# Dealing with a lack of miter slots on my 10" Ryobi BTS21



## jonnybone (Jul 14, 2010)

I would really love to build an enormous crosscut sled to compensate for big board cutting. My problem is my table saw. Don't get me wrong, nothing beats a 300 dollar TS for 200 bucks (results of treating a certain under appreciated Home Depot employee with a little respect) I love the thing. The little sliding table it comes with is ok i guess…but I really want the control you can get only with proper miter gauge slots set by the factory. So, I basically built a huge workstation with a platform that surrounds the saw for lumber support when cutting. It also doubles as board storage (not bad).

I am either going to attempt a sliding table made from angle iron (from an old bed frame) great source btw! or, fashion myself a false top with slots routed into it. My questions to all you LB's is what are the some materials that would work best? I would prefer MDO but its ain't cheap. I also have this beautiful piano black formica counter top I acquired (pretty thick but very slick), Is replacing the top completely a good idea? I was also thinking of implementing aluminum C channel in the routed tracks…?

Finally, I learned not to be fooled by the Ryobi name, they actually put out a quality saw in my opinion for someone without thousands or hundreds to spend on a cab saw. Also it was quite accurate out of the box. The fence isn't anything to write home about but I make do. It is a somewhat quiet saw smooth saw and believe me, it can rival the "orange" and "yellow" ones any day of the week… Here are some pics for you:

Thanks very much for any responses in advance!
Bone, Jonny


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

1/4" masonite would work pretty well for a top for the whole thing. 
It's cheap, holds up well and can be waxed. Not thick enough to
hold a miter bar channel, so you'd need another 1/4" layer of something
underneath.


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