# Workshop Upgrades



## jcwalleye (Dec 26, 2009)

*Organizing the shop*

Shop Upgrades

It's been a month and a half since moving into the new shop and I've had a little time to complete a few upgrades. First is a mitre saw station. There's 6' on the left and unlimited room on the right if you want to go out the door. It's made from three cabinets with four drawers in each cabinet all made with ¾" shop grade maple plywood. It's trimmed with hard maple and the drawer fronts are poplar. Some of the plywood in the carcass had nice birdseye so it's finished with two coats of Watco natural stain and several coats of poly. The rest is painted with leftover paint.










The drawers have full extension slides that I got on closeout for about $4/pair. The downside to that good deal is that no pairs were the same as any other. At lease it seemed that way. A couple smaller projects down the road are to add a fence with stops. And a shroud to control the dust and a small chute to direct it to a box below.










The next project was a couple of boxes to fill a space created by the door to the new shop. The main use for this cabinet is to set plans and other stuff on. It also makes for good storage for batteries and chargers. A power strip helps keep the jumble of cords out of sight any way. I'll have to watch and see if it gets too warm. So far so good. There's a little bit of walnut, maple, and poplar, mostly so I could experiment with different stains and finishes.



















The last project came about from a need for a place to keep saw blades. Putting them back into their original packaging after changing them just wasn't happening. I needed somewhere that would be easy and secure. Came across a plan in "The Complete Small Shop" magazine that filled the bill and then some. It's made from 2 X douglas fir strips lap jointed, covered with ¼" pegboard. There's a lot more storage on it than I was expecting, but that will get used. I made the mistake of not jointing adjacent faces of the 2X and wrestled with it the whole way through. The plan called for 1 ½" x 1 ½" pieces and I wouldn't end up with that if I had jointed the face. In hindsight, I should have wrestled with the plan instead. All in all a fun project though.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Okay.

I've just added you to the list of people whose shop jigs and shop furniture look better than the HOME furniture that I build ;-)

Great stuff. Elegant, functional, and clean-looking !


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## Abbott (May 10, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Oh wow, good stuff!


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


As soon as you finish yours, you can come down here. lol Those cabinets look better than my kitchen cabinets. 
Great job. Looking forward to the completed shop with all the toys in place. Rand


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## jcwalleye (Dec 26, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Not really Neil, but thanks anyway. I just take pictures from angles and leave drawers open so my screwups don't stand out so much.


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## ND2ELK (Jan 25, 2008)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Your shop is looking great. I love to see a neat, clean and orgainzed shop. Very nicely done. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom


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## Eagle1 (Jan 4, 2010)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Nice job. I really like the mitersaw table.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Those shop cabinets and fixtures are great. You have done much to organize your shop and it will pay off in many dividends of time saved. Congratulations!.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Organizing the shop*
> 
> Shop Upgrades
> 
> ...


Your cabinets and set up look real good. It is amazing how much work we have to do to get our miter saws into a useful and convenient configuration. I like to use an auxiliary fence on mine for zero clearance cuts. Those cuts are usually on shorter pieces, but I've been trying to figure out ways to raise and lower the MS table so that the cabinets on either side will still support long pieces while using the auxiliary fence.


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## jcwalleye (Dec 26, 2009)

*Ridgid 4511 table saw fence upgrade*

Since opening the door into the new shop I've been without a router table as my old one was built into a bench anchored to the wall that was cut through. I needed to get that replaced and have always liked the idea of building a router table into a table saw wing. So I made plans to upgrade my Ridgid 4511 granite top table saw. The first thing was to upgrade the rails and fence.

The Ridgid fence has a few limitations, but actually works pretty well once its adjusted properly. I've been satisfied with it for accuracy and repeatability, particularly when you consider the price of the saw and fence. But, the rails are not long, nor stout enough to support a router table. My plans were to replace the rails with ¼" angle iron and keep the Ridgid guide tube and fence.

Then a local hardware store, with a great tool selection, went into bankruptcy. Thier plan was to liquidate everything in the store, and because of their large inventory it likely was going to take several months. I felt a bit like a vulture hanging around but bought a fair amount of tools, accessories, and hardware for 40%, 50%, 60% and more off by the end. The last day you could buy everything you could fit into a plastic grocery bag for $10. I'd planned to buy the whole Rockler hardware aisle, but that was all gone by the time I got there.

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to pick up a set of Biesemeyer rails, guide tube and fence for $149 and now it's time to install. The first difference noted is that the materials in Bies are far stouter than the Ridgid. Here is a picture of the Ridgid parts in front and the Bies parts behind. 









And another comparing the two front rails. The Bies is ¼" while the Ridgid is of 3/16".









The Bies rails are predrilled for many different saws but unfortunately, none line up with the holes in the Ridgid. And when you hold them up to each other it's hard to find a spot where they don't overlap a little bit. Not to worry according to the instructions. Just clamp the rails to the table and drill new holes in the table. But I couldn't drill holes in granite, I needed to drill new, exactly placed, holes in the Bies rails. That was complicated by the different sizes and dimensions of all the parts.

Fortunately, the Ridgid rails are symmetrical left to right and another LJ'r (Chucker) had done this before and documented it. I'll try to fill in a few of the pieces. The Bies instructions call for 1/32" accuracy for the height of the front rail, but I think there is some tolerance. Basically, I made a mark on Ridgid rail in line with the saw blade and used it for a template to mark the holes to drill. Put it back to back with the Bies, aligning the bottoms of the two rails. That's when I found the Bies rail wasn't as square as expected. Next, to be certain of the alignment of the holes, I used a large twist bit that matched the Ridgid countersink and drilled just enough to create a small dimple. From there, it was a matter of taking it to the drill press progressively moving up to bigger bits and finally countersinking. The steel is soft enough that it drills pretty easily. 


















