BillFitzmaurice.info

I'm thinking of building a work/saw table, something like the Paulk table:



After searching around about it and buying the plans, I saw this refinement to the design, where the saw table is more closely integrated into the bench:



(Full details & more pics at lumberjocks)

This would be far closer to the sort of table that I am after, as I want to be able to cut (T)30" widths, which the design in the first pic doesn't really allow (unless your TS fence can stretch to those widths - few can). I also noticed that the 'improved' table had a VerySuperCool tools fence, which I also started to eye up:



I love the idea of using an aluminium (btw: it's pronounced al-ooh-min-i-um ) extrusion fence which allows jigs of all shapes and sizes to be attached easily with T-nuts.

Then searching even further for 'aluminium extrusion fence', I came across a home built fence (here) which you could build yourself out of more aluminium extrusion and a couple of linear bearings:



The end result looking like this:



Reading the reports the thing is sturdy (several people have built it) and I like the idea of the fence being supported from both sides. I understand how a Biesemeyer fence works (it's hardly rocket science!), but I imagine it moves every time you tighten it up for a cut (only a little though, but a little is too much if it can be avoided). Does this happen IRL? I also like this fence as in the future, I can upgrade it by buying an Incra positioner (NOT the whole system):



As I am not buying the whole system, the positioner is far cheaper ($230 for the 32" version. If you compare it to the full Incra fence, they will work in exactly the same way.

I have been spending more time considering the fence than the saw, as I know that Bill has mentioned many a time that the fence is as important as the saw (if not more so). Remembering this made me think further... surely a saw is just a saw... it goes round and round and cuts things (hopefully not fingers!). If I was to buy a cheap saw, remove the workings (rise/fall & tilt mechanism) and attach that to the underside of my table, could I use that (combined with the fence) to provide me with a good level of accuracy? I am also thinking of a melamine MDF top to provide a flat, smooth surface btw.

Would anyone here care to comment on my plans, what you see as good and areas you think are bad/crackpot. I'd really appreciate any contributions from some of you who have been playing with wood longer than I have.

Seems quite a lot of work to make, so I'd say you want to be able to use it for a reasonable amount of time. The cheapest saws may have bearings in the motor which don't last long. Also, they can be a formidable pain to set up correctly for decent parallel cuts (don't ask). So while you certainly don't need the rolls royce of table saws, I would choose something that is somewhat reliable, stable (does not require daily setup) and not nearly impossible to adjust.

Speaking for myself: my table saw is the cheapest I could find at the time. I don't build much so could not justify the cost of a better saw. I would not invest the time to build that table because of the risk of my saw blowing the magic smoke two cuts after finishing the table. Find a nice used saw of decent make if you can. Do check motor/blade for any play on a used machine. If there is significant play, the blade will wobble and no amount of setup could ever make the thing cut a straight line (don't ask). Choose a saw with a very common blade size so it will be easy to find affordable new blades in the future.

While you are at it, you may want to look into a way to integrate a router as well, so you have a combined router table/saw table. If you install it next to the saw, you might be able to use the same fence mechanism. Compared to hand held routering even a simple router table is a joy to use for many applications.

AntonZ wrote:While you are at it, you may want to look into a way to integrate a router as well, so you have a combined router table/saw table. If you install it next to the saw, you might be able to use the same fence mechanism. Compared to hand held routering even a simple router table is a joy to use for many applications.

Waay ahead of you... that's one bit I have decided on (almost) - I'll be buying a Triton router soon for this, mainly due to its through the table height adjust AND one spanner bit change. The fence will be used for the router too. I've seen the Incra vids of the double (& many other) dovetails

Many thanks for the other advice on the saw issues. Makes sense... I didn't consider blade wobble (well, axle wobble really).

I forgot to mention that my table will probably not seperate in 2 like the Paulk design. This is because I don't need to move the bench other than up and down (ceiling to floor), and I'm getting winches for that Transformation from a shop to a garage in under a minute

Anyone else care to chime in?
TIA

One manufacture of the extrusion is 8020.net They have a ton of accessories for the stuff. Go to their site and see if a dealer is near you. My local dealer sells the 1x1 for $2.80 a ft.

J_Dunavin wrote:One manufacture of the extrusion is 8020.net They have a ton of accessories for the stuff. Go to their site and see if a dealer is near you. My local dealer sells the 1x1 for $2.80 a ft.

