Sliding table and out-feed table for TSC-10HB table saw

[mikm]

I recently bought a 10HB table saw (at a discount and before the recent price rise ) and have found it to be pretty much what I expected. That is to say, it rips fantastically but doesn't cross cut too well 'out of the box'. I havent found the standard mitre gauge to be of any real (accurate) use. The first couple of jobs I had for the saw were cutting a fair bit of melamine chipboard for some shelves and a kitchen, so I needed good cross cutting as well. For the shelves, I tried a large cross cut sled riding in the table slots, but as expected, found it not accurate enough for 1400 square panels. The kitchen job was for somebody else and needed to be spot on, so some sort of sliding table was going to need to happen.

I contacted Carbatec in Melbourne and spoke to their machinery guru (Charles, I think it was. I found him helpful and knowledgable about their products) to see if a sliding table system off one of their other saws would be adaptable. He told me that the table off the MJ2325DS should be available some time in the new year as a stand alone item for around $900. Aside from the wait (I need one now), The photo on page 83 of the '08 catalogue makes it look a bit flimsy and I think the price is too high for what it appears to be. Alternatively, the MBS-ST table (optional for the MBS-300 saws) looks much more capable (and at $1000, I would suggest far better value for money) but is not in stock in Melbourne. They would bring one down from Brisbane on request, though.

With all that in mind, I decided to have a lash at making one myself. I'm pretty happy with my first attempt (particularly since it works) and wondered if, with enough easier/cheaper/better/faster improvement suggestions from everybody, we could come up with an improved generic design that people could adapt to their own hardware. All up, I probably spent a few days playing with ideas, sourcing materials I didnt already have and actually constructing it, but I reckon that could be significantly shortened working to a known plan.

Anyway, here are a few photos to start with...
Apologies for the way-too-short depth of field. A lot of stuff isn't in focus, but you should get the idea anyway.

-The photos in the post below are clearer-

[Sturdee]

The first couple of jobs I had for the saw were cutting a fair bit of melamine chipboard for some shelves and a kitchen, so I needed good cross cutting as well. For the shelves, I tried a large cross cut sled riding in the table slots, but as expected, found it not accurate enough for 1400 square panels. The kitchen job was for somebody else and needed to be spot on, so some sort of sliding table was going to need to happen.

I solved that problem by adapting the TSC 10 HB so that I can attach my old Triton sliding extension table to it.


Peter.

[mikm]

I welded end plates on 100 mm -ish lengths of 65 x 65 mm RHS scraps to make table mounts. The mounts were bolted through the end plates (probably M8 x 25 or something like that) to the rear side of the saw under the rip fence guide rails. This is low enough to allow fine height adjustment nuts to be added. I should take a clearer photo as the pic above is a bit blurry at the point of interest.

Two coach head bolts (M8 x 75 or something like that) were put through a top (700 x 900 x 30 mm chipboard off-cut) at locations to suit the new mounts. The bolt heads were counter bored below the surface. (Be careful here. Chipboard density is high at the surface but significantly lower in the core. Counter bore too deep and the bolt will just keep pulling through.) Standard nuts hold the bolt to the underside of the chipboard table. Put a nyloc on the bolt next as a height adjustment stage. A normal nut will do, but will lose position every time you take it off. The bolts then go through the brackets and are retained with a wing nut.

I made a leg for the rear of the table from some RHS off-cuts and a large bolt and nut with a hardwood block to make an adjustable foot. Just make it up as you go along...

[mikm]

I solved that problem by adapting the TSC 10 HB so that I can attach my old Triton sliding extension table to it.


Peter.

Nice one, Peter. I like your work.

At the moment, I have a workshop that is too small to leave the saw set up and no concrete floor until late Feb '09, so I have to move my saw in and out of storage and use it on the back lawn . As such, I was keen on something that is only supported by the saw (swing arm and rail design) so I dont have to re-adjust table support legs every time I move it. Also, even though I assume the triton table is pretty cost effective, I only spent about $130 on materials using stuff I already had as finances are a bit tighter at the moment after buying the saw and other tools .

Thanks for the link, though.

Merry christmas in 23 mins (oops, better go to bed)
-Mick

[Sturdee]

Also, even though I assume the triton table is pretty cost effective, I only spent about $130 on materials using stuff I already had as finances are a bit tighter at the moment after buying the saw and other tools .

Mick, in my case it was very cost effective as I upgraded from my Triton set up, so I already had the sliding table.


Peter.

[mikm]

--10HB SPECIFIC STUFF--:

- LH extension table removed (holes already exist to potentially use this to extend the RH wing)
- Rip fence guide rails moved to the right using existing holes. (See this post)
- Switch box moved to RH extension wing using existing holes.


