Home-built table saws?

[cgallery]

I've recently been thinking of building a "cabinet saw" using some 8020 extrusions. I would use some existing trunion, and use HPL covered BB plywood (plenty of 8020 bracing) for the surface. I'd probably use an existing fence system like the Vega or Bies (Beis?).

If the 8020 stuff is nearly free (have access to some cut-offs), and I use a used trunion and motor, then I may be able to do this pretty inexpensively.

My dream would be to find a hybrid saw with damage to anything and everything except the trunion and motor. I could pull those components and use them in my home-brew saw.

Just thinking aloud.

[JimD]

There used to be a company that went by "Gil-built" or something like that. I bought parts kits from them for a bandsaw and a tablesaw. The table saw arbor developed a fair amount of wobble and got retired in favor of the BT3100. I am still using the bandsaw. You might try a google search, maybe they are still around. I think they were in St. Charles Missouri.

Jim

[cabinetman]

A good and smooth running cabinet saw has quite a bit of engineering built into it's structure. Other than the desire to do this just to do it, I would spend my time and money trying to find a good used one to use. Not trying to talk you out of it or anything like that. Who am I to talk, since I had my mind made up on making a radial arm router out of an old RAS.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

[cgallery]

There used to be a company that went by "Gil-built" or something like that. I bought parts kits from them for a bandsaw and a tablesaw. The table saw arbor developed a fair amount of wobble and got retired in favor of the BT3100. I am still using the bandsaw. You might try a google search, maybe they are still around. I think they were in St. Charles Missouri.

Jim

Thanks Jim, that is exactly what I was looking for.

Do you think the wobble your table saw blade developed was an indication of poor quality or design? I suppose problems can occur with even the finest cabinet saw. Just trying to get an idea of the overall quality of the components.

I found the company, they apparently don't have a web site. But I'll call 'em for some information.

[cgallery]

A good and smooth running cabinet saw has quite a bit of engineering built into it's structure. Other than the desire to do this just to do it, I would spend my time and money trying to find a good used one to use. Not trying to talk you out of it or anything like that. Who am I to talk, since I had my mind made up on making a radial arm router out of an old RAS.



"I'M NEVER WRONG - BUT I'M NOT ALWAYS RIGHT"

Oh, please make no mistake, I'm not doing this because I NEED a cabinet saw. I'm doing this because I want to do it. :-)

I'm thinking something along these lines (size-wize):
http://www.owwm.com/PhotoIndex/detail.asp?id=5035

But, with a 10" blade and weighing 150-lbs instead of (I'm guessing) 800 to 1000-lbs. Plus support for a built-in router lift. Yeah, I may have to bolt it to the floor, but...

Just toying with it right now.

[cgallery]

Woops, I was way under in my estimate of that table saw's weight (the XJ). It weighs 1600 pounds.

[padboy]

Shortly after my Dad's discharge from the Army in late 1945, he came home with many shop ideas but little money. Since he had just bought a house, he rightly decided the first large tool he needed was a table saw. Since money was tight, he made his own: the base was made of 2x4s with legs made also of 2x4s all bolted with carriage bolts. The top was a large piece of 3/4" plywood which had a ball bearing arbor bolted to the underside of it. Raising and lowering of the blade was accomplished by hinging the top at one end with large butt hinges and at the other end, a strap hinge was attached with a bolt and wing nut protruding which allowed the saw top to be raised to the desired height and then locked in place with the wing nut sticking out of the strap hinge. The saw was driven by a 1/2 hp washing machine motor bolted to rear of the table base. He used that saw for many years until he upgraded to a used Sears Dunlap cast iron table saw.

[JimD]

My Gil-built was fine when it was new. It had a 1 hp induction motor on it and it cut about as well as the BT3100 initially. The fence was poor but I improved that some but never to the level of the bT3100. The top is wood and it thus didn't stay real flat but it doesn't absolutely have to. I think what caused my arbor to develop some slop was a combination of wear and one task I probably should not have used it for. I used it to cut ceramic tile. It worked but the abrasive dust from this operation may have led to the sloppy arbor bearings. I got maybe 10 years out of it so I got my money's worth.

Jim

[cgallery]

...The top is wood and it thus didn't stay real flat but it doesn't absolutely have to...

As I've been researching upgrade options, I've noticed messages from quite a few people that have purchased CI saws and comment that the tops were far from flat. One guy recently purchased a zip-code saw and had to get it exchanged because the top was .02 out (I think). The specs call for no more than .01. That is still quite a bit (1/100"). I know it would probably still cut wood okay, but for certain machining operations it can be a show stopper.

That is one of the reasons I thought of building my own. I know I can do better than .01. And if I purchased a saw that was .01 and was in-spec, I'd be pretty disgusted.