Setting up shop - Newbie needs advice


MJC

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I think $500 to $550 is fair for the saw mounted in the bench. It's going to be harder to sell it as a package than separate. I think it's worth the try though. I just sold a saw similar to that to a friend who then made a setup similar to this. It'd have been an easy sell to him. I will also echo trying your local woodworking guild/organization.

If you aren't getting any attention at the price you'd like I'd keep the bench and sell the saw separate. Even though you may not use the bench as is, there is a lot of good material there you can use and modify to make into a pair of mobile material carts  or a mobile assembly table. I personally have a hard time selling things I've made as I tend to modify them for use in a different way as my shop evolves.

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2 hours ago, blackoak said:

Being retired makes me cheap and blessed with time on my hands . I'd probably break the bench apart , save all I could (casters , etc. ) , for the next shop furniture build . It's coming  I'm sure . 

Some day I will be like you sir.

 

1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

I think $500 to $550 is fair for the saw mounted in the bench. It's going to be harder to sell it as a package than separate. I think it's worth the try though. I just sold a saw similar to that to a friend who then made a setup similar to this. It'd have been an easy sell to him. I will also echo trying your local woodworking guild/organization.

If you aren't getting any attention at the price you'd like I'd keep the bench and sell the saw separate. Even though you may not use the bench as is, there is a lot of good material there you can use and modify to make into a pair of mobile material carts  or a mobile assembly table. I personally have a hard time selling things I've made as I tend to modify them for use in a different way as my shop evolves.

Chestnut can you give your friend his money back and send him my way? :D 

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I know some people are probably tired of this thread so I apologize. To be honest all these are great ideas and I appreciate them. Issue is floor space and lack of. Yes I can redesign the current table to fit my space which is going to require just about a complete teardown so I figure I can just rebuild the same table minus a few things plus make it to the size I want. This table design and build I found online and then tweaked it a bit. The original build had a router lift in it and not a miter saw. I would find it just as easy to make another one if I could leave this one together and get rid of it. 

Other thing is I would love to find someone who was in the same boat as me. Wanting to find a saw in a table but couldn't. I have 2 miter saws both Dewalt, my wife just bought me the smaller 20v one for Christmas, and I had the big 12" 120V Dewalt but that thing is just overkill and to much to take on and off the table but I don't want to get rid of it. I will say this, I cut through 4x4 and 2x6 along with deck boards while putting our new deck on and I replaced batteries 1 time. Used them almost all day before they ran out. 

If I did take the top off which would be easy to do (the top 3/4" sheet is screwed on from the underside - no glue) and the bottom 3/4" sheet is screwed on to 2x4 framing, the middle partition, and the 4x4 legs. I thought about cutting it down right at the middle 4x4 legs and then putting the locking casters on there. I could cut the 4x4 legs down a smidge and do exactly as you said use it as an outfeed table but also have some workspace as well. What would really be slick is if had something that fit under the expansion table when not in use but when I pulled everything out I could jack it up just like the saw base...wheels are turning... :D

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15 hours ago, MJC said:

some people are probably tired of this thread

I don't know about that, but my wife says I should stop reading it because you're a bad influence :):

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I haven't told her yet about your Corvette.

 

(By the way I did read your other post, so I'll save the shipping box until I check it out).

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1 hour ago, Mark J said:

I don't know about that, but my wife says I should stop reading it because you're a bad influence :):

20200126_104130.thumb.jpg.bda66ae4c18f481c6634716fb6651ac3.jpg

I haven't told her yet about your Corvette.

 

(By the way I did read your other post, so I'll save the shipping box until I check it out).

Mark,

just curious but can you look at the extension piece on the fence and see what yours looks like. Mine is not even the same color and not even close to matching up. It’s even hard to slide the shop stop piece over it due to the ridge that is there.

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@MJC, I've set up the miter guage, now.  I still have to tackle the Miter Express, but that will be another day.  

To answer your question, the fence seems fine.  It extends and retracts its full length.  The junction where the extension fence meets the primary isn't NASA flush, but certainly good for this application.  The shop stop can be readily moved from side to side, but I find it's best for the set screws to be extra loose before repositioning.

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What I have noticed is that the anodized finish seems poor.  It looks like the aluminum surface has tiny pits.  

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Dissapointing, but cosmetic.  

One of the 4 screws fastening the fence mount to the miter guage was rattling around in the box.  You have to loosen those four screws anyway, so not a big deal, just odd.

A little more concerning to me, the vernier scale does not line up.

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That is set at zero, but reads 1/10 th to the right.  I can't say as I will ever need this level of accuracy, but it was the reason to go with the HD over the SE model.

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1 hour ago, Mark J said:

hat is set at zero, but reads 1/10 th to the right.  I can't say as I will ever need this level of accuracy, but it was the reason to go with the HD over the SE model.

I believe that scale is adjustable. I swear I had to adjust mine. Make sure you calibrate the squareness to your table saw blade. Mine was way out there.

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1 hour ago, Mark J said:

@MJC, I've set up the miter guage, now.  I still have to tackle the Miter Express, but that will be another day.  

