Woodworking

Captain Suave

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Can anyone recommend any sort of vice or jig for drilling the end of table legs? Just going to clamp to the table and spin the top of the drill to do it on the current project, but figured I'd ask.

I'd just eyeball and do it by hand with a drill. It won't matter for leveling feet if you're off by a couple of degrees over three quarters of an inch. I might invest in a forstner bit set over a spade bit. They'll jump around less. A classic bit and brace would do it too with perhaps more control, but sourcing a good one can be tricky.
 
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Kolohe
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Thanks guys. Will respond when I'm back at the computer. Taper I sketched out has the bottom at half the width of the top, fyi
 

whoo

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Thanks guys. Will respond when I'm back at the computer. Taper I sketched out has the bottom at half the width of the top, fyi

If the question is "how do I hold a non rectangular leg in my vise to drill the end" you have 2 choices:
1. Save the offcut when you make the taper and use that
2. Make clamping forms /jigs to hold your part.

If that's not your question, I'm not sure what is?
 

Captain Suave

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If the question is "how do I hold a non rectangular leg in my vise to drill the end" you have 2 choices:
1. Save the offcut when you make the taper and use that
2. Make clamping forms /jigs to hold your part.

If that's not your question, I'm not sure what is?

I'd add 3) clamp and drill the hole while the part is still rectangular, then be careful to make the taper cuts to the hole is centered at the end.
 

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Kolohe
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If I'm going to recess a leveling foot into the bottom and only have 1/4in thick walls in 4 spots when I do so, it seemed like a better idea to use the press instead of hand holding. Apparently not.
 

Captain Suave

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Pretty interesting test of sawhorse strength. Friction on the base of the legs makes an order of magnitude difference in how much weight they support. You can pretty much park two cars on a good one scaled up, which surprised me.

 

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Kolohe
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I'm not 100% sure I want to take this step yet, but can anyone recommend some nice table saw + router setups for me to browse through? I kinda feel like I'm more interested in the table itself than the power tools, if that makes sense.

I don't really want to give up a bunch of shop space to a big ass table saw but I think I'd be more ok with it if it was a combo with a nice table and fence that I can put some folding infeed/outfeed tables on.
 

Captain Suave

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I'm not 100% sure I want to take this step yet, but can anyone recommend some nice table saw + router setups for me to browse through? I kinda feel like I'm more interested in the table itself than the power tools, if that makes sense.

I don't really want to give up a bunch of shop space to a big ass table saw but I think I'd be more ok with it if it was a combo with a nice table and fence that I can put some folding infeed/outfeed tables on.

Budget is probably the biggest factor here. For new, premium gear the influencer space seems to gravitate towards SawStop and Harvey recently, and while I've not seen anyone complain about quality you have to assume that's largely driven by $$. If/when I upgrade I'll still consider SawStop because I really like my fingers and a even few hundred premium seems like a reasonable insurance policy.

If you're looking to reduce cost I'd say get a used saw with a cast top and source your router table separately. Bosch makes a pretty decent portable one for ~$200 that you can store when not in use, or you can make your own specific to your needs for the cost of time and materials. There's a huge array of designs and plans online.
 
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Intrinsic

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Used Deltas seem to be the most bang for buck when I was doing all my research. But the market around me was completely void of that stuff so it wasn’t an option.

I agree with Captain, though. What is your budget? That will largely define if you’re going jobsite, cabinet, hybrid, and I’ll just assume “professional” is not what you’re looking for.

I went buy once cry once and after looking at Grizzly and SawStop, convinced my wife the Sawstop was worth the extra $$ because of safety. They have an extension wing that you can pretty easily drop in a DIY router table and utilize the whole surface while also doubling as a router when needed. Or you can spend the extra $$ and get the Sawstop version. DIY is fun though.
 

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I don't necessarily have a budget in mind. I don't need professional/manufacturing level anything. I just don't want to be fighting shitty tools with plastic fences and plastic tabletops, warped aluminum, etc.

The ryobi bandsaw I got from home depot is horrible.
 

Captain Suave

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I just don't want to be fighting shitty tools with plastic fences and plastic tabletops, warped aluminum, etc.

Then get vintage tools made with real steel and iron (knowing that they may require some refurbishment and maintenance) or go mid/upmarket new. Many of the big box and budget brands are all repackaged output of the same factory and share the same problems.

I went low/mid range on my first saw and got the DeWalt contractor version. I kinda regret it, as the miter slots are inconsistently sloppy and the blade has a bunch of runout. The portability and storability are nice but 99% of the time it sits in one spot anyway.
 
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Exact same situation here now.

And I did start with a lot of used and pawn pickups, but those have been a waste too. I just don't know enough to judge it myself at the store.
 

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So the table legs I'm going to put the double inside taper on are 3in x 3in and too big to do on the table saw.

Band saw the best option now?
 

Captain Suave

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So the table legs I'm going to put the double inside taper on are 3in x 3in and too big to do on the table saw.

Band saw the best option now?

Your preference. If you want the cleanliness of a table saw you can do partial cuts there and finish on the bandsaw or with hand tools. Or just the bandsaw is fine to save steps.
 
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Intrinsic

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I don't necessarily have a budget in mind. I don't need professional/manufacturing level anything. I just don't want to be fighting shitty tools with plastic fences and plastic tabletops, warped aluminum, etc.

The ryobi bandsaw I got from home depot is horrible.