Oh please don't rub it in! I'm in the UK, where I can get the extrusion easy enough (although not as cheap as you lot and in metric only), but I cannot find the UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) Polyethelyene bearings over here at all. I have tried to approach 8020, who seem to be the only suppliers of these but they do not respond to any contact and everywhere I look (their main website, eBay or Amazon) it says that they do not post to the UK. I may have to use a reshipper (or one of you nice & helpful US citizens )

You could make the bearings from UHMW kitchen cutting board.

draehn wrote:You could make the bearings from UHMW kitchen cutting board.

Not a bad shout. I have thought about this myself as the bearings are so expensive for what they are (alu casing, UHMW bearings and a few screws). I have found out that UHMW is hard to machine altough I can't find out HOW it is hard to machine. The homebrew route on the bearings is a possibility, although I liked the idea of manufactured ones as the bearings will be crucial to how little the fence deflects. I have seen that you have to shim the manufactured ones to get a snug fit, so it's not like they are accurate to thousands of a inch when compared to the extrusion itself. My cousin is a metalworker.... maybe I could get him to make me a pair of bearing holders? I was thinking of getting him to make me a Biesemeyer T square originally until my plans changed. Maybe I'll use him for the bearings... he owes me a favour

You can also check out the diy CNC crowd about making linear bearings from roller skate bearings.....

escapemcp wrote:

draehn wrote:You could make the bearings from UHMW kitchen cutting board.

I have found out that UHMW is hard to machine altough I can't find out HOW it is hard to machine.

It cuts and machines like wood. I use it for the slides in my crosscut sled. It saws, routes, drills just fine. The white kitchen cutting board is exactly what I use, cheapest source I could find. The only issue I've had with it is that it is about as stiff as a wet gummy worm when sliced thin. I had to use screws every 2" or so (while held against a straight edge) to keep it straight and then use machine screws as the conical shaped countersunk screws will widen the thin piece when tightened. It slides like butter once you get it right.

escapemcp wrote:I didn't consider blade wobble (well, axle wobble really).

I used my first hand held circular saw (B&D) on some of my early attempts at cab building. I made a saw sled, like in Bill's plans. With my shiny new saw and sled I consistently failed to cut a single straight line. After many attempts, a lot of and plenty good plywood wasted I discovered there was an unholy amount of play on the saw axle. No matter how good the saw sled, the blade could not cut anywhere near a straight line. Words fail to express the amount of frustration that saw has caused me. I was relieved to see the motor blow out the magic smoke only shortly after the warranty expired. Straight into the bin it went. That is when I learned the value of a half decent motor in a saw. I know my cheap table saw will not last very long in terms of meters of ply cut. But for the time being it does cut straight.

draehn wrote:You can also check out the diy CNC crowd about making linear bearings from roller skate bearings.....

Yes, the crossover with the CNC world is large. It has also got me thinking...

Use 2 linear actuators (that are usually used for positioning the work head of a CNC machine) - 1 on each rail. You could then use an number keypad and an ardiuno board and create an automatic fence that moves itself on the actuators!

The accuracy of actuators can get to under 0.001", although I think a more reasonable (affordable) figure is 0.005" (1/200"). One actuator on the front rail and one on the back would mean that it is no longer the bearings that are holding the fence square, but the actuators. As these are highly accurate, your fence would be stunningly accurate and have very minimal amounts of deflection at the extremes (front and back). You could also save a bundle on the bearings as they are no longer there to provide accuracy, but just to allow the actuators to move the fence. Repeatibility would also be very good.

You could program in both inches and cm into the arduino, and even have patterns in there (like with the Incra's double dovetails and other fancy joints). Hell, you could even program in all the cuts for a BFM sub and whilst not quite a full CNC machine, it would mean that making a sub would take no time at all.

Now that's crazy DIY talk if I've ever seen it.

If you're going to plow through that much BB efficiently, you should drop your outfeed table a few inches as to not get backed up!

You'll need about 6' extra room off the side for the lead screw displacement. I mean, if you're going through all this trouble, you should make it go all the way out to 5' so you can square sheets. Right?

Really though, with the Paulk, you can make a fence out of 3" angle with UHMW on the stock-facing side. Make a reference line down the table in-line with the blade and clamp it down wherever you want.

Sorry to dampen the DIY craziness. I go through it too....

draehn wrote:If you're going to plow through that much BB efficiently, you should drop your outfeed table a few inches as to not get backed up!

Sorry, but I totally disagree with you. The outfeed should be level so as not to have the end of the cut trying to ride up the blade when more weight gets on the other side of the blade.

Crazy DIY talk got me this far...