Jazz Toolmaking

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Since I assembled the table saw I wrote about some time ago, I've wanted to make some modifications to it. The list included a slightly larger table, better mitre slots and fence; and a zero-clearance blade slot with a moveable splitter instead of the original riving knife, so I could cut dado slots. The table extension I made of 3/4" ply, bolted to the original steel top: it would be easily removable, and so the original table could be used for angle cuts and to facilitate blade changes.

I installed a couple of narrow t-tracks for the mitre slots, so that they could accommodate accessories, such as the home-made featherboard-type-thing you can see in the picture, as well as the crosscut sled and mitre (yet to be built for these slots). For a long time I couldn't work out a way of making a solid and accurate rip fence for the thing, but this afternoon I came up with a plan. I had been thinking along the lines of an adjustable, triangulated affair, since seeing one in an advert from a tool company I sometimes use: Rutland's. They sell an extruded alloy affair that can be used on a variety of tables and uses basic trigonometry to set it up: the downside is the price, which I simply can't justify spending at the moment.

I've been mulling over the idea for some weeks and while I was in the studio this afternoon, I got a vague idea of how to proceed. I had a couple of pieces of larger t-track amongst my stock, as well as a couple of offcuts of the smaller stuff from the mitre slots. The thing I needed to achieve was to be able to clamp the travelling and locating part of the fence firmly to the front edge of the table, perpendicular to the surface of the saw's blade. As you can see, I've got the large track screwed to the front edge of the top, 90° to the blade. Running on that is a piece of ply with a section of the smaller t-track screwed to it, such that it mates flush to it when the turn-screws on the t-bolts are tightened up: also 90° to the blade.

All I have to do now is to rig an adjustable, triangulating frame and a suitably mass-y fence to complete the job. I think I might re-use a good chunk of a fence I was making, which wasn't quite on the money, and fabricate the adjustable bits from ply and whatever extrusions/strip I've got lying around. Also, I deliberately left the rest of the front, runner extrusion in place, rather than cutting it, so I can extend the width of the table to the right for cutting wider sheet stock. I'll post progress on this, as it now seems to be taking shape: I just hope the coda goes as well as the rest of the piece.

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