Some Unisaw porn, and infeed/outfeed question

[Carlos]

I recently picked up a Delta Unisaw for $500 on Craig's list. The iron top needed cleaning up, and the extension top was in rough condition. The fence and rails were scratched up and rough-running. I cleaned up the iron top with a die grinder and 3M pads, did a great job in only half an hour. Replaced the extension top with a nice pre-made setup from my local dealer. I took the fence and rails apart and sanded everything smooth (80/120/180/220/320), then repainted them. I drilled and tapped the Biesemeyer fence to accept HDPE screws from a SawStop fence, which improves sliding friction as well as allowing adjustment of the fence so it's perpendicular to the table. Finally I added UHMW strips in all the key places, and now the fence is a slick one-handed slider.

Mechanically the saw was great, so the only other work I did was to check alignment. I found the tilt stops were off by 0.1 degree and fixed them. The front to back blade alignment is off by .002" which seems quite acceptable. Should I even bother with that at all? A couple squirts of tool bed spray on the tilt/lift gears got them running so smooth that you can spin the wheel and let go, it keeps spinning. I also added the overhead guard arm that I picked up at a great deal. It really adds a lot of convenience, though I still find myself reaching for the switch under the saw many times. I also added a Wixey digital fence guage which I'd had around for a while without installing it.

I knew there must be a reason everybody thinks this saw is the best, but I was completely unprepared for the vast difference between my BT3100 and this one. I should have done it years ago. I'm simply stunned at the precision, power, and smoothness. It adds up to a better-looking end product and much less frustration. It's an absolute joy to use. I ran some MDF sheets through it today. The cut was perfect, plus I was able to make four strips that were within .003" of each other. The precision was aided by the Wixey digital fence guage, but made possible by the Biesemeyer fence. I was alone so I ran the half sheets in and pulled them back out (no outfeed yet); the cut was perfect and there was no issue with backing out.









So now the question of infeed/outfeed. I'm leaning towards the HTC folding roller table as outfeed. Any comments on that? Anyone use it? The saw sits right at the edge of the garage where the door closes right behind it. This makes my driveway "free" outfeed space, but I need to remove/fold any outfeed that I add.

I need to build myself a decent workbench, so I was thinking about making it the right height to work as an infeed solution. Thoughts on that? I don't really have the space to leave something set up as infeed all the time, and really, I rarely find myself needing it.

[LCHIEN]

very nice, Carlos. Cleaned up really well. All you have to do now is clean up the top of the rip fence.

[Carlos]

That's next. Removing the fence faces is not easy, and destroys them. I am going to make new ones anyway. Biesemeyer uses plywood with a laminate, and they are not completely flat. Even brand new ones have waviness inherent to plywood. On top of that the left and right ones aren't completely parallel, though what I've read online is that the metal part is, just not the faces. I suppose it's not a big deal since it obviously works for people, but I can't resist tinkering when something is not perfect. Then I'll also have access to sand and paint it. And I'll probably add some jig holes and such.

That's why I cut the MDF; to make new fence faces.

[radhak]

Looks great, Carlos!

Had not seen that overarm blade-guard from Delta before. Question - is that the start-stop switch for the unisaw on it? Isn't it a looong distance away from the operator, besides being awkward?

[Carlos]

Yes, that's the switch, and not awkward or far at all. In fact it's the perfect location. Very easy to reach for either on or off. I can set up a cut and have a board in hand, and easily start it. And the end of a cut if I want to turn it off and pull the piece back, it's very easy to reach. It's probably the best feature of the guard, along with the accessory holder. I did have to buy 30-some feet of power cable at $1-something to get power to it though.

[LarryG]

Nice score, Carlos. Your BT-to-cabinet-saw upgrade experience sounds similar to mine.

On your workbench-as-infeed question, cabinet saws usually have a table height in the ~34" range, and many people find that a comfortable height for a workbench. (I can't tell whether your saw has a mobile base under it; that could push the workbench's top higher than you'd like, depending on your height.) One important consideration is whether you can leave the workbench sitting in the same place all the time, properly positioned to serve as an infeed support. IMO the first requirement for a workbench is that it be rock-solid, which usually means that it must be massive, heavy, and hard to move around.

