Help & Advice on ZCI insert for Hitachi TS

Can you attach a piece of wood to the existing metal plate. Recess the plate into the wood. Make the wood fill the entire area then saw through it by raising the blade.

What is the thickness of the OEM?

-- Bondo Gaposis

Aluminum would make a good ZCI for that saw. It’s not so hard to cut with a saber/jig saw (wood working blades work fine). In fact, since the insert is a rectangle with sharp corners, you could do the whole thing with the TS itself. Spray the blade with WD40, as aluminum is a sticky material. Check your blade after each cut for any bits of metal that might have stuck to the leading edges of the teeth and knock them off. Where the insert supports are too low, shim them up. To cut the slot, lower the blade all the way, then set your fence firmly over the insert just to the right of where the blade will come up through, and slowly raise the blade until you’ve made the slot. I don’t think this is a ZCI that will allow you to make beveled cuts.

When cutting AL, wear eye protection and even gloves, as the chips flying off the blade can sting. Don’t wear fleece, as AL will stick to fleece like burrs on a dog.

I’d use at least 1/8” AL, but thicker would be better if you can make it fit.

Many lower end saws use a similar throat plate, and to me that comes close to being a deal breaker. I suspect most people put up with it and simply don’t use a ZCI.

Bondo the thickness of the OEM insert is maybe 1/8” or 3/32”, but if you include the recess in it for the screw to sit flush then its about 1/2” at one end and 3/8” at the other

runswithscissors – with 1/8” AL i would still have to cut out those little wings on the right side of the insert because they are so close to the surface, but I do like that idea. There is a little rubber gasket/o-ring type thing that sits under the outfeed end of the table, i might be able to find another one of those to use at the other end and make the front and back flush with the surface..

Grandpa – thats another good idea, and I think something like that would give me the ability to make an insert for bevel cuts.

thank you!

I guess I am not seeing why you can’t countersink the screw heads.

-- Bondo Gaposis

I did countersink the screw heads, but with nothing to support it on the left side, the 2nd and 3rd time that I turned on the saw with the insert in it, I watched it pull the insert down beneath the surface. I guess maybe I can make an insert out of another type of hardwood and see if it holds better.

7Footer, no feedback for your post, but I wanted to point out that the picture of your dog on your avatar is awesome!

-- Mike

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/69075
Something like this is what I had in mind. Yours would have the wood insert all on the edge but this should be do-able.

I’m not sure if you’d want to do this but, could you epoxy some sort of lip to the underside of the table on the left side to support the insert?

-- Bondo Gaposis

I would braze on a couple of bracket supports on the top and bottom of that side. Tap a hole into the brackets for a set screw. This way, you don’t need adjustment screws in the ZCI. In fact, if possible, I’d probably add them to right side too.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

Cosmic, I think the top of this saw is aluminum.

-- Bondo Gaposis

Aluminum? What is this world coming to when you can’t get a table saw with the cast iron top? I blame Canada. :)

It’s a shame the aluminum isn’t very thick right there…you could actually mill out a ledge and slightly widen the existing hole.

-- jay, www.allaboutastro.com

It is aluminum… Maybe I could epoxy a couple of little wings to the underside of it, still its a real b!tch cutting out all the little notches for it, damn you Hitachi!

Lol, Cosmic I live in Oregon but my whole family is Canadian, my mom was born in Calgary and my Dad is constantly blaming everything on the Canadians!