All in One Saw Plate

[p8ntblr]

I just bought the 50" All in One Clamp guide and Saw plate. I'm having trouble installing the Saw Plate. Does the saw plate replace my current saw base or does it merely sit under it. I can't get any of the holes lined up (I have a GMC brand circ saw). I'm hesitant to drill my own holes as suggested as I don't have a drill press yet and if I'm off by a little I'm afraid I'll mis-align the whole thing. If you bought a saw plate did yours line up properly? Would I have this problem if I had a more popular brand. I'm thinking of buying another saw just to use the Saw plate so I could leave it on permanently. If I buy another one, do you know of the brand and model I should get to make the saw plate line up without drill new holes.

[Stormbringer]

I too had to drill my own. You keep your saw's baseplate on. It simply sits on the AIO plate (this is the black one we're talking about right?)

Greg

[p8ntblr]

I too had to drill my own. You keep your saw's baseplate on. It simply sits on the AIO plate (this is the black one we're talking about right?)

Greg

Yah that's the one. In the pic it's white. I'm surprised it was plastic. I wished they would have added more holes to accommodate different brand and models. Did you use a drill press? I'm worried if I'm off even by a little, the plate won't be exactly parallel with the blade and thus making it useless. I do have one of those rockler self-centering bits (the ones posted on sale here). Maybe I'll try those.

[Stormbringer]

Yah that's the one. In the pic it's white. I'm surprised it was plastic. I wished they would have added more holes to accommodate different brand and models. Did you use a drill press? I'm worried if I'm off even by a little, the plate won't be exactly parallel with the blade and thus making it useless. I do have one of those rockler self-centering bits (the ones posted on sale here). Maybe I'll try those.

Whoa paintballa, I don't understand the concern. I interpreted the holes that came with the saw plate as starting points, so to say. Anotherwords, the plate comes with eight holes predrilled and precountersunked so you don't have to do it or risk damaging the plastic plate. I didn't know the GMC comes with predrilled holes in the base. None of mine do...don't understand what they thought they would be used for.

Simply raise your blade all the way up, push your saw up to the edge, use a spring clamp or two to hold the position, turn it over and mark for your holes ( a spring loaded centerpunch is handy for this but a pencil mark will do.) Now drill the appropriate size hole through you saw's baseplate. You don't use all eight holes, just the couple that will go through your saw's base. You do not need a drill press for this - your not tappin holes just drilling them to accomodate a 1/2" machine screw. I think I used a 3/16" bit.

Their website shows the black one http://www.eemersontool.com/id22.html

To have seen the white one, you mustv'e bought it from a vendor that has not updated the photo.

Good luck,
Greg

[siliconbauhaus]

Have you tried double sided carpet tape instead of drilling it? A lot of people who use the EZ system do that.

[radhak]

p8ntblr has a valid concern (which i am curious about now) :

when you drill your holes to hold the CS, how do you ensure that the blade is parallel to the edge guide? if it is skewed even by a small angle, you may not get good cuts, or the blade might bind - or am i missing something here?

[LCHIEN]

p8ntblr has a valid concern (which i am curious about now) :

when you drill your holes to hold the CS, how do you ensure that the blade is parallel to the edge guide? if it is skewed even by a small angle, you may not get good cuts, or the blade might bind - or am i missing something here?

If you've been using your saw with it's baseplate as a guide before and it cut OK then the blade is probably parallel enough to work.
If that's the case then mount the saw with its plate flushed up against the edge guide, as described by Greg (Stormbringer)

If you plan to drill holes in metal, the biggest problem is the point walking from the internde location. The best thing to do is to mark the center of the hole with a centerpunch, the automatic ones spring loaded are the ones I prefer to use. Make a good solid dimple. Then drill with a smaller diameter drill to enlarge the hole. DOn't need to go all the saw through at this point. Using a larger bit at first can cause the bit to walk. Then enlarge the hole with a larger bit gradually. You need sharp bits. Also beware the drill will grab when it breaks through the other side. Best to have the work securely held.

The most advantageous thing about a Drill press is that the hole is perfectly vertical, not usually an issue when drilling in sheet metal. However, it can help keep the bit from walking although not entirely. You can do almost as well with a hand drill using my advice above.

[gwyneth]

I was about to post several similar questions, but after five search queries (doesn't like 'one', finally tried clamp guide) I found this thread, which I would have if I'd gone to page 2 originally.

First, if the OP has a GMC, the base plate may be magnesium (they use a lot of it)...aren't there real hazards, like fire and explosions, in drilling it?

That's actually one of the questions I was going to ask...I'm using a non-returnable new gift Black and Decker 12 amp and its base appears to be a magnesium alloy.

The carpet tape idea sounds great, and I think I'll try that first.

Now, which way do people think works best--putting the heavy part of the saw (i.e., with the motor and handle) over the clamp or the other way? It's a regular facing circ. saw (I think that's right-facing). Seems to me it would be more stable with the motor over the clamp but the strange diagram makes it look like it should be the other way around.

For what it's worth, I'm only about five ft., this circ. saw weighs more than 10 percent of what I do, and miss my old 7-lb. Makita one. In any case, the whole reason for the setup is to minimize ethestic and safety problems hefting heavy saw.

[messmaker]

I put mine on as the instructions show.I was concerned about clearance. I don't have any problem but I could see how the other way might be better if the strip is very narrow on the waste side. I think the key is to have good support under the material when you cut. I never use regular sawhorses.

[bthere]

Most magnesium alloys are very tough to get to the ignition point. Drilling a magnesium base at any speed you can reasonably expect out of a drill or drill press should be perfectly safe.

As you are putting the saw on the base, either with tape or screws, it is a good idea to make sure that the blade is parallel to the plate. If it isn't parallel, your cut can be rough and you can get a little burning of the cut edges. If the blade were significantly out of square relative to the base/guide, then you could end up with more difficulty controlling the cut as the saw tried to walk toward or away from the rail.

[gwyneth]

As you are putting the saw on the base, either with tape or screws, it is a good idea to make sure that the blade is parallel to the plate. If it isn't parallel, your cut can be rough and you can get a little burning of the cut edges. If the blade were significantly out of square relative to the base/guide, then you could end up with more difficulty controlling the cut as the saw tried to walk toward or away from the rail.

As I could easily achieve that affect without spending the $ for clamp and saw plate, and time and energy mounting the plate, I figure there's no point to the whole thing without being scrupulous about parallellity.

Speaking of the saw (and router and mini-saw) plates, does anybody know why there are holes drilled in the top of the slider part of each, given that the plate is designed to slide along the clamp without any hardware that, presumably, would go into those holes?

[gwyneth]

After all the trouble it was to set up the saw plate, I wasn't expecting too much...

I was shocked by how well this setup works. Even with my underpowered 12 amp B and D (though with a PC industrial blade), the first time I used it, I achieved a perfectly square cut through 6/4 white oak.

Even though I had to restart the saw several times (blade was getting hot), the cut edge was perfect and everything checked out with the engineer square.

For people like me, who've unsuccessfully chased a variety of ways to achieve straight and square cutting with circular saws, the All-in-one combo is the way to go.