Thread: Table saw build

Generally buy the best you can afford. There are a multitude of table saws already out there, maybe second hand too.
a good circular saw (Makita for mine)
added to a nice straight edge (aluminium from local steel merchant, they even have plastic bungs to make the end look pretty)
a couple of clamps to fix straight edge to material and a
good sturdy table( gotta start somewhere make your first project a work bench.)

this is will get you started in wood and you can save a few more pennies to get a better table saw

I guess it depends on what you mean by building a better TS.
Whether you go for a circular or a cheap TS you will be restricted to modifying the outer peripherals like the fence or the stand/cabinet which adds very little value if the saw is an ordinary piece of gear to begin with.

The heart of a TS is the arbor and the trunnion that tilts and raise the blade up and down.
The arbor on a circular is basically unmodifiable and if you modify that on a cheap saw, that's serious metal work you will end up remaking the whole saw.

The soul of the saw is the top which needs to be solid if it is to take a reliable arbor/trunnion and allow the blade/fence/top to all sit true to each other.
Unless you have the capacity to manage slabs of cast iron it's unlikely you can add that to an existing saw so that needs to already be part of the saw

If you want to build up a quality saw then I would suggest starting with a cast iron topped second hand saw with a solid arbor and trunnion.
Then you can true everything up, add the motor/pulley/belts of your choice, ake some solid zero clearance throat inserts, build up a solid fence, and don't forget to add a decent cabinet with a 6" dust extraction port. Even if you only have dust extractor with a 4" duct you can always scale back with a simple 6'->4" adapter called a "Level invert"

Some one I know used a circular saw attached upside down to a piece of melamine mounted on an old BBQ trolley, with a home made fence. Built a very nice set of kitchen cupboards with it. They just made a bracket for the saw to fit and then dropped the blade height as it was running to make the cut for the blade. Only thing is it has no tilt. Can't vouch for its safety though but was certainly cheap and effective.

So the last two posts take you from one extreme to another. Both are good answers, but which one is correct for you?

What do you want to do with this saw?
What kind of projects?
How much accuracy & precision do you need?
What is your budget exactly?

Answer these questions for us and we can suggest better answers for you.

Have a look at this site http://woodgears.ca Lots of good ideas for for homemade saws and other machinery.

Hi Arif

I have a Triton Mk3 work centre looking for a home - https://www.woodworkforums.com/f275/triton-mark-3-workcenter-complete-assessories-183490

send me a PM if interested

Originally Posted by cray-

So the last two posts take you from one extreme to another. Both are good answers, but which one is correct for you?

What do you want to do with this saw?
What kind of projects?
How much accuracy & precision do you need?
What is your budget exactly?

Answer these questions for us and we can suggest better answers for you.

Thanks For all your responses

Cray, to answer your questions.

i will be using it for mainly sheet products like plywood and mdf, and softwoods i want to make a cutting board which will probably be the only hardwood i will use

at this stage i will mainly be making things for the workshop but hoping to start making some furniture pieces

the things i cannot really do well with my current tools is things like long repetitive cuts and beveled cuts so i want it to do these accurately as i can do it with some level of accuracy already

budget hoping for $500

Originally Posted by safari

Have a look at this site http://woodgears.ca Lots of good ideas for for homemade saws and other machinery.

Thanks Safari i have looked here which started me thinking about upgrading an existing cheapo table saw rather than just attach a circular saw

As always, the decision depends on what you want to achieve and your budget.

I had an old el cheapo Trade Tools 10" contractor table saw. All I did to it was to adjust everything back into alignment, replace the useless fence with a far better model, fit a thin kerf triple cut blade and build an MFD and pine cabinet to house the saw (very cheap). I also extended the table on three sides, including the outfeed table and made up the dust collection system, which works very well.

Very happy with it now. Here it is after the new fence went on, but before the cabinet was built.
IMAG0107.jpg

And here it is now.
IMAG0270[1].jpg

The cost would depend on what you paid for a second hand saw. The cabinet, outfeed tables and dust collection system were not at all expensive.

Cheerio!

John

There are some impressive table saw builds to be found on line and also a lot more that are very scary to look at. Here are 2 of the better ones I found.
http://www.ibuildit.ca/table-saw-1.html

https://woodgears.ca/reader/hector/tablesaw.html

I have to admit that about 20 years ago I mounted my makita circular saw under a sheet of ply and clamped on a bit of wood for a fence. I made all the doors and drawer fronts for a kitcken makeover on it. It was mostly thin stock and cutting rebates. Got the job done but I was very aware of the safety drawbacks. I was also given a couple of scares and was lucky to keep all my fingers. It was what made me buy a table saw. If you can build one of the better examples then go for it but dont go for the circular saw under the table. Safety has come a long way over the years as I have some old woodwork books from the 70/80ies that actually show mounting a saw under a ply sheet as a method of getting more from your saw.
Regards
john