Thread: Workcentre for ripping, sliding saw for crosscutting?

I should add what I plan to use all this for...

It's a bit of a mixed bag. Current projects in planning:
- A free standing timber-clad cold smoker in the yard
- a stud framed garden shed (also timber clad)
- Hardwood pelmet boxes to cover the roller blinds
- A wall-hung cabinet for hi-fi/tv

Pretty typical of the kind of stuff I do. Not fine furniture, but some of it does require some precision.

Hi Jonny;

My Triton has the dust extraction bags fitted so changing modes is a real PITA. In order to conduct cross cutting I bought a DeWalt 10" chop saw but for bigger stuff I also have the mini extension. If you have the room I really recommend this addition; even better get the maxi if you can.

I have also been given an older MkIII, this will eventually be permanently set up in the overhead mode, mainly for routing.

Other add-ons worth getting are the height winder and the wheels. I also have the planning attachment which although performs very well basically needs best part of 10 minutes to set up every time I use it. The bevel cutting guide only gets used about once every two years, this is probably the least useful addition you can get.

My system gets used for practically everything. I've built bookcases, boxes, two workbenches, kitchen cabinets, a deck and numerous small items. My latest and most ambitious is about 9m of solid red gum kitchen worktop from rough sawn timber.

I made my Triton into a dedicated tabletop arrangement by having the maxi extension table, which I believe is the best thing since sliced bread for a Triton. These days I do have a sliding compound mitre saw, which is an Aldi unit that is as accurate as I need. Not in the same league as Makita or similar units, but nonetheless, extremely versatile.

The Triton can be accurate, very accurate. You need to learn how to use it and look on the forum for things people have done with them to make them that little bit better. I have a dedicated dust extraction box under mine, so it stays in table top mode all the time.

Mick.

IMG_8286_SCMS_09.jpg

Make a crosscut slide to fit on it, and you get accurate cuts without having to change modes on the Triton. You will not be able to get bevel cuts though. Plenty of posts here, and on youtube. They are ver easy to make, and to setup to be very accurate.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

I think I'm going to the good old 'and' strategy. I'll make a sled for handling crosscutting for easy to handle pieces. And I'll buy a 10" bevel mitre saw for docking large pieces (framing) and cutting accurate bevels. Later on, if I'm working with sheet materials, I might get the sliding extension table too. That should cover all the bases. I think a mitre saw is justified, especially since I'll be dealing with 6" 4x2s in some my projects. Only question is, should I get a sliding mitre, or just a plain old bevel drop saw? I'll probably go for the slider, and pay for a good one for accuracy. More versatile, and probably a more sensible '10+ year' purchase.

I looked around the forum for ages for sled plans, and although everybody talks a lot about sleds, it wasn't that easy to find actual plans and examples.
Bob's famous full table sled is a good idea, but I want something very simple, that I can knock up in half an hour, with no special parts.

For those that come looking, here's a few that I found and liked:

A single-sided one: youtube
Bob Jager's full panel sled: link (PDF)
Wood whisperer's sled: video (this is the version that I'll adapt for the Triton... overfit to table sides, or waxed hardwood runners inserted into table-top tracks)
A nice compact one by Matthew Wandel: youtube

Keen to hear any other thoughts!

The one I made is here which was based on this one on youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZuyC7udVjs

Here's my crosscut sled. I wouldn't be without it cos it saves having to remove the dust shroud.cross cut sled front.jpg

Thanks for the pic Chris. That's more or less what I'm looking to make.
Are those Tas Oak runners, fitted under the sled and hugging the outside of the Triton table?

I had a go at a sled it today. Bit of a disaster... for a few reasons.
1. My saw/blade combo seems to have a lot of runout. I did a bunch of alignment tests, and it's out of whack by the width of about 4-5 paper shims. Not much I can do to fix that. It means that I get big dirty tooth marks where I stop the blade.

2. I tried the 8mm coach head method, where the the bolt heads run in the mitre tracks. It sort of works, but there's a lot of movement where the bolts pass through the wide slots in the mitre track. I was using 4 anchors (2 front, 2 back), maybe if I had 8 it might work better. Seemed pretty hard to setup and adjust though.

