Replies

1. 
   hammer1 | Dec 02, 2007 08:40am | #1

   You didn't say what brand or type of saw you have. If it's something like a Delta, 1/2" rounded ends, you can just put a finish nail in the end. You should see a small nub on the back of the original. You leave a 1/4" or so of the nail sticking out. You don't need to drive the entire nail in, just make it firm and cut it off. The projecting end of the nail should just slip under the edge of the table. This will prevent the insert from flipping up. It's a good idea to put a finger hole in the insert, solid wood will swell and stick in high humidity. In safety, you often guard against that one in a million chance. You never know when the time is at hand.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   old baldy | Dec 02, 2007 09:02am | #2

   The saw is a General International cabinet saw, model 50-260 10 inch, left-tilt. There is no notch or catch of any kind on the table at the back of the blade opening. Interestingly though, although the supports for the insert are 1/2" below the top of the table, the table is only 3/8" thick at the front and back....Maybe some kind of short clip that would slip under the back of the table would be the answer? Ted

1. 
   hammer1 | Dec 02, 2007 10:21am | #3

   I don't know about your brand. Here is a picture of a Rockwell with a shop made. You can see the nub on the back edge of the factory plate, small nail in the shop made one. You can get fancier if you want.Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

   
1. 
   old baldy | Dec 02, 2007 10:52am | #4

   Hammer1Thanks for the picture. There definitely is no "nub" or anything else at the back of the stock insert – it is perfectly smooth all around.I get the idea though, and, for my own peace of mind, will devise some kind of catch or clip to fit under both the insert and the table. As your picture shows, some manufacturers obviously do consider securing the insert to be a safety issue, so I will take my cue from that. I hope it's not a chilly where you are as it is here (-31°C = -22°F)! Brrr, hate to know what it is going to cost to keep the shop even slightly above freezing....Ted

1. 
   Jfrostjr | Dec 02, 2007 03:56pm | #5

   That's cold enough to freeze the coconuts off a palm tree! Where ARE you?Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922

2. 
   old baldy | Dec 02, 2007 09:36pm | #8

   North-eastern Alberta :)And it's no better this morning....Ted

3. 
   USANigel | Dec 02, 2007 05:27pm | #6

   You might try using a fender washer to give the lip you need to catch under the table edge. A machine screw threaded into the plywood will work. Grind down the excess threads from where it comes through the insert.

2. 
   Jimurock | Dec 02, 2007 05:43pm | #7

   Some contractor saws have a countersunk screw in the front, and a spring clip at the back of the insert.  It's ridiculously easy to drill through and tap cast-iron to make a screw hole, and the clip can be a piece of hacksaw blade. 

   Jim

1. 
   old baldy | Dec 02, 2007 09:39pm | #9

   Thanks for the feedback. The concensus seems to be that there should be some kind of device or whatever to secure the inserts, both the stock one and my plywood one. I will devise something later today.Keep warm!Ted

3. 
   Carya | Dec 02, 2007 11:45pm | #10

   I didn't bother with a catch at the back end of my plywood inserts. Though I only push stock through the saw in one direction... ;)

   Andy

1. 
   Dave45 | Dec 03, 2007 04:12am | #11

   I've been using my shop-built zero clearance inserts for several years and have never worried about holding them down.  FWIW, I can't recall ever seeing one even try to come up.

4. 
   piker | Dec 03, 2007 04:42am | #12

   I have always glued a hardwood tab to the bottom of my 1/2" plywood inserts.  Don't know if one would get dis-lodged & come flying back without it, but for the effort required I do it. I go into production mode when I have the plywood scraps & make a bunch on the router table.

1. 
   old baldy | Dec 03, 2007 06:30am | #13

   Thanks Piker,My sense was that it would be better to be "safe than sorry" and that is why I asked the question in the first place. As a novice woodworker (retired from the real world), there is much I have yet to learn about woodworking. It seemed to me that if kickback is a serious concern on a table saw, especially when one can't use the "supposed *safe-guards* that come with the saw", one must be doubly careful when using the saw without the guards (as with a dado blade).No one has responded with a horror story but, whatever the risk, I am now convinced that its actual level, even though perhaps very minimal, is sufficient to warrant improvising some kind of clip on every insert to reduce that risk.Many thanks to everyone who has responded. I appreciate the knowledge you so generously share, and when I reach the level of proficiency of even a sophomore, I will gladly share with future novices :)Ted

1. 
   danmart | Dec 04, 2007 01:32am | #14

   OB

   Put a little widget on the back. Have some peace of mind. You can't be too safe. That tablesaw can be a "maneater" and anything you do to tame it down is in your favor. I like to make some wooden inserts for this old rockwell that I use. I took a piece of spring steel and made a catch to keep it down in the event that I was close to the hole I plunged with the blade as I raised it fairly high. Its just a little precaution and it takes 5 minutes to make one.

   dan