i've started my diy table saw

[blame]

I admire your gumption, and can understand your motivation, but that type of project scares me. I get nervous using my TS, which has been precisely engineered and tested. I'm not doubting your skills and attention to safety, it's just not my cup of tea.

I know this is the type of setup was used for years before we had a fancy schmancy factory built saws, but I still prefer my factory built machine.

I could probably make my own toilet paper, but I would rather buy it

Again, no offense. Good luck, I look forward to seeing your results.

hey joey i'm glad you like your fancy schmancy factory built saw but if its like my delta its junk. i cant wait till i get this done, so i scrap out my POS delta. i'm going to melt the table down to build something else. by the time i get done i want every major tool in my shop to be made by me that way when something goes wrong i know who to blame and who to call to fix it. i'll be using comman parts and supplies. i also feel that i'm doing my family a favor, i get the satisfaction of building the tools from scrap and they get to have the cash that i would be spending on tools

blame

btw no offense taken and thanks fr the luck i'll have pictures up after the weekend (hopefully)

[blame]

update

ok well i got the frame done

i'll post a pic today some time. i cut all the pcs with my 4" angle grinder , the plans called for 5/16" stove bolts i decided to weld everything instead. its pretty hard to adjust things when they have been welded . i miscalculated some measurements and had to cut and reweld 1 corner
i used what i had or could find , i used 1 3/4"x1 3/4" 3/16" angel iron for the top and 1 1/4"x 1 1/4" 3/16" for the legs. but since i've been sitting here thinking about other parts of the saw and and trying to figure out how to make all the pcs come together. i wish i would of used square tubing for the frame. i'm thinking i might look for some and build a second frame and see which one i like better. it would add more weight which is a concern of mine right now

list of things i'm waiting on

bearings 1" x 3/4" these are the needle bearings for the arbor shaft. i made some charcoal last weekend to melt the aluimum for the mandrel i also made a wooden pattern to make the sand mold with. i tested my pot i'm going to use to melt the AL with today
took me most of the morning to get it right, first try at melting i found a leak in the pot where i didnt get it welded so i welded the hole and started again this time i got it right
about 10 lbs of melted aluimum. took about 20 mins to melt it. i was going to pour it into a mold and droped the pot so it got poured out on the ground. learned a lesson here.

pillow blocks 1" these are for the pivot point so i can change the blade height. since i'll be changing the location and length of the pivot point i think it will be safe to use a smaller shaft dia.
bevel gears, i'm having trouble finding what i want to use. everything i've found in the scrap pile have a larger hole then the 1/2" i'm looking for, most have a 3/4" to 1 1/2" bore i guess if nothing else i could use a reducer and pin it with a roll pin.
drawer slides, for the 2 drawers i would like to add. www.surpluscenter.com has some 25 1/2" accu-slides for $10 a pair

i've been thinking about ways to make fine adjustments of the blade
i have 2 choices to set the parallel of the blade and the miter slots. i can move the blade or the table, since the table top will be wood i dont want the screws holes to become worn out in time on the other hand i think it wouldnt need to be adjusted as often.
but i'm thinking there is alot of pcs that move and can become worn over time in the pivoting mechanism so it would be better to make it adjustable due to wear on parts

over the course of the next week i'll have some more about my table saw and melting aluimum to make my parts i'm sure i will come across a few more questions so be ready everybody the best is still to come

blame

[blame]

here some pictures of me melting a test batch of aluimum i'm just playing with it right now i still have alot pcs to find to complete this project

first pic, this is the first try at melting the AL. you can the stream of melted AL from the hole in the crucible
second pic, the stream of melted AL again
third pic, looking down into the diy crucible.
fourth pic , really blured shot of the welded hole
fifth pic, this is the second try at melting the AL
sixth pic, again looking down (kinda, it was really hot) into the crucible.
the seventh pic, is the aftermath of the spill cleaned up. i learned alot about melting metal today

something you dont see in the pictures is how i was getting the fire hot enough to melt the AL. i was buring maple and hedge(osage orange) hedge is the hotest burning wood there is a full cord puts out 33,000 btu according to the univ of missouri web site.
anyway, i used my air compressor to force air over the burning pcs of wood to super heat the crucible. at times the crucible was glowing red half way up. i need to learn to take more pictures for you guys,but theres just to much going on to stop and snap a few pics
i'll try to do better in the future. also i thought i had snaped a few pics of the frame . i guess i didnt i'm headed back to the shop so i will get a few and post them later tonight
this has been alot of fun so far
thanks for looking
blame

[Andrew Benedetto]

"bearings 1" x 3/4" these are the needle bearings for the arbor shaft"

Besides the safety issues raised, a needle bearing is not the best idea since the arbor will be not as hard and wear causing excessive run out. Sealed ball bearings some times several are used, press fitted in the casting. Lee, is an expert and I think a splitter is a must on rip thru cuts.
I am sorry but I think this may be a novel idea but not a safe practical one unless you are doing this for fun and not really planing to use it. This is not like making a jig, or even a panel saw. I thought you were kidding until I saw the casting metal being melted. If you must do this at least use a moder plan as mentioned earlier. I would not base my opinion on all TS's based on you bad experience w. the Delta you have. Please be careful.

