Table Saw Add Ons - What are they for?

[glynster]

I'm looking at the Axminster TS-250 table saw and those who are familiar with it will know that it comes with the option of a right hand extension table and a sliding table. Might be a stupid question, but none of the books and videos I can find seem to cover exactly what their intended purposes/benefits are. I assume the sliding table is to increase the area and accuracy for cross-cutting - is that right? What about the right hand table? Seems bonkers since it's beyond the fence and therefore unable to be a part of the workpiece cutting action. Wouldnt that be better placed as an outfeed table?

Pictured for reference.

Also, if putting this in a single car garage with limited space, how should I position it for best use? I was thinking near the door/entrance facing out so I stand with the full length of my garage behind me feeding the workpiece outside giving me max length and allowing me to see anybody approaching so I dont get a startle that turns into finger salad. But should I push the saw up to the wall to the fence side or the sliding table side best for access and safety - sadly it has to be one or "t'uther".

 

[Steve Maskery]

The RH table gives you support for wider pieces. The fence does move!
As for position, in a small space you have to be flexible. I'd put it on a mobile base so that it can be tucked away when not in use but brought out to a convenient place and orientation when you need it.
As for outfeed table, I have a drop-down one fitted to mine, like an airline seat table. It moves with the saw and takes p no space when folded away and parked.
S

 

[Benchwayze]

That looks a useful size, for a small shop. It's all a matter of how much support you want under the workpiece. If I had room, then a table-saw with extension, and as wide a table as possible. Takes the stress out of handling wide sheets, and probably negates the need for a 'cross-cut' sled. A sled is a useful accessory I know, but more so in a cramped shop I would have thought.

Maybe I should express that differently.

A cross-cut sled would enable me to cross-cut wider stuff safely, on the small table of my old Coronet combination machine. Ostensibly, it gives me a greater table surface area.

As for a proper table saw, I would have bought one years ago, but I don't have the space. So I use a track saw, outside on my drive, or in my back yard.

 

[marcros]

the sled is for cross cutting- it is pretty useful in my experience and when set up you can get accurate, straight results. You can also clamp it down to the carriage, so are not struggling with a basic mitre gauge. The right hand extension is used to increase the cut capacity. On the slightly smaller kity I had, if you didnt have this extension fitted, you are limited on how far the fence can travel. so to rip an inch of a piece of 10" material, you may not be able to do it. Also, if you had a piece of ply and wanted to cut a piece 2ft x 2ft from it say, you would need the right hand table to do so, both for the fence, and for support. Some people put a router table into this end, so that they retain the facility for increased capacity, but it serves more use.

I would put it on wheels and move it as you need to. If you are planning to use it as you suggest (not a bad suggestion in summer) it doesnt really matter which way you put it. If there is a router table incorporated, you may want that to be accessible without moving the saw. The alternative is to have it in the middle of the garage, if you can. it depends a bit on what you are wanting to cut. I actively try to avoid handling massive lengths of stock- even 8ft can be awkward and heavy if several inches wide.

You can probably take the sliding carriage, track and brackets off pretty easily, and thety will only take 5 minutes to put back on, and 5 minutes to check/adjust. This reduces the width of the machine for storage by quite a bit, particularly if you only use the carriage here and there. I did use mine a fair bit though.

 

[glynster]

Thanks very much for the great suggestions and description of the usage of the extensions - Marcros you in particular helped the proverbial penny drop for me. Since you and Steve both suggest putting the saw on wheels I am going to go for that idea. I assume a simple flat truck with locking wheels will suffice???? I dont know how I would make one of those retractable wheel bases - the locking wheels ok for this purpose?

 

[JakeS]

I have the TS200, which from that photo looks to be identical but with a smaller blade in it and maybe a smaller aperture in the tabletop?

I mounted mine on one of these, and don't regret a penny of the purchase:

http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodworkin ... ota+dk2040
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-un ... obile-base

(Rutlands periodically discount them, Axminster have a lower base price.)

I'd second Marcros that the sliding table is pretty useful for cross-cutting; I have the extension rails to put the extension table up, but I've not installed them yet, I'm continually planning to install a router table in it and continually finding other, more-productive things to do and making do with my 'temporary' clamped-in-a-workmate router table. But I do notice the limited cut width and end up using a circular saw on an old picnic table outside instead.

I would say that whichever way you leave it facing, you should make sure you're making cuts in such a manner that sudden surprises still don't risk any of your squishy bits going anywhere near the blade, though!

 

[Jinxy]

I recently bought this saw with all the add ons. The RH extention is pretty naff, cheap tin that isn't sturdy and the fence runs horrible. I replaced the fence and rebuilt the extention table with some plywood been happy days ever since. So wouldn't bother with that part.

