BUILD MOM'S TOPSY-TURVY TABLE SAW

(Page 2 of 4)

March/April 1982
 
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Before drilling the screw holes, though (try a 5/32" diameter for the shank and 5/64" for the threads), be sure the legs' edges extend beyond the supports by 1-1/2 inches, in order to allow the corners to be flush when the leg faces are installed. (This is necessary because the 3/4"-thick faces are attached to cross braces of equal depth, which are—in turn—butted against the ends of the side braces.) Also, make certain the legs and supports are flush at their upper edges, and that the lower braces are positioned according to the measurements given in our illustration.

Once the two side components are completed, go ahead and fit the upper and lower front and back cross braces in place. The angles at the ends of these boards will have to be trimmed to suit the profile of the leg sides, but if you stick to the dimensions shown, the finished uprights will be the correct distance apart and have the proper "splay".

Prior to installing the four leg faces, slip the 3/4"X 21-1/2" X 22" shelf into place on top of the lower supports (it doesn't have to be secured with screws). With that done, lay the face boards in position and drill through the edge of the leg sides and into the shoulder of the abutting planks. A series of screws can then be used to hold the corners together firmly.

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TOP IT OFF

The saw table's top can be constructed next. First, choose the best face of your 3/4" X 25" X 36" plywood sheet and lay that side down. Then mark the center of the long side of the platform and fasten your 314" X 1-1/2" X 11-3/4" struts to the tabletop with No. 10 X 2" wood screws . . . making sure that the boards are parallel to the 36" sides, 20 inches apart at their outer faces, and bisected by the sheet's centerline.

Next, draw another line 3 inches to one side of the first, and lay your saw on the table's surface so that its blade is centered and parallel with this score. Then mark a border around the blade and its guard. (The dimensions of the perimeter will, of course, vary . . . depending on the make of your saw, its blade diameter, and the design of the guard.) Once you've established the necessary limits, use the tool to cut the rectangular hole, and double-check its dimensions by adjusting the blade depth to the extreme and tilting the toothed disk to its 45° maximum, with the saw in place.

When this step is completed, drill two 5/16" holes, through the tabletop, near the front and back of the saw's metal foot (position them each an inch or so toward the blade's inside face) and recess the top part of the openings 1/8" with an 1 1/16" bit. Then slip your 5/16" X 2" carriage bolts through the bores from the top side, drill 5/16" holes into the center of each of the two pieces of channel iron, and secure those homemade clamps tightly against the platform with the foot in between. (For a more positive mount, you may also want to recess the saw's foot into the board's lower surface by 1/8" or so.) You can now use the upside-down saw as a table model .. . once you've worked up the rip fence and miter gauge.

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