The back rail was largely the same process, but the rail cutouts for miter channels left only two bolts holding on the back rail. And the large cutout for a blade guard (Delta I think) made the thing feel flimsy. I ended buying a ¼" 2"x3" angle iron 6' long for about $20 that once drilled, cleaned, and painted looks and works great. And it was the same size as the front rail which the Bies back rail wasn't. That made alignment of the router table much easier.

I put the Bies fence on, made a couple test cuts, and a few adjustments and the upgrade is done. It works great.
Tomorrow I'll try to post how the router table came together.


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## Cato (May 1, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 table saw fence upgrade*
> 
> Since opening the door into the new shop I've been without a router table as my old one was built into a bench anchored to the wall that was cut through. I needed to get that replaced and have always liked the idea of building a router table into a table saw wing. So I made plans to upgrade my Ridgid 4511 granite top table saw. The first thing was to upgrade the rails and fence.
> 
> ...


Nice job JC and I think you will find that a new fence on the R4511 finally makes it a complete saw.

I had actually started shopping for a new saw when I started reading about others managing to upgrade the fence on their 4511 and decided to give it a shot.

I put a Delta T2 w/ 30" rails on my R4511, and wow what a difference. Now I have a fence system with stouter steel, and a much stouter fence that is consistently accurate across the entire width of the tape.

Like having a new saw for me.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 table saw fence upgrade*
> 
> Since opening the door into the new shop I've been without a router table as my old one was built into a bench anchored to the wall that was cut through. I needed to get that replaced and have always liked the idea of building a router table into a table saw wing. So I made plans to upgrade my Ridgid 4511 granite top table saw. The first thing was to upgrade the rails and fence.
> 
> ...


Great score. Yeah the Biese is a STOUT fence… Can't wait to see the router wing…


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## NormG (Mar 5, 2010)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 table saw fence upgrade*
> 
> Since opening the door into the new shop I've been without a router table as my old one was built into a bench anchored to the wall that was cut through. I needed to get that replaced and have always liked the idea of building a router table into a table saw wing. So I made plans to upgrade my Ridgid 4511 granite top table saw. The first thing was to upgrade the rails and fence.
> 
> ...


Great job, glad to hear it worked


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## jcwalleye (Dec 26, 2009)

*Ridgid 4511 router table*

Once I got the fence upgraded as described in the second blog of this series it was time to get the router table built. Here are some pictures of the granite table added as a right wing to the Ridgid 4511 table saw.

Glued up 2" of mdf and laminated top and bottom with leftovers from a local cabinet shop. OK, it's only as heavy as granite. Here the laminated slab is ready for cutting dados for the mitre and t-tracks.









Here are reference lines on masking tape for aligning the insert template and a picture of the starter hole in one corner. If I was to do it over again, I'd consider cutting the rough opening before gluing the sheets of mdf together. It was difficult to cut the rough opening with my jigsaw. I even thought about using a saws-all.









I ended up drilling starter holes in all corners.









And here is the finished top after installing the tracks and trimming the edges with ash. 









And here is the second finished top. The first one didn't get a good bond and was starting to come loose, so I worked it off. I had used a spray adhesive instead of contact cement. Even using a whole can on the top, it was still glue starved. The can says you can but I didn't have any luck with the spray adhesive. It was the laminate that was glue starved, the mdf seemed plenty tacky.









A couple hundred pounds and two days to cure ensured a good bond the second time.









A few pics of the completed top.


















This fence is off the old router table. I may build a sacrificial fence over the Bies for quick routing jobs.









The downdraft box with aux switch.









And from the back.









The few cuts I've made are fairly dust free.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 router table*
> 
> Once I got the fence upgraded as described in the second blog of this series it was time to get the router table built. Here are some pictures of the granite table added as a right wing to the Ridgid 4511 table saw.
> 
> ...


Very nice. I like the way you did the dust collection. I'll be borrowin this idea. Thnx for sharing.


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 router table*
> 
> Once I got the fence upgraded as described in the second blog of this series it was time to get the router table built. Here are some pictures of the granite table added as a right wing to the Ridgid 4511 table saw.
> 
> ...


Joe, now that you are experienced you can come down and build mine. lol Heck, just let me have your throw aways. This shop is coming together very nice. I'm very happy for you. Thanks for sharing with us. Rand


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## jcwalleye (Dec 26, 2009)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 router table*
> 
> Once I got the fence upgraded as described in the second blog of this series it was time to get the router table built. Here are some pictures of the granite table added as a right wing to the Ridgid 4511 table saw.
> 
> ...


The box is from a plan from the Incra web site, called a Pivot-Door Downdraft Cabinet Plan. I modified the plan slightly and used a combination of 3/4 and 1/2" mdf. I also used a magnet to hold the door closed. Still need a knob for it though. Here is a picture of the open door.


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## nobuckle (Nov 3, 2010)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 router table*
> 
> Once I got the fence upgraded as described in the second blog of this series it was time to get the router table built. Here are some pictures of the granite table added as a right wing to the Ridgid 4511 table saw.
> 
> ...


That turned out really nice. I'm in the process of doing the same thing with my table saw. What were some of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?


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## toddc (Mar 6, 2007)

jcwalleye said:


> *Ridgid 4511 router table*
> 
> Once I got the fence upgraded as described in the second blog of this series it was time to get the router table built. Here are some pictures of the granite table added as a right wing to the Ridgid 4511 table saw.
> 
> ...


Looks like it turned out OK.

Is that snow out there? We are still enjoying mid 40's here in Billings.

I really need to come out for a shop visit and see you and your shop in person. I am sure Rita would like to spend some time in the Co-op while I visit with you.


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