The cross cut sled however (which I thought would be the more gimmicky than the extention table) turned out to be a joy. Took about 15mins to level/align/square and never had to re adjust since. It's solid as a rock.

Oh and btw, I didn't really take this into consideration when I bought it. I also have a small work space and thought I could just move it about from surface to surface when I needed it. But it is ridiculously heavy, when they delivered it in the front garden I asked my other half to bring it in for me, that wasn't ever going to happen! I'm not a small chap but I have trouble lifting it on my own. Wheels are a must.

 

[deema]

Just a thought, since I don't think your looking for a saw you can 'throw in the back of a van' have you looked at a second hand Multico or a Startrite TS table saw? These are 'proper' saws with a cast iron bed and excellent fences. They are sufficiently small for a single garage, and if mounted on a mobile base are as versatile to move as the Axminster. The Startrite can be bought in three versions, the 10" or 12" blade option - recommend the 12", with or without a sliding table - recommend the sliding table. The sliding table simply drops down when not in use and the fence all folds away. The machine should come with extension bars to allow you to use if for sheet material cutting.

A Machine on eBay should be about £400 ~ £500 for a really good one. If you come to sell it they is a ready market and you should get your money back. I think you would get a better saw and still have some change for some nice new blades. Buy a good rip, multi purpose and a sheet material / cross cut saw blade (no of teeth) which should see you through virtually every instance. I would also recommend the purchase of a second multi purpose blade so your not tempted to run a dull blade. This is the biggest cause of kick back / accidents. If you start to 'push' wood through the saw, the blade is far too dull and it will at some point object and throw it back at you.

 

[deema]

There is a very nice Startrite saw on eBay, over prices at £1000 starting, but you could be cheeky and offer him a lower and more resonable amount if it does not sell. The extending bars all remove so that you are left only with the table top.

 

[glynster]

Thanks Jinxy and JakeS for sharing your experience of the Axminster TS. I have a TS-250 and am in the middle of assembling it - I also took you advice and got myself a Rutlands mobile base (2 for 1 offer so works out quite cheap for table saw and bandsaw).

Here's a question I'm trying to get my head around - the blade guard necessitates keeping the saw blade quite high above the workpiece (any lower and the guard binds the workpiece) so it would be a good 2" above say a 20mm board. Now I know that theres a school of thought for a high blade but for me safety comes before ruining a workpiece with a burn mark or wearing out a blade too fast. As I understand it, a higher blade is making a much more aggressive upwards force at the back of the blade and potentially onto the workpiece and so is more prone to grab the board and flick it across the blade and at me faster than I can blink (kickback). Is this a design flaw? All advice seems to tend towards setting the blade so the top-most gullet is slightly above the workpiece and yet that is just not possible with this saw - very far from it in fact.

 

[Myfordman]

Looking at your photo, it seem the guard design relies on the workpiece covering the teeth that the guard leaves exposed.
Often the guard fixing is a slot in the riving knife allowing the guard to ride over the workpiece and drop down once it has passed though the blade. You might be able to modify it to do this?

 

[glynster]

Hi, yes, looking back at the picture, my riving knife seems to be set lower than shown and so requires me to have the blade more than double the height of the workpiece. I went with axminster because even their hobby quality tends to be quite well made - and they are at least honest that saws in this price range are hobby only unlike other manufacturers. However, because of a rush on these units since they came out (always going out of stock) mine is quite bashed about - although that could have been the courier but I doubt it - looks to me like the factory were working extended hours and rushing them. The ripfence tape was bubbled and askew, the right hand extension panel had a crushed/bent corner (box was OK) and is not flat, generally plastic parts still had bits of molding attached and the bed of the sliding table (cast) is slightly concave (only slightly but it makes levelling with the saw table bed a bit of a mare). However, what is good is very good. However, more instructions on setting up (fettling) and use would be appreciated instead of just assembly. Currently the rip fence is not parallel to the blade and I dont see any grub screws to adjust that which surprises me.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Is the blade parallel to the mitre slot? If so, fine, if not that must be put right before squaring the fence.
I'm not familiar with that particular machine but the general procedure is:
1 ensure that blade and mitre slot are parallel
2 adjust rip fence accordingly
3 adjust sliding table accordingly

There should be adjustment for all those and I'd be very surprised if there were none at all. A poorly set-up saw will not only give disappointing cutting results but there is increased risk of jamming and kickback., which can be very serious.
S

 

[glynster]

Thanks Steve, I'll do just that - I do have your excellent Table Saw DVDs but had watched the set-up one some weeks ago before I bought the saw - I will watch it again as I'm sure it will all seem much clearer now I actually have a saw to adjust - I got distracted by the jigs I must admit that I haven't checked square against the mitre slot - only the fences against the blade - but I'll get straight on to that tomorrow.