Minor problem

[Ed62]

I'm building a miter saw station. There will be extension wings added to what I have so far. But I have a small problem. The wings (marked by red "X" in image) are about .08" lower than the bed of the miter saw. I would like to get them "dead on". If the wings were higher, rather than lower, I could add shims between the miter saw and the platform, but that's not the case. What's the best way to permanently rectify the situation? This whole project is a learning experience for me.

Another question I have is about burning the edges of plywood when cutting on the table saw. I used a new plywood blade, but the edges burned. There is no problem ripping anything else (pine or oak) with a different blade. Everything seems to be aligned correctly, so I'm thinking maybe my feed rate is too slow. Alignment has been done "to the blade", using a BT3K. Thanks for any suggestions you might offer for both problems.

Ed

[JR]

Ed, when I set up my miter station I planed down the saw's platform until everything lined up. I used pine for the platform, not plywood, for just exactly this problem.

JR

[TheRic]

How about a piece of Formica or something similar, maybe self stick floor tile. Will protect the wings some, and might be enough.

Really thick coat of Poly will help protect it, and raise it some. Might take couple of coats.

[LCHIEN]

I'd add a layer or two of formica on top of the wings. Then shim the saw to match.

Another way, depends on if the wings are screwed on or nailed on (can't tell from pic) is to remove them and shim them up before reinstalling.

Burning is almost always caused by too slow a feed rate.
Optimal Feed rate is determined by
1) faster than the rate at which the wood burns and
2) slower than the rate at which smooth cutting ends and chattering begins.
(this applies to routers and other power tools as well as table saws)

As you run out of power the two speeds start to converge.

Sometimes you can't get both: the saw motor bogs down (strains) and you can't feed fast enough to prevent burning - this means you don't have enough cutting power and need a sharper blade or more powerful saw (or adequate wiring!) so that the material is removed faster and cleaner.

[cabinetman]

Ed

Take Lorings suggestion. The only problem is using shims that come out right. If you use formica, one piece of 1/16" and one piece of 1/32" = .096. One piece of 1/16" = .064, add contact cement you might be close. Or, use 1/32" and 1/16", and block sand to the right height.

To get it real close the first time, take the piece of material you plan to use for the top of the extension, and lay it flat on the same flat surface that the saw is sitting on, next to the saw. With a straight edge on the bed of the saw measure from the bottom of the straightedge to the material. That dimension is what you cut for the sides (buildup).

Or, use your router with a straight bit/ mortising bit (flat bottom), and shave off what you need where the feet of the MS are.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[LCHIEN]

I'd add a layer or two of formica on top of the wings. Then shim the saw to match.

...

I think you have to build up formica layers until the wings are too tall, then shim the saw (four feet - legs, not distance )

because its easy to lift the four legs but hard to shave off small amounts of formica over a larger area.

Once the wings are built up, use a level or other reasonably flat straight edge laid acorss the wings over the surface of the miter saw.
Use some automotive feeler gauges (pretty cheap at an auto store) to measure the amount you need under all four corners of the saw, it might be different. As for shim material, you can sometimes buy brass sheets that are .010 to .020, for less than that consider layers of cardboard or plastic sheets from packaging and paper (.003-.004).

If you get within .005 I think you are doing pretty good, you may want to barely bevel (.010") the edge of the wings closest to the saw so that if the wings is a smidge high then the wood will lift right over it when you try to slide a piece across it.

Actually when you get down to .005" you can probably adjust the height by how hard you torque the bolts that hold down the saw.


feeler gauge set, pic courtesy of Wikipedia

[eezlock]

miter saw wings...

Why not take some pine or other wood and run it thru a thickness planer
to get the desired height needed? Place a good 4' level across the saw
and measure from the bottom of the level to the top of the extensions
(minus the tops that are on now) and start planeing the wood to that thickness. that should take care of that problem.

As to plywood burning in cut,check to make sure rip fence is square to blade, make a light scoring cut on wood first, just barely thru outer veneer layer,then raise blade to about 1/4" clearance above the plywood, and cut at normal feed rate, not too slow or fast. Make sure to use splitter/riving knife when making thru cut it will help hold cut open and keep from binding the workpiece and eliminate some or all the edge burning. eezlock

[Ed62]

Thank you for the suggestions. Not sure just when I'll get it done, but hopefully everything will fall in place properly.

Ed

[onedash]

From the picture it looks like you only added a couple inches on each side.
Are you going to make it longer?
Mine is about 4 feet on the left and only about 2 feet on the right....I have to open my garage door for long boards.
I just cut my 2x4's to get the top layer of plywood level with the saw. Its kinda ghetto but it works pretty good. and the back fence is just a scrap of lyptus (i love lyptus) glued and screwed in place.
I added another scrap under the saw to stiffen it up a little and make sure it doesnt sag.

[onedash]

Oh yeah..for the plywood if everything is squared up Id raise the blade and go a little faster.