FNWW RENOVATION #1: RADIAL ARM SAW TABLE/BENCH

Some times just gettin’ started is the hardest thing.

Keep going. There’s nothing like gettin’ organized.

When you get time it would be great to see some pics.

Good luck.

—Peter

Sounds like a lot of work.
Post some pics when your done if you can.

-- Rick, Pa. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Keep plugging you’ll get r done

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Hey Rich,
Not all master pieces are created in a day…....take your time…..it will turn out just fine.

-- I will just keep doing it till I get it right.

Day 4: spent the entire day just constructing a frame to hold the RAS. tomorrow i can just slide the bed and the rest of the saw from its metal leg system onto the new frame. pray that it doesn’t collapse. i’m not worried about the weight, coz i overbuilt the frame, but i have no diagonal bracing… there are some crosspieces (spreaders in chair construction language, i guess) that give it side to side rigidity. and i have to get it in place so i can figure out the distances from the wall for the fence and the width of the table altogether… THEN diaganals will be constructed from the corners of the RAS to the front of the table… solidifying the whole thing. let me try a little typewriter diagram here: never mind—it doesn’t work when i preview it. i’ll take pics tomorrow before i get to work, and after it’s in place.

————————————————————————————————————————————- (wall)
| | (fence)
| RAS | (front of table) \| _|/ <—- diagonals (will be 45 degrees)

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

i hope i can figure this out—pics from picassa web album.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_DvaqknhPEyA/SuUmwzcZYAI/AAAAAAAAAEI/ca90pz6Ecs4/s128/P1010027-1.JPG

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

not the effect i was hoping for…

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

The Shop is turned upside down… no work coming out of here for a few days,

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

SUCCESS!

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Ledger board in place.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Hey Rich,
Now your getting somewhere…....looking good.

-- I will just keep doing it till I get it right.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Day 5… ready to move onto new stand.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Another view.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Moved! All by myself. Sitting on blocks because it just seemed to low.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Added another ring of 2×4’s on edge to raise it even more. Added 45 degree ripped 2×4 uprights to front corner to establish beginning of sloped rails that will end at the width of the table… rear table, spacer and fence added to RAS… will complete these measurements and construction tonight. All this done by NOON!

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

So much easier working with the saw legs out of the way! With fence in place, can determine the front edge of the overall table, and the 45 degree rails will meet that edge. BUT... now I have to raise the ledger board because I raised the height of the table. (3 1/2 inches) hmm… i could just add another 2×4 on top of the first ledger board… nah, can’t afford to waste wood.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Day 5.5 Ledger board removed; new chalk line snapped. New ledger board in higher position (3.5”)... a second 2×4 is just sitting on top of ledger board (storage is soooo limited).

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Day 6… Only spent a few hours downstairs today. Had to register the truck and get it inspected, and got the dog licensed at the same time. Sooo… Here’s a few 2×6 joist hangers that i cut down to handle 2×4s. They’ll attach to the ledger board at the wall. Used aviation snips to cut off 1.5”.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Here’s the joint I came up with so that I can have a 2×4 on edge at the front of the table, and also have it supported directly by the leg. The leg also has to hold the table ‘joist’, too. Nasty lumber, eh?

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)

Here’s what I wanted to come up with. The front rail is supported by the leg (upright), as is the table joist. I’ll do this three more times on the right side of the RAS and four more times on the left. They’ll be spaced every 20”. I should be able to jump up and down on this thing! (and I weigh more than an eighth of a ton.) I want a surface that I won’t be afraid to use to hammer a nail into a work piece. I try not to use the wing of my table saw for this purpose, but the main, center, portion of the table is fair game.

-- Far-North Wood-Works (a fantasy company)