[blame]

"bearings 1" x 3/4" these are the needle bearings for the arbor shaft"

Besides the safety issues raised, a needle bearing is not the best idea since the arbor will be not as hard and wear causing excessive run out. Sealed ball bearings some times several are used, press fitted in the casting. Lee, is an expert and I think a splitter is a must on rip thru cuts.
I am sorry but I think this may be a novel idea but not a safe practical one unless you are doing this for fun and not really planing to use it. This is not like making a jig, or even a panel saw. I thought you were kidding until I saw the casting metal being melted. If you must do this at least use a moder plan as mentioned earlier. I would not base my opinion on all TS's based on you bad experience w. the Delta you have. Please be careful.

hey Andrew thanks for you reply
here is some info on bearings if your intrested in researching the main caristics of the differnt types of bearing.
http://www.bearings.machinedesign.com/BDEList.aspx

i would prefer to use the needle bearing over the ball bearing because they are stronger. also the arbor will be hardened and made from D2 tool steel.
i agree with the riving knife, i just havent had time to research designs yet but since i'm still in the planing stage of the pivot arm i still have time to work in the design factors for the added riving knife

no there really isn't any reason to do this other then i enjoy making things for my personal use and i dont enjoy spending thousands of $$$ on my hobbies
blame

[russd]

You might want to check out the Dave Gingery books.


http://www.lindsaybks.com/dgjp/djgbk/series/index.html

and this guys site

http://www.backyardmetalcasting.com/index.html
It's been years since pour lead , 15+ since i poured AL.
Good luck with your project.

[blame]

cool thanks for the links russ a co-worker has all 7 books in the gingery series one of these days i'm going to pick up my own set

backyard metal casting has alot of info and really cool stuff. i'd love to build his waste fuel burner to melt some AL.

i love taking junk and turning into something useful

later
blame

[blame]

and here is the frame

it looks crooked in the pic but its its not

[messmaker]

Keep us posted. I can't wait to see how this turns out. What a fun project.

[Thom2]

Here's a link that might help you with your melting ...

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/green51.html

I saw that you were using a compressor for air supply and remembered this article that uses a shop vac. I ran across it some time ago and thought it was rather interesting, maybe you can pick something out of it for your adventure.

[tfm37]

In years past,Fine Woodworing had an article about a homebuilt tablesaw,built down in Mexico. I believe for depth control, he simply hinged the table at the rear and raised or lowered the front to change depth. I believe this method be be simpler as the motor,and arbor are not pivoting,however either way will work. Go for it.

[blame]

hey tfm37 thanks for the reply i feel that the moving the blade would be better option, easier to keep everything aligned . hinges have alot play in them and would seem unsafe if the table was to move while the saw was running

but i would be interested in seeing pictures if you have any

theres alot of shopmade tools running around mexico i love to see any pictures you guys have come across

thanks
blame

[footprintsinconc]

boy, reading the post was definately very interesting. this is the first time i have come across someone who is going to make their own table saw! the pictures you posted so far are very nice. keep posting pictures!

have you thought of a name for the saw yet and when are you going to start taking orders?

happy building!

[blame]

Here's a link that might help you with your melting ...

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/green51.html

I saw that you were using a compressor for air supply and remembered this article that uses a shop vac. I ran across it some time ago and thought it was rather interesting, maybe you can pick something out of it for your adventure.

thanks for the link thom2. i enjoyed reading about the forge they built, after reading this i went to the shop and put together one of my own. what do you think?

i should of snaped a few shots of it in action , it uses alot of air so i'm going to have to build a bigger compressor ( he he he another diy project i need to complete) for the mean time i have an old water tank i'm going to turn into another tank for my compressor so it holds more air.

since i'm waiting on parts for my table saw i thought i would work on another project i had in mind for my delta planer i'll post this in another thread
later blame

[blame]

boy, reading the post was definately very interesting. this is the first time i have come across someone who is going to make their own table saw! the pictures you posted so far are very nice. keep posting pictures!

have you thought of a name for the saw yet and when are you going to start taking orders?

happy building!

i'm glad everyone is getting alittle enjoyment from my adventures
its been alot fun over the last few days doing this stuff but i have a long ways to go yet .

no most of the good names have been taken . But if you guys wanted to come up with a fitting name i would consider them .

taking orders well i think i better wait till i can get a patent on it first LOL

blame