS with the DeWalt sliding table (on the left). Seems perfectly safe to me, and it's a joy to use. There's no hazard, AFAICT, of the workpiece becoming trapped under the blade.

   It's more dangerous to trap the cutoff piece under the blade - causing them to be thrown back at high speed, possibly with little bits of carbide from shattered teeth - so the left tilt/left slider combination seems safer to me. The cutoff piece tends to slide away from the blade; if it gets snagged by a tooth, it usually just skids around on the table. I use a long push stick to push them away from the blade after each cut anyway.

   "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

6. 
   DaveHeinlein | Nov 30, 2004 01:06am | #6

   I put a slider on my P66 a few years back, and it has served me well, except for the bevel cuts. I do manage to get by with it though. I also have a right-tilt saw now, and I have thought about moving the slider to it.

   The quality of the cut was my only real concern. With the attachment properly lined up, and material properly supported, getting stock trapped was never an issue in my mind.
   I use it mainly for cross-cutting wide plywood cabinet parts.

1. 
   Northcote | Nov 30, 2004 09:06pm | #7

   Thanks everyone for your input. It is reassuring. I will see how things feel. I must state, for the record, that I CAN see a theoretical reason for concern. The force of the spinning blade that causes a kickback is directly in a line with the angle of the blade. If the blade is set for a bevel cut, the force is also at an angle to the table, lifting the workpiece off of the table at that angle. Thus it isn't really 'held down' by the angled blade. For that reason the workpiece could theoretically become trapped between a rising tooth on the back of the blade (lifting it at the angle), and the clamp/fence on the sliding table holding it down. At that point, I suppose, it would be a contest between the 3HP motor and the strength of the fence/clamp (plus blade guard). If the motor wins, the woodworker loses piece of mind and maybe a finger or some abdominal wall integrity. If the fence wins, then the workpiece probably gets chipped up.

   Still, I'm glad that in your experience this hasn't been an issue. OK mom, I'll be careful.

   Thanks again, Johnny

   "Never let a little skin get between you and the diagnosis"

1. 
   DaveHeinlein | Dec 01, 2004 07:07am | #8

   There is reason for concern about any cut on a saw.
   Being confident with my skills&experience allows me to make cuts like this without hesitance.

2. 
   AlbionWood | Dec 01, 2004 09:33am | #9

   The contest would be between saw tooth and the wood. If the piece is held by the fence/clamp, then the tooth cuts the wood and all is well. Kickback happens when the workpiece is not securely held against a fence. I can't agree with your assessment of the risk with a bevel vs. vertical cut. How is there any uplift force from the teeth at the front of the blade? (The angled force resolves into downward and lateral vectors - no upward force.) The key is to hold the piece securely, so the back teeth are not hitting the wood, and there is no uplift.You have to clamp the wood in place for a bevel cut anyway - otherwise that lateral vector tends to pull the work into the blade, causing the cut to drift. (And, I suppose, potentially hitting the back teeth and causing kickback.) That's the beauty of the sliding table - you can clamp the wood firmly right down to the table and move the whole works past the blade."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  A. Einstein

   http://www.albionworks.net

7. 
   DJK | Dec 01, 2004 07:23pm | #10

   Mehler wrote a review in FWW on sliding tables about 4 or 5 years back. He used right tilt Unisaws. I had purchased the Exaktor table to install on one of my saws. Chose to use it on the Unisaw not the PM66( I rarely ever use the PM66 ). The Exaktor and Excaliber can be used on a left tilt but SHOULD be reconfigured and mounted on the right side of the saw. That resolves the question about trapping the material under the blade.

   Out of the box the Exaktor is not very accurate, it will move and flex toooo much. By adding a couple of metal or wooden braces the thing will cut laser straight and stay aligned. After I made couple of modifications on mine, I can't imagine cutting sheetgoods without it. Soooo much better then a sled.

   DJK