MastRSlide on a Bosch 4000 Contractor saw

Neat Idea. What was involved in mounting it on your saw?

Geoff

How long did it take you to get it up and running?

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

It was actually fairly easy to install on the saw. If you look at Mark Decou’s review of the same saw, you can see in his picture of the underside that there are 4 tapped holes molded into the top casting. I attached birch plywood outriggers (one in the front and one in the back of the saw) using these 4 holes. In the above picture, you can see the front outrigger under the table. These outriggers are adjustable vertically using a series of washers between the outrigger and the underside of the table saw to get the sliding table to the right hight. I also transfered the wing mounting holes locations from the sliding table to the table saw and drilled them out. Then using large fender washers to distribute the load, I attached the sliding table to the side of the table on the saw using bolts and nylon lock nuts.
From the time I started to actually cross-cutting some lumber was about 3-4 hours over a two-day period. I have been using this set-up for over a year and have not had to adjust the table once after the initial set-up.

JessEm states very clearly that is not intended to be used on this type of saw in their brochure and web site, but what makes it possible to use on this saw is the outriggers which triangulate and distribute the load of the sliding table.

-- Shane, Askov, Minnesota

I didn’t go QUITE this far on my Bosch 4000. I opted for the JessEm Mite-R-Excel instead. I have been nothing but happy with it, and like you, when I ‘graduate’ to a full size TS, this will transfer nicely.

-- There is nothing in the world more dangerous, than a woodworker who knows how to read a micrometer...

I had a MasterSlide installed on a cabinet saw I owned.

It rocks. It’s really a quality Tablesaw accessory. I had
a stop on the rip fence on the tablesaw and a stop
on the Jessem. That gave me stops to the right and
left of the blade – you have no idea how much faster
you can cut parts out with such a setup.

The major drawback is that it sags and if you are cutting
anything that is a little heavy and longer than 4 feet you have
to push down pretty hard against your table saw table to
keep the cut square. Also you have to get the hang of
keeping the fence clear of debris that can throw the cut out
of square. If you aren’t pulling the stock firmly against
the Jessem’s fence the work may creep away from the blade as
you cut. The Jessem’s aluminum extrusion is quite smooth.

You might consider gluing some sandpaper to the fence to
prevent the creep…. because otherwise you’ll have to be
constantly vigilant – and I like to eliminate such situations from
my woodworking because while I work safely I also think
through the next procedure while I am working and my attention
is seldom unwavering when making routine, repetitive cuts.

-- http://amherstcabinets.com - also a marketing consultant with expertise in direct response marketing for woodworking and online business building

Kinda like turning a Chevy Citation into a Cadillac… whatever works

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

Or a Vega with a big block in it….

-- We must guard our enthusiasm as we would our life - James Krenov