Woodworking

BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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What do you guys think about adding a better fence to a table saw. I have an old Craftsman table saw that belonged to my grandfather and I would like to keep using it for sentimental reasons and because I don't want to spend the money on a new one but the fence sucks on it and it's a bit under powered. I've been thinking about putting a better fence on it and upgrading the motor, maybe even bumping it up to 240 volts. I've also seen where people extend their table and put a router on one side which can also use the same fence. Anyone ever done anything like that? Is it worth doing?
 
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Captain Suave

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A good fence is the #1 table saw safety feature. Kickback can ruin you day before you can blink.
 
Dandai

Dandai

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Captain Suave said:
A good fence is the #1 table saw safety feature. Kickback can ruin you day before you can blink.
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I’d argue using a riving knife is more critical to prevent kickback but obviously an off kilter fence is also a key player in causing kickback.
 
C

Captain Suave

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Dandai said:
I’d argue using a riving knife is more critical to prevent kickback but obviously an off kilter fence is also a key player in causing kickback.
Click to expand...

Also critical and I'd never go without, but have you ever seen someone try to use a saw with a wobbly or flexible fence? Scary.
 
Dandai

Dandai

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Captain Suave said:
Also critical and I'd never go without, but have you ever seen someone try to use a saw with a wobbly or flexible fence? Scary.
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Fair enough lol. No I’ve never seen that. I would literally never. That’s just asking to be impaled.

Edit: Just saw this vid recently. It makes me so nervous when I see people doing this technique. I know it’s less efficient but I always clear the blade area before doing another cut.

 
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Intrinsic

Intrinsic

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BrutulTM said:
What do you guys think about adding a better fence to a table saw. I have an old Craftsman table saw that belonged to my grandfather and I would like to keep using it for sentimental reasons and because I don't want to spend the money on a new one but the fence sucks on it and it's a bit under powered. I've been thinking about putting a better fence on it and upgrading the motor, maybe even bumping it up to 240 volts. I've also seen where people extend their table and put a router on one side which can also use the same fence. Anyone ever done anything like that? Is it worth doing?
Click to expand...

I have been considering this for my Rigid and have stumbled across a few things. Don't have the links handy but can try to find them in my search history if you want. (*edit: since I didn't really answer the question; yeah I'd upgrade my fence if it was worth it. I can deal with aligning the blade, my top and extension are level, my zero clearance throat plates are fine, I break down large sheets to manageable sizes so don't -need- huge outfeed or extensions.. but I HATE the fence on my Rigid).

For the Crafstman it seems like there are a few tutorials out there for installing a Delta T2/T3 fence that people rave about. However it seemed like it is designed to only fit the Delta so installing on the Craftsman required drilling new holes. Otherwise people loved it.

So yeah that is one thing I was running across. Which rail system would fit and how based on what you're using.

The Delta T2s were out of stock everywhere for any reasonable price (~$210 or so) and the few T3 I saw were more expensive (~$350?).

Vega and Shop Fox fence's were similarly recommended and they were $250 - $350? Depending on how long a rail system you needed.

At the end of the day it didn't seem worth it to upgrade the fence on my $350 table saw but I don't have the same sentiment attached that you do. Only that she was my first /swoon.

There are a lot of plans out there for saw tables that include a built in router table. I also believe that Rockler sells inserts, maybe Grizzly too? But those run expensive rather than a DIY option. It is something I'm interested in. I don't know, all these add ons and you're getting in to the territory of buying a "lower end" 220 cabinet saw. Unless you need specific size and space requirements, mobility, etc.
 
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BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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I was looking at the Shop Fox too. I have a Shop Fox metal cutting band saw and a drill press and they are okay but I sort of wish I had sprung for a Jet or something. They've gotten a lot of use and they're still going but they ain't what they used to be. I've played with a shop fox table saw at the local hardware store though and I think it's safe to say the fence beats the hell out of what I have now.
 
Aamry

Aamry

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Minor update, posting this from my phone so sorry if the picture is obscenely huge. Still not done with it, taking it to my friends house this weekend to finish it on his lathe, but thar she blows. Chicago electric drill for scale, I actually need to take about an inch of the top for the mechanism to screw on.
20210110_170820.jpg
 
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Cutlery

Cutlery

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I've got a good sized black walnut in my back yard that needs to go. Aside from the gigantic mess it makes every other fall fruiting, it's killing my tomato plants every summer and I've just about had it with that. I've got a passable shop in the garage, but I've got much bigger things to worry about these days than black walnut furniture or something. Anyone got any idea if it's worth bothering trying to get rid of to woodworkers, or should I just fell it and stack it for firewood or something?
 
