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or what i did with an extra table saw.
my TS set up is a ridgid 2412 with 3' rails and a herc-u-lift. not liking the stamped steel wings, i replaced then with melamine panels just so the surfaces were flat. i also built an out feed table that, rather than folding down from an extension table, flipped up onto the saw table for storage (every inch was needed so a minivan would still fit in the garage).
here's the extension table, just propped up on the work bench for display purposes:
having always thought that the ridgid 3612 was one of the best contractor saws ever made, i've been envious of the webbed CI wings it had, both for functionality and the added weight for vibration dampening. last year, i came across a woodnetter who sold me solid CI wings for an emerson built TS. while there, he also sold me a delta t-2 0" fence and a link belt with 2 machined pulleys, total cost $100.
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=52245
i intended to add the wings and fence to my 2412, but before i could, in some follow up communications with the seller, he offered me the "rest " of the saw the parts came from.... the CI table and trunnion, motor, blade guard, inserts...everything except the metal cabinet that houses the "guts" of the machine. and the price....free....was most agreeable.
if i could find the right metal cabinet, i could assemble an emerson type contractor saw. not sure what for, but since i had almost all the parts, why not.
keeping an eye on CL, i found a 113.xxxxxx (emerson built) c-man for sale. got the seller to accept $50 for the saw and some acccessories ( a taper jig, wobble dado, push stick and miter gauge). sold the saw's crappy c-man fence and the accessories for $25, for a net cost of $25 for a saw with webbed CI wings and a wooden base. separated the saw's guts form the cabinet, put the free table saw components into the saw cabinet, added the wings and t-2 fence and wound up with a new "out feed table":
although i intend this new saw to be fairly stationary, i did want the flexibility of movement. so i took a cue from a recent reader tip in shopnotes and created a mobile base from some scrap plywood, a left over piece of electrical emt and some hardware. the gate latch was the most expensive part of the mobile base:
the new saw performs like a champ. balances a nickel with no problem and feels really solid, even though the motor is only rated for 1hp. it's got one of the 50T c-man professional blades i found recently for $12 (freud made, down from $42 http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=53040) and the inserts i made for the 2412 fit the c-man.
there are several things this configuration does for me. first, i can set up the new saw exclusively for crosscutting. i'll be building a crosscut sled that will accommodate 25" crosscuts so i can size cabinet components to length once they are ripped to width. second, it will let me sample the t-2 without having to modify my 2412 ( my initial impression is that while the t-2 is a good fence, i really like the stock ridgid. maybe because it's what i "grew up" with. i'm not saying it's better than a t-2, just that my personal preference right now is for the stock ridgid). third, i can do crosscuts and quick, small rips up to 4' on the new saw without having to move anything around. with an out of pocket of $125, i don't think there's much downside should i find the set up is not as functional as i thought it would be. and i finally have a set of those webbed CI extension wings that i always wanted for my 2412. funny how it's the little things that can put a smile on your face.
my TS set up is a ridgid 2412 with 3' rails and a herc-u-lift. not liking the stamped steel wings, i replaced then with melamine panels just so the surfaces were flat. i also built an out feed table that, rather than folding down from an extension table, flipped up onto the saw table for storage (every inch was needed so a minivan would still fit in the garage).
here's the extension table, just propped up on the work bench for display purposes:
having always thought that the ridgid 3612 was one of the best contractor saws ever made, i've been envious of the webbed CI wings it had, both for functionality and the added weight for vibration dampening. last year, i came across a woodnetter who sold me solid CI wings for an emerson built TS. while there, he also sold me a delta t-2 0" fence and a link belt with 2 machined pulleys, total cost $100.
http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=52245
i intended to add the wings and fence to my 2412, but before i could, in some follow up communications with the seller, he offered me the "rest " of the saw the parts came from.... the CI table and trunnion, motor, blade guard, inserts...everything except the metal cabinet that houses the "guts" of the machine. and the price....free....was most agreeable.
if i could find the right metal cabinet, i could assemble an emerson type contractor saw. not sure what for, but since i had almost all the parts, why not.
keeping an eye on CL, i found a 113.xxxxxx (emerson built) c-man for sale. got the seller to accept $50 for the saw and some acccessories ( a taper jig, wobble dado, push stick and miter gauge). sold the saw's crappy c-man fence and the accessories for $25, for a net cost of $25 for a saw with webbed CI wings and a wooden base. separated the saw's guts form the cabinet, put the free table saw components into the saw cabinet, added the wings and t-2 fence and wound up with a new "out feed table":
although i intend this new saw to be fairly stationary, i did want the flexibility of movement. so i took a cue from a recent reader tip in shopnotes and created a mobile base from some scrap plywood, a left over piece of electrical emt and some hardware. the gate latch was the most expensive part of the mobile base:
the new saw performs like a champ. balances a nickel with no problem and feels really solid, even though the motor is only rated for 1hp. it's got one of the 50T c-man professional blades i found recently for $12 (freud made, down from $42 http://www.bt3central.com/showthread.php?t=53040) and the inserts i made for the 2412 fit the c-man.
there are several things this configuration does for me. first, i can set up the new saw exclusively for crosscutting. i'll be building a crosscut sled that will accommodate 25" crosscuts so i can size cabinet components to length once they are ripped to width. second, it will let me sample the t-2 without having to modify my 2412 ( my initial impression is that while the t-2 is a good fence, i really like the stock ridgid. maybe because it's what i "grew up" with. i'm not saying it's better than a t-2, just that my personal preference right now is for the stock ridgid). third, i can do crosscuts and quick, small rips up to 4' on the new saw without having to move anything around. with an out of pocket of $125, i don't think there's much downside should i find the set up is not as functional as i thought it would be. and i finally have a set of those webbed CI extension wings that i always wanted for my 2412. funny how it's the little things that can put a smile on your face.
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