The Bench Saw Project

With today being the first day back from the long weekend and me having a Dr's appointment this afternoon, I didn't get any work done so I thought I'd describe the project and goal as well as cover what has been done so far.

The saw table itself is 17-1/4" deep and 26" wide. While that's a good size for smaller projects, if you want to rip an 8' 2"x4" you will either need another person or make the table bigger so you have more room to feed lumber as well as an outfeed table to support the stock once it's been cut.

This project will add almost 40" to the depth of the saw which will allow for longer pieces without comprimising the saw itself. Also, I will be able to use the frame as a miter saw table with an insert which I will make later.

If you look at the Delta TS200LS (a previous link will take you to Amazon.com where a photo exists) you will see it has (3) 1/2" holes on the left side of the table and (3) 3/8" threaded holes on the right. These will allow me to attach the additional deck to the factory table with hardware vs. clamps which can loosen at an inappropriate time.

Yesterday I worked out the frame of the deck and was able to obtain a couple of examples of why it's important to pay attention to the details as well as follow your plan.

The photo below is the side of the saw with the 3/4"x3" frame mounted to it. If you look closely at the bolt on the right, you will see where I measured for the hole from the outside of the hole to the outside of the hole, but laid it out inside to inside.



Then, to add insult to injury, I cut the dado's on the ends of both sides so I could get good, strong corner joints. Unfortunately, while I had marked the boards to be cut to length, I forgot to ACTUALLY CUT THEM.

Below you will see part of the problem this caused.



The metal ruler on the left side is showing how much material is extra. The bigger problem is that by this time, I had already drilled the holes to mount the frame and put the dado's on the ends. That meant I had to cut 6-1/2" off of each end and make new dado's.

I am good at doing this kind of stuff and I also mess it up from time to time, so when it happens, and it will, don't be hard on yourself. It's wood and somewhere out there, a tree is growing to replace it.