To answer your question, the fence seems fine.  It extends and retracts its full length.  The junction where the extension fence meets the primary isn't NASA flush, but certainly good for this application.  The shop stop can be readily moved from side to side, but I find it's best for the set screws to be extra loose before repositioning.

20200126_133918.thumb.jpg.87e34a6f870a584df02eb2dd02085ef1.jpg

20200126_133853.thumb.jpg.f77b88cf1d4e9bb84d94e868135b89c6.jpg

What I have noticed is that the anodized finish seems poor.  It looks like the aluminum surface has tiny pits.  

20200126_112934_HDR.thumb.jpg.3519ca1d5463b89655e73ab2db9ab72c.jpg

20200126_112850.thumb.jpg.6dd617392050899cfc668f2a3f212d7f.jpg

Dissapointing, but cosmetic.  

One of the 4 screws fastening the fence mount to the miter guage was rattling around in the box.  You have to loosen those four screws anyway, so not a big deal, just odd.

A little more concerning to me, the vernier scale does not line up.

20200126_134342.thumb.jpg.b13bcb86118ed9d620260867ee0624d2.jpg

20200126_134354.thumb.jpg.3959049e8e44d3c48332aea46e51cfee.jpg

That is set at zero, but reads 1/10 th to the right.  I can't say as I will ever need this level of accuracy, but it was the reason to go with the HD over the SE model.

Which one are you saying is off the 0?

27 minutes ago, Chestnut said:

I believe that scale is adjustable. I swear I had to adjust mine. Make sure you calibrate the squareness to your table saw blade. Mine was way out there.

I just want to say I did mine this way but I also noticed when doing this you have to be careful not to get the square on the carbide tip of blade on the front or back side and then off on the other because you won’t be square. Not sure what anyone else thinks but it seems more logical to me to use the miter slot in the table. There is a video explaining all this on you tube which is how I came across this. 

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The zero on the vernier scale should line up exactly with the zero on the miter scale.

I agree aligning to the miter slot is better than to the blade, but squaring to the blade is just easier to do and if the blade has been made parallel to the miter slot than it doesn't matter.  I recently spent a day tuning up this saw, so I think I'm good.  Ultimately when I get everything set I'll probably do a "five cut" test.  

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17 hours ago, MJC said:

I just want to say I did mine this way but I also noticed when doing this you have to be careful not to get the square on the carbide tip of blade on the front or back side and then off on the other because you won’t be square. Not sure what anyone else thinks but it seems more logical to me to use the miter slot in the table. There is a video explaining all this on you tube which is how I came across this. 

You definitely do not want it touching the blade or it will trip the safety cartridge. It doesn't need to be that close anyway, since the scale (which I never use) can be adjusted to the actual distance from the blade.

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I had no problem reaching tech support.  Simple fix on the vernier scale.  Loosen the 5 screws that hold the scale to the guage nudge it into alignment.  

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All better. 

I figured I'd ask about the finish on the shop stop, too.  He explained that the small pieces are de-burred in a tumbler which is what gives the finish that, shall we call it, rustic look.

So far so good for mine. 

I'm looking at the miter express, now, but first decision is whether I'm going to be a right-ist or a left-ist.  

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2 hours ago, Mark J said:

I'm looking at the miter express, now, but first decision is whether I'm going to be a right-ist or a left-ist.  

I have they're large sled, the 5000.  There are two operations you need to consider when deciding whether to go on the left or right side of the blade.  In my case I have a left tilt blade and I set mine up on the left side which means that I can't tilt the angle on my blade and use the 5000.  But having the sled on the left side I can still use my dado stack with the sled, which I do a lot more of, cutting tenons and things like that is a higher volume task for me then cuts with the blade at an angle.  For the angle cuts I just use my 1000HD.

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I thought I should take some time to consider my options before I cut into the thing.  As for my workflow, right now it's kind of circuitous, I walk around the table saw to get to the lathe, but I am able to get there going clockwise or counter-clock wise :P.

Still, planning for the future...

I was leaning towards using the right side miter slot, but your point about the dado stack is a good one.  I don't have one now, but I imagine I will eventually. 

Thinking out loud, I still have the original miter guage I could fix that at 90* and use it in the right hand slot for tilted blade cuts.  I can also remove the Incra from the Express and use that in the right slot for a compound cut.  

Question.  If you have a good SCM saw how often do you use the TS for miters or compound cuts?

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38 minutes ago, Mark J said:

Question.  If you have a good SCM saw how often do you use the TS for miters or compound cuts?

I have a good miter saw, the Bosch Glide 12 inch,  and if all I need is a good miter I use it.  But for the really, really accurate stuff I use the 5000 because it can be set to a + or -  1/2 degree anywhere on the compass.  I find myself using the miter saw less and less.  I probably use it more to cut scraps to lengths for my smoker, shop projects, making jigs and cutting trophy columns for the awards I make then anything else.

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1 hour ago, Mark J said:

Question.  If you have a good SCM saw how often do you use the TS for miters or compound cuts?

In my shop it sits under my lumber rack in a separate part of the garage. It is a rough saw for cutting down long boards and I never cut anything important with it. Not a part of my work flow on a project once the board is brought into the shop. Having said that I know others have them dialed in and use them in their workflows differently and both situations can work for you.

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