--GENERIC DESIGN--:

Hanging bracket
- 1300 x 125 x 75 x 7 mm angle (what I had lying around) bolted to saw in place of the LH wing.

Guide rail
- Mounts fabricated from 2.5 mm steel to fix 2200 x 65 x 65 x 2.5 mm RHS at 45 deg to hanging bracket. I wanted a minimum of 1200 cross cut capacity so 2500 would have been ideal, but I just moved the carriages under the sliding table a bit closer together to compensate for the shorter rail.

Swing arm
- 25 x 50 x 1.5 mm RHS was on hand, but 2 mm or even 2.5 mm would be better. The arm will hold the weight of 1200 x 1200 x 25 mm chipboard without any problems, but there is a bit of flex with increasing weight.
- Hinges are ball bearig gate hinges and work well, particularly being easily de-mountable.
- A single length of angle iron to mount the arm to the saw would be ideal, but I only had short lengths so I used two lengths of plate to join them into a single structure.
- The height adjustment at the end of the arm consists of a 'large' bolt and nut with a length of gal water pipe. At the moment, a roofing screw in the table pokes down the end of the pipe to stop the arm wandering off.

Carriages
-I investigated linear bearing systems and cam followers for the slide, but the cheapest solution (about $6 each) was to make my own cam followers using M8 bolts and a generic 22 x 7 mm bearing from CBC bearings.
-Height ajdustment of the saw side of the sliding table is with shims between the carriages and the underside of the sliding table. Something more elegant would be nice, but quick and dirty works.

Fence
-Length of hardwood screwed to the table.

Room for improvement
-Fence really should be an aluminium extrusion to preclude possible movement with weather changes. Adjustable angle could be nice, also.
-Fence needs some sort of stop block working with a rule like the rip fence.
-Swing arm works, but heavier gauge RHS should remove some of the flex.
-Swing arm to table attachment is currently a bit roungh. Something with a bit more finesse than a screw poking down the end of a bit of pipe would be good.

So. Now to open the floor. Any suggestions for improvements that may improve the existing design, or to assist anybody else contemplating a similar build would be much appreciated.

Merry christmas all. I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday.

Cheers,
Mick

[mikm]

Mick, in my case it was very cost effective as I upgraded from my Triton set up, so I already had the sliding table.


Peter.

That certainly would have been a good position to have started from. Looking at the photos in your original thread, I assume you can turn the fence around perpendicular to the blade to get an accurate 90 deg cut? How much of an improvement do you think the hold-downs make to cutting accuracy or general ease of use? Have you made any other improvements since you built it in '05?

[specialist]

Nice job, very simple which is good and independant from the floor, I like that.

Robert

[Sturdee]

Looking at the photos in your original thread, I assume you can turn the fence around perpendicular to the blade to get an accurate 90 deg cut? How much of an improvement do you think the hold-downs make to cutting accuracy or general ease of use?

Mick, you can use the fence parallel to the saw blade and with the spacer block use the measurements of the extension table or have the fence at right angles to the blade or any angle in between. The holddowns are essential if you are doing a taper cut and handy with the others but not essential.

Have you made any other improvements since you built it in '05?

A few that might interest you eg:

My collection of TS mods and jigs.

My Combined TS & Router table

My TS fence ofset guides.

My new super improved feather board.


as well as a removable outfeed table, a couple of sleds and I'm currently building a box joint jig.


I hope these threads may help you.


Peter.

[mikm]

That's great, Peter. Thanks for those links

[mikm]

Nice job, very simple which is good and independant from the floor, I like that.

Robert

Thanks Robert.

[specialist]

Here is one I made for myself last year, it's quite involved, but I wanted to have full control over the adjustment of it in relation to the bench and blade. It was very loosely based on the one that is attached to a saw at carbatec. The idea is the same, only the swing arm on mine is straight and rigid. I can put a full sheet of mdf on the table with no problems. 1350 in front of blade and table fence stops just after the back the blade,about 75mm but that can be shorter.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...346#post643346

[mikm]

Ah hah! Now we're talking - some more ideas. Thanks for that Robert.
I assume you stand between the rail and the saw, but do you find that the stand to the left of the saw gets in the way as you reach over it?

I love how my table stops are a couple of bodgey tek screws and yours is a set of vise-grips

Nice setup, by the way. I almost went with a telescoping swing arm - looks like it works well...

[artme]

Neat job Mikm. Should prove to be very handy.

[specialist]

No it doesn't, that stand is about 150 mm behind the front edge to the table top and the main arm of the saw is 650 to the left of the blade. On that particular bench, the blade is set more to the front so that it is really easy to work, probably the same distance from the front as yours is from the back. I needed that frame because the motor protrudes so far out of the cabinet and I had to get around it for the slide rail.

As for the vice grips, they have been replaced by a dob of weld, this works because the slide is clamped on the rail and can't jump over it.