C

Captain Suave

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Cutlery said:
I've got a good sized black walnut in my back yard that needs to go.
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Dunno if you'd have any luck trying to sell it, and you'll need to have it felled and de-limbed on your own dime, but I'd be shocked if you couldn't get someone to haul away the trunk in exchange for keeping the wood. You might even get them to make a table out of it for you. Big slabs are $$$, but that goes to whoever has the milling equipment and is willing to store it for a couple years while it dries.
 
lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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Cutlery said:
I've got a good sized black walnut in my back yard that needs to go. Aside from the gigantic mess it makes every other fall fruiting, it's killing my tomato plants every summer and I've just about had it with that. I've got a passable shop in the garage, but I've got much bigger things to worry about these days than black walnut furniture or something. Anyone got any idea if it's worth bothering trying to get rid of to woodworkers, or should I just fell it and stack it for firewood or something?
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If you can find someone who wants it they might take it down for free in exchange for keeping the wood. I'd call around. I'd never keep one of those in a yard/garden area. They are such messy trees. And they drop limbs a lot.
 
BrutulTM

BrutulTM

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You can make slabs yourself with a chainsaw and an Alaska mill. Whether it's worth the trouble or not probably depends on what access you have to people who want big chunks of hardwood and whether you like doing that sort of thing. The quality of the tree makes a difference too. I saw a YouTube video a while back of a guy who makes a living taking down trees in urban areas and then cutting them into slabs on a band saw mill and lets them dry for a couple of years. He said a lot of trees wind up as firewood once you cut them open though, because of excessive knots, rotten spots, unfavorable grain, etc.
 
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lurkingdirk

lurkingdirk

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BrutulTM said:
You can make slabs yourself with a chainsaw and an Alaska mill. Whether it's worth the trouble or not probably depends on what access you have to people who want big chunks of hardwood and whether you like doing that sort of thing. The quality of the tree makes a difference too. I saw a YouTube video a while back of a guy who makes a living taking down trees in urban areas and then cutting them into slabs on a band saw mill and lets them dry for a couple of years. He said a lot of trees wind up as firewood once you cut them open though.
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I've certainly hear that, too. And it has absolutely been my experience when taking down trees that you look at them and think they're going to be beautiful, and then they're just crap, punky wood inside. When I take down trees on my property I always create a pile of the trimmings, and more than once the whole tree has gone into that burn pile (open burn allowed here most of the year).
 
C

Captain Suave

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Another thing you can do is cut it into short rounds and split into firewood with an axe + maul + wedge. I had a couple oaks in my back yard I treated that way. it took a few months of working an hour or two at a time, but it was a relatively entertaining, different way to stay in shape.
 
Cutlery

Cutlery

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Captain Suave said:
Another thing you can do is cut it into short rounds and split into firewood with an axe + maul + wedge. I had a couple oaks in my back yard I treated that way. it took a few months of working an hour or two at a time, but it was a relatively entertaining, different way to stay in shape.
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Yeah, you just hear, almost like this mythos about black walnut and putting it into the fireplace seemed like a waste. Although that would be the most beneficial to me. I'm not sure how much firewood a tree makes, but I have a hunch this fucker would get me a winter, or most of a winter.

I won't be splitting it with my back, though. I'd just get a splitter for it, because if I was gonna do that, I'd take down it's mate on the other side of the fence as well. The squirrels would be sad, but they'll get over it.
 
C

Captain Suave

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Cutlery said:
Yeah, you just hear, almost like this mythos about black walnut and putting it into the fireplace seemed like a waste.
Click to expand...

I'd certainly try to get someone who's knowledgeable about milling to take a look at it before I burned it. Black walnut is probably overly fetishized but it is an objectively pretty furniture wood and increasingly rare.
Cutlery said:
I'm not sure how much firewood a tree makes
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A fuckload. I got six or eight cords from my three oaks (60'-80', 3'-5' diameter at base), which is more than I'd reasonably use in a lifetime at the rate I make fires.
 
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Intrinsic

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Excuse my mess... tired of sanding at the moment.

Not know what the fuck I'm doing or anything about drawers or mounting them or anything, the slides that I did buy that overwhelmingly do not match the plans or the dimensions have irritated the hell out of me. I guess the ones the plans wanted are the full side mount and the ones from Lowes that are different have the 90 degree base that sits on the side and bottom. Anyways this created an issue because they're so spaced together and an issue that exponentially expands other issues. Anyways, it has been a day. At least 5.5 / 8 (bottom one isn't actually mounted fully) are mounted and open and close. Was hoping to do all these and the door hardware today but ended up taking too long...

Cabinet Front.jpg


Wow the picture upload makes that color look glowing. It isn't -that- bright in real life, heh.
 
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Aamry

Aamry

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Had to borrow my buddies lathe to finish it up. Here it is while I'm applying finish, and next to the small salt grinder I bought my friend for Christmas to go alongside the pepper mill.

20210119_155030.jpg

IMG_20210120_134110410.jpg
 
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