Thread: I built a simple tablesaw

I'll warn you now, you are going to cop a few unkind remarks about this set-up, so be prepared.

Now, fundamentally, your saw has three similarities with the Triton Workcentre:

1. It is built around a portable circular saw which is secured firmly (I hope) upside down beneath your table.

2. It has a flat table over which your work will pass.

3. It has a fence that is secured and adjustable at both ends. Presumably the graduations are marked such that a line between them is parallel to the blade.

This is where the similarity ends. There are a couple of serious flaws with your design that should be enough to stop you from ever using it:

1. It has no splitter or riving knife. This is crucial when rip sawing solid timber to prevent it from closing up, or even coming into contact with the back of the blade - this is the major cause of kickback which can cause you serious injury.

2. It has no blade guard. Again this is crucial to prevent you coming into contact with the blade.

You're certainly not the first person to ever do this. I have seen several similar set-ups, and I even bought one at a garage sale once to salvage the motor and the shaft. My grandfather's old saw bench had no splitter or guard. However, we generally know better these days.

My suggestion to you is that you look around for a second hand Triton (they come up on here for sale every now and then, or try eBay) and use the table as a work bench or something for which it is more suited.

Just trying to help you keep your fingers intact.

Peter,
I did the same about 15 years ago and I constructed a whole kitchen fit out with it. I used it mostly to cut rabbets and for this it is reasonably safe as the blade is not proud of the cut. Lacking a splitter I used a deal of care when ripping but still managed to get a few kickbacks. Lucky no injuries but one scared 7 kinds of *#@! out of me. That prompted me to take the saw out of the table for ripping. I continued to use it for a few for small jobs until I was able to lay my hands on a table saw. I have an old woodworking book from the 70es that shows how to make one but in those days even table saws did not have many safety features.

Use it with care
John

hi

I put up my pictures because I am intereted in my safety, and thus get some advice, I am no expert. I could easily increase the slot size, this would allow the spring loaded guard that comes with the saw to come into play. Is this a good idea/bad idea? If the slot is too wide will this cause problems with the timber sliding smoothly and evenly over the table?

What is a splitter guard?

in a couple of months I will have some money (I am dead broke now), but am starting a respectable job on July 2, thus buying a triton or similar at that time is an option. I do appreciate the feedback by the way.

n peter evans

I would wait a couple of months. I have seen a list of tablesaw accidents reported by an insurance organisation. It ain't pretty and it doesn't even have pictures. What you have to decide is if your desire to get working is greater than your desire to keep yourself in one piece. It only takes a split second for something to go wrong and then you may regret it for the rest of your life.

Definitely don't enlarge the slot. That is inviting an offcut to get wedged in between the blade and the side of the slot and perhaps be thrown back at you at great speed.

Here's one link I found here on the forum: http://www.amgron.clara.net/circular.../accidents.htm

My recommendation would be to purchase ready cut timber for the timebeing

Hi Peter

Good on ya for having a go.

But, no splitter, no kickback palws and no blade cover is a serious concern and I wouldnt feel safe using it.

I once left the splitter off my triton and go the helll scared out of me with a catch that flung it back into me. Lucky I've got tummy padding and it werent lower .

My father built a steel table saw 40 years ago fitted with a 1 hp motor and no riving knife. It worked very well, I inherited it when he died 20 years ago and I used it until last year when I bought a TSC-10HB, the old table saw is now my router table. To use it you had to be always vigilant and careful particulaly when ripping. Because it was only 1 hp it lacked the power to be too dangerous eg. if ripping and the timber pinched the blade the saw would stall, however since using the TSC-10HB with 3 hp it is a different story. the extra power means little chance of stalling and more chance of having a timber meets face incident. I guess your circular saw is at least 2 hp (1500 watts) therefore the potential for kickbacks is quite real, and with the fence arrangement the possibility of the fence being off line is high increasing the risk. For cross cutting with care you should be ok, but for ripping take extreme care, I would recommend you rig up some form of anti kick back guard over the blade if ripping lengths of timber. A simple guard is to clamp a piece of 3x2 timber on blocks at 90 degrees to the blade and just above it so the timber you are ripping passes under this 3x2 piece and then if it kicks back it will only hit the guard and not you.

Hi all,
It's very interesting reading these responses -- I've had a triton mk3 for over 20 years, and while I will be upgrading to a cabinet saw soon the decision to upgrade is prompted more by accuracy (and ambition) than any safety issues. My triton doesn't have a splitter or a riving knife - in fact I only heard about these things when I started reading ww mags and checking out this forum last year. I have had one small piece of wood shot out at me but it just bounced off my stomach. And I did chop some bits of flesh of a couple of fingers in the early days, but I wasn't using a guard and was trying to cut very small bits without a push stick. I am older and wiser now, do use push sticks and jigs and things, but I still don't have a splitter or riving knife and sometimes remove the guard so I can complete the feeding without stopping and moving my hands over the guard rail.
Cheers,
Chumley

I did the same for 2 years when I first started. So I wouldn’t crucify you like others do.

BUT

Be very careful mate.

My triton doesn't have a splitter or a riving knife

What holds the blade guard?

I suppose it's like seatbelts in a car, They're just a pain in the backside until the day you need them.

Peter

don't do it...
go here and click on the first link...
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=50569
Just don't do it...
Jedo

PS if you need any more convincing, then go here (graphic)
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...ad.php?t=46942

Silent,
The blade guard is held in place by an arm that sits above the table, goes across the table over the rip fence, dog-leg curves down and sits in a hole in the table top, held in place with a threaded key - this also allows for the vertical height adjustment of the guard. The obvious problem is that if you want to hand feed something past the blade (assuming there's safe room for your hand between blade and fence) you have to stop feeding while you move your hand to the other side of the guard holder - and give your job a nice stripe with the saw which suddenly has no feed presssure.
Cheers,
Adam

Originally Posted by silentC

I suppose it's like seatbelts in a car, They're just a pain in the backside until the day you need them.

How do you wear your seatbelt