[Carlos]

The saw is not on a base, and the table is at 33". My welding bench is at 40" and I really like that height. It would make a good woodworking bench if it wasn't covered with sharp slag (should have heard the words I said the first time I slid a nice wood piece over one), and if it was flat (heat has warped it).

If I do the infeed table/workbench combo, I think I would reverse the usual flip-down wheel setup. I'd make the wheels the right height for the saw, and use something to connect the table to the saw when needed. Then I'd tilt down legs and raise the table to workbench height. Any thoughts on that would be welcome.

[Carlos]

Oh, and moving it is certainly a concern. Even with wheels, it may not want to go over the anti-fatigue mats at all. So it's still undecided. Maybe I really should just invest in roller-type supports.

[LarryG]

If I do the infeed table/workbench combo, I think I would reverse the usual flip-down wheel setup. I'd make the wheels the right height for the saw, and use something to connect the table to the saw when needed. Then I'd tilt down legs and raise the table to workbench height. Any thoughts on that would be welcome.

Well, my first (and only, at the moment) thought is that I definitely think that's preferable to having the thing sitting on casters when it's being used in workbench mode. I have some good-quality locking casters that are okay for something like a router table, but I've yet to find any that would be steady enough for my main workbench.

Maybe I really should just invest in roller-type supports.

Or a couple of the Ridgid Flip-Top stands. They cost roughly twice as much as a roller stand ($30 vs $15 or so) but they're more stable and have a much larger support surface for the material. They also make pretty nice pseudo-sawhorses, something roller stands aren't suited to at all.

[Carlos]

The single-roller stands are definitely out. Just too unstable. The multi-roller or ball stands are what I had in mind, but $$$$$$. I'll have to research the Ridgid stand, don't know what it is.

Also since I can cut/weld metal, building my own is a possiblity.

[LarryG]

Here's the Ridgid Flip-Top. The reviewer who complains about the handles breaking has the only such complaint I've ever seen; everyone else who has these things -- which includes several members here -- seems to really love them. I've had mine for maybe three years, and use them virtually every time I'm in the shop, with no issues.

Something not apparent in the description is that the top can be semi-fixed in (IIRC) three different positions. One tilts a lot, another tilts just a little, and the third is essentially fixed, with the top horizontal. I say "essentially" because there is a very small amount of play in this, the pseudo-sawhorse mode.

[Carlos]

Interesting. So I wonder if four of these would be more useful as an outfeed "table" than an actual table. Would probably work for the planer too. I need to plane 96" 8/4 bubinga, which is going to be a real beast of a job.

[LarryG]

Four should give you all the infeed/support you'd ever need. I have only two, and have never wanted for more; but then I don't have sufficient floor space to set up more than two at a time at any given tool.

I've used mine with the table saw, miter saw, band saw, planer, router table ... don't recall ever using them at the jointer, but they'd work there, too.

[poolhound]

Here's the Ridgid Flip-Top. The reviewer who complains about the handles breaking has the only such complaint I've ever seen; everyone else who has these things -- which includes several members here -- seems to really love them. I've had mine for maybe three years, and use them virtually every time I'm in the shop, with no issues.

Something not apparent in the description is that the top can be semi-fixed in (IIRC) three different positions. One tilts a lot, another tilts just a little, and the third is essentially fixed, with the top horizontal. I say "essentially" because there is a very small amount of play in this, the pseudo-sawhorse mode.

I have two and am in the "love em" category. The handles have always seemed sturdy to me not sure how you would break them. They do work well for general outfeed support but do consider a couple of things.

1. For planer outfeed you will still need to ensure your planer outfeed table is setto minimize snipe. The play that larry mentions can work against you so dont rely on these stands for that.
2. They work great for general TS outfeed but if you want to support large sheet goods cuts then a temporary larger flat top to add to a couple of these would be a good idea.

[master53yoda]

Great saw that is about what it would take for me to move from the BT3000.

This is the out feed table I am planning on making for myself. This is from a book preview in Google. The full plans are in the book preview
http://books.google.com/books?id=68x...le+31#PPT23,M2.

I tried to send a MS word file that has all my jigs and wish list plans but was unable to get it to transfer. How do you upload something like a word doc.