Here's my brief run down based on a few fixed data points:
  • 10" Blade
  • Single phase and not 3-Phase
    • 110v will pretty much put you in the 1.75 HP range
    • 220v can get you 2.5 - 3 HP
    • Cabinet
    • Cast Iron table
    • 3+ Inch cutting height

Grizzly's lowest Cabinet style that I can find meeting that criteria is the G1023RL at $1,995. It has a 32" rip capacity. You can always build a side table or something else to increase that if you didn't want to go with the extra $600 for a 60" rip capacity with something like the G1023RLX for $2,595. They also have a Hybrid option for $1,195 with the G0771Z that looks like a pretty decent Hybrid? Also the G0899 that is $1,395. Not sure, they didn't have this one when I was looking a few years ago.

Sawstop you probably want to go for the PCS line. You can build and price at Their Site but they sell through other people like Grizzly, Woodcraft, etc. Cheapest out the door for a Sawstop cabinet is $2,849 for the 1-3/4 HP.

Harvey ALPHA HW110TC-36PG is $2,699 and looks pretty nice. I never looked at these when buying. Just below the Sawstop in price and obviously you don't get the safety features, but it looks to have some nice premium options. For $100 more you can get a larger rip capacity too. Comes with a really nice mitre gauge. Wow, that's cool. huh...

Laguna F2 Fusion was really popular when I was looking. It is only $1,800 for their entry level cabinet saw. It says it has mobility built in to the cabinet which may be important for you. Mobile bases for Grizzly, Sawstop, etc can run you multiple hundreds of dollars. I don't always move my saw but sometimes it is a nice option.

Jet is popular but I think this goes more towards the "professional" level, and they start at like $3,400 for their entry level cabinet saw the 708674PK.

Powermatic is also popular but feels the same as Jet. Way more in the pro-sumer level with the same ~$3,400 price point for the PM1000.

tldr: so anyways, You're gonna budget at least $2k for a cabinet saw, if not more if you go with Sawstop. A hybrid looks to be about $500 - $600 cheaper depending. We'd have to dive in to specific features of each one.

I didn't have much to do tonight except watch Tremors 2, so thought I'd search around a bit to see if it helps.
 
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Kolohe
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Here's my brief run down based on a few fixed data points:
  • 10" Blade
  • Single phase and not 3-Phase
    • 110v will pretty much put you in the 1.75 HP range
    • 220v can get you 2.5 - 3 HP
    • Cabinet
    • Cast Iron table
    • 3+ Inch cutting height

Grizzly's lowest Cabinet style that I can find meeting that criteria is the G1023RL at $1,995. It has a 32" rip capacity. You can always build a side table or something else to increase that if you didn't want to go with the extra $600 for a 60" rip capacity with something like the G1023RLX for $2,595. They also have a Hybrid option for $1,195 with the G0771Z that looks like a pretty decent Hybrid? Also the G0899 that is $1,395. Not sure, they didn't have this one when I was looking a few years ago.

Sawstop you probably want to go for the PCS line. You can build and price at Their Site but they sell through other people like Grizzly, Woodcraft, etc. Cheapest out the door for a Sawstop cabinet is $2,849 for the 1-3/4 HP.

Harvey ALPHA HW110TC-36PG is $2,699 and looks pretty nice. I never looked at these when buying. Just below the Sawstop in price and obviously you don't get the safety features, but it looks to have some nice premium options. For $100 more you can get a larger rip capacity too. Comes with a really nice mitre gauge. Wow, that's cool. huh...

Laguna F2 Fusion was really popular when I was looking. It is only $1,800 for their entry level cabinet saw. It says it has mobility built in to the cabinet which may be important for you. Mobile bases for Grizzly, Sawstop, etc can run you multiple hundreds of dollars. I don't always move my saw but sometimes it is a nice option.

Jet is popular but I think this goes more towards the "professional" level, and they start at like $3,400 for their entry level cabinet saw the 708674PK.

Powermatic is also popular but feels the same as Jet. Way more in the pro-sumer level with the same ~$3,400 price point for the PM1000.

tldr: so anyways, You're gonna budget at least $2k for a cabinet saw, if not more if you go with Sawstop. A hybrid looks to be about $500 - $600 cheaper depending. We'd have to dive in to specific features of each one.

I didn't have much to do tonight except watch Tremors 2, so thought I'd search around a bit to see if it helps.
pittsburgh pirates GIF by MLB


that helps a ton, thanks. Imma go through all this while FO4 mods download. Thanks!
 
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Intrinsic

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pittsburgh pirates GIF by MLB


that helps a ton, thanks. Imma go through all this while FO4 mods download. Thanks!
Don’t forget shipping costs too. Didn’t know if you were close to a local place or what, but Grizzly shipping is like $300 or more and others may be similar.
 

Intrinsic

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Seems like a killer price for all that.

Make sure you do some Google searching on 5hp at 220V though. For some reason that throws a red flag up based on looking in to redoing my shop for my 220v and the 3hp Sawstop.

Pretty sure at that amperage you gotta account for your wiring size and fuse. Just in case.

And not to be too critical, bc I’m just throwing questions out, are 12” blades more expensive than 10” and will that factor in to the cost. Cost and accessibility if you need one quickly.

I dunno. Just feels like veering off in to more “specialized” territory with 5hp and 12”. Price looks great though 😃.
 
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Kolohe
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Yea that's why I keep thinking with a few things. "Man that's more than I was aiming for, but that's a pretty damn good deal....".

Haven't pulled the trigger on anything yet.