Homemade Table saw

[Selowtape]

Hi all, i'm new to the forum and also new to woodworking, always loved to make things but only recently started it as a real hobby .

Probably going to have a lot of people telling me to stop being a moron for this one but here goes lol...

so i'm really on a budget here so try to make the most out of each tool/purchase so my current table saw is really just a evolution circular saw bolted to the underside of a piece of ply on top of a homemade frame (very sturdy though) and has served very well in a few beginner projects mainly using exterior ply, recently i figured i would change the blade to a 40 tooth blade rather than the standard multi purpose one it came with and also built a fence but now it seems to be binding up quite often and throwing plywood across the room (fortunately i always stand off to the side and use push sticks)

since i'm only using plywood to practice with i figured my "budget table saw" would be fine but it seems not

I've checked that the blade is at a perfect 90 with the table and also checked the fence using calipers and all seems to be lined up very nicely, is there anything else i'm missing?

Also i'm now starting to put bits of cash away when possible and starting to research decent budget table saws if anyone has any advice?

Cheers

 

[pcb1962]

Hi Selowtape, welcome to the forum.
One thing you need to look into urgently is somehow adding a riving knife to your saw.
If it's throwing wood across the room this would probably be the teeth at the back of the blade causing the wood to lift off the table, make sure you apply downward pressure alongside the blade as well as in front of it when feeding your wood. Maybe think about adding a vertical feather board to your fence to help with this, like in this picture.

 

[Roughcut]

I believe this is a good demonstration to show why a riving knife should always be used:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yNrIVh ... 90&list=WL

A crown guard should also be used to protect you from the blade.

 

[lurker]

welcome to this friendly forum.
Sorry, but you are not going to like this!

A proper table saw with all the safety devices can still a be dangerous tool particularly if you are inexperienced and any accidents will often have life changing outcomes . And what you propose is several degrees worse IMHO

A circular saw gives me the creeps and upturning one makes it even worse.

If you are sawing sheet materials use the saw in its intended mode with an easy to make guide rail on a sacrificial table (I use an old internal door I got off a skip, across some cheap trestles).

 

[Selowtape]

thanks guys for the advice it seems to be happening pretty much exactly how the video shows leaving a track mark on the underside of the board, i think it sounds as if i may be better off laying off until I can afford a table saw with some actual safety features.. does anyone have any recommendations for someone on a budget?

 

[pcb1962]

does anyone have any recommendations for someone on a budget?

Entry level for a half-decent table saw is the TS-200. It has most of the essential features - induction motor so it's quiet, cast iron table so it's heavy and (can be made) accurate, half-decent fence.
They come up on eBay now and again, there's also its bigger brother the TS-250.
Avoid the 'site saws' that you'll find in B&Q and Screwfix.

 

[dynax]

there are quite a few things to consider regarding table saws, what will you be cutting, are you likely to cut anything bigger in the future, what space have you got, does it need to mobile so that it can be put away after use, you also need to consider the type of blade and allow to replace the stock blade for a better one straight away, so many problems happen from using the wrong blade for a specific task and having a selection of at least 2 good quality blades will help,

 

[Selowtape]

wow if £400 is entry level then i may be saving a while lol, and i'm not really limited on space so doesn't need to be mobile and i WILL want to cut everything eventually but for the near future just plywood projects plus maybe a few small hardwood projects like coasters and such

 

[dynax]

you might be better for the time being using a plunge saw for the sheet stuff and a bandsaw for timber, if you can find one the Aldi workzone one gets good reviews and for £80 is a bargain,

 

[Terry - Somerset]

A few weeks ago we had a second cousin (also a GP) visit us and on giving him a tour of the small workshop started talking about machinery risks. In summary:

Pillar drill - low risk - minor damage to digits quickly be removed from the field of fire, unclamped items catching.

Belt sander/disc - can rapidly remove fingernails and occasionally fire timber from the end - usually harmlessly

Bandsaw - possible damage to digits if not stopped before removing work piece

Grinding - low/moderate risk providing eye protection worn

Small planner/router - certainly not life threatening but could be painful

Lathe - high risk if work not secured properly - a few kilos of hardwood heading headwards can kill

But a homemade table saw is probably worse than all this with the capacity to remove hands quicker than you can blink and fire large sheets of wood across the workshop unpredictably

I would not do home made until I completely and fully understood how and why they should work.

 

[Chris152]

does anyone have any recommendations for someone on a budget?

Entry level for a half-decent table saw is the TS-200. It has most of the essential features - induction motor so it's quiet, cast iron table so it's heavy and (can be made) accurate, half-decent fence.
They come up on eBay now and again, there's also its bigger brother the TS-250.
Avoid the 'site saws' that you'll find in B&Q and Screwfix.

Axminster Cardiff have a returned ts200 with 3 months warranty for £320 at the moment. May include free shipping?

 

[Selowtape]

i am now forbidden too use my "homemade table saw", i don't know if i could afford that just yet but thank you for the heads up

 

[RobinBHM]

Why not keep your eye out for a site saw on fleabay

Brands like elu saw king, scheppach (the older ones), elektra beckum, makita, metabo etc etc.

You might get hold of a half decent saw for £100 or so.

Obviously you want one with a riving knife and guard!

 

[Selowtape]

i may have to do that, on a side note.. are table saws like the axeminster ts200 a good deal quieter than your cheaper models or is there not really that much in it?

 

[dynax]

to a degree until you start cutting some timber, i have a scheppach hs105 2000w brushed motor and is quieter than my planer/thicknesser, i use mine outside mostly when weather is fine or can use it in my shed, i tend to mainly use it when my closest neighbour is out, but with the shed door closed it does deaden the noise, where in Donny are you, you're welcome to visit and have a listen to see what noise it makes,

 

[dynax]

another option for you to get you started would be to use a local mens shed, http://menssheds.org.uk/
there is one for Donny,

 

[deema]

A decent Multico table saw can often be found on auction sites for a couple of hundred pounds if not less for say the 10" saw. They are really nice saws and very much as a brand under valued for what ever reason which I don't understand.

Last week I think a Midern Sedgwick 12" saw went for c£500 on eBay which just shows IMOhiw crazy secondhand machine prices are right now....very low!

 

[dynax]

there's a charnwood on ebay located in sheffield, at a good price,

thanks skipdiver, post ammended,

 

[skipdiver]

I got a slapped wrist for linking to live auctions on Ebay. Just a heads up.

 

[whatknot]

Of all the machinery used for woodworking I think the table saw is about the most dangerous, and that is considering a purpose made table saw

I have made and used all sorts of home made gizmos over the years but one I would steer well clear of is a home made table saw

I am also on a tight budget and have wanted a table saw for a fair length of time, I have them on watch lists on the various for sale sites, they come up on a regular basis

Recently one came up in Aldi, now its perhaps not the best table saw in the world but at least it has the basic safety features required to make it usable, so bought that for £80

It will do a job for me until such time as I can afford a better one

But will still treat the saw I have with a great deal of caution regardless