3. My fence stock wasn't true. I used 25mm ply which I ripped off a sheet. Even with small lengths (600mm wide) there was noticeable bow. Nearly impossible to square the fence with the kerf lines.

Sigh. This is much, much, much more messing about than I anticipated.
Wondering if I shoulda just bought a dedicated table saw and been done with it.

Yes, Tas Oak and they run along the sides. i wouldn't trust a system that runs in the mitre grooves - too much slop...
Don't give up.
I'll send you the plans for mine - i think I still have them.

Yes, Here's a link to the design I followed - there's a pdf on the site below the picture
https://sites.google.com/site/bobjager/woodwork
I made a small modification to the perspex cover, but otherwise I think it's largely the same.
Some of my photos attached.cross cut sled bottom.jpgcross cut sled back2.jpgcross cut sled perspex slid back.jpg
It's well worth it to make one..

I thought yours looked similar to Bob Jager's sled. That seems to be the way most people go.
Thanks for sharing it.

Do you get much lateral movement due to the folded steel table top?
Putting a straight edge up to mine, I can see it's got a slight convex curve to it. Probably not a big deal...
Bob's instructions say it's no problem, so long as the rails are a snug fit and waxed for movement.

Now just need to find somewhere to get some decent timber stock.
The local chain hardware stores don't really have decent stuff!

No noticeable lateral movement at all. The runners are fairly long, and if you make sure they are tight along the length of the table, any variation is taken care of. Waxing certainly helps.
By convex curve, do you mean the middle bows out? On both sides? If so, you should be able to move it in with come good clamps.

Originally Posted by rogerwilco

Later on, if I'm working with sheet materials, I might get the sliding extension table too.

The sliding extension table is great for sheet goods, as you say, but it is also great for crosscutting long stock. That may be useful for a lot of your listed projects. I have never felt the need to get SCMS for the stuff I do.

In all the years I have had the Triton, I have probably put it into crosscut mode less than five times, and never for straight crosscutting. I do all that on the sliding extension table or the triangle protractor. I have gone into crosscut mode a couple of times to do compound mitres for special jobs. While it will do compound mitres it is a PITA anyway you look at it.

Speaking of the protractor, its scale is not reliable. When using the protractor for crosscutting, set it with your combination square. Raise the blade right up and put the thin end of the square flat on the disk of the blade and set the protractor against the long side, then wind the blade back down to the height you need for the cut. Set 45's the same way on the 45 degree face. If you decide to make a crosscut sled, I suggest that you align the fence on the sled off the blade in a similar way.

I still use my Triton a fair bit even though I have had a cast iron topped contractors saw for a few years now.

Cheers

Doug

Success!

Hardwood rails under the sled as per Bob Jager's design is definitely the way to go.

I found some nice straight hardwood for the fence, and made up a sled.
I'm getting pretty accurate cuts, and most importantly, I was able to square up the fence to be square to the kerf on both sides. And, only a tiny bit of lateral movement, nothing to worry about.

I still want to get hold of some dovetail nuts and cut/route a track for attach stop-knobs for some hold-downs.
I didn't think I'd need them, but it's best to push the sled with two hands, and that's hard to do if you're using one to hold the stock in place.

And, I need to sort out the circ saw. I reckon it's faulty. I'm getting very noticeable steps in the cut. It's caused by poor 'runout' which I believe is a mechanical issue with the saw and/or blade. The blade is bang on 90 degrees, and it's aligned perfectly with the fence. However, when the blade slows down, I can visibly see the teeth moving from side-to-side by about 1-2mm. It means I get a pretty wide kerf when the stock passes front and back of blade, and a stepped cut when the stock has only seen the front of the blade.

I will try a new blade first. If that doesn't work, it's back to the shop for a refund/swap-over.

If you wax the runners and polish the Triton top you should find it easy to hold the stock and push with the same hand simultaneously - there is very little resistance from my sled.