DIY Shopsmith accessory - table saw?

[dusty]

Now see that is where Woodworkers differ. I would love to have a permanent table, the size of a football field but I would never never cut sheet good on it. I have been in too many cabinet shops that have tables the size of an air craft carrier and saw what happened when people cut sheet goods on them.

There are just too many really good alternatives to cutting sheet goods that don't require horsing a whole sheet of the product around.

What would I use the huge table for? The obvious use catch ripped boards but also for setup and construction.

For sheet goods if the money was avail I would get a panel saw, but short of that and probably $30,000 cheaper is a guided tool system where you lay a guide down on the sheet and cut. Many of the systems produce a cut edge so smooth no further sanding or cut improvement work is required.

One company did a comparison between cutting on a saw and using a guide tool system. The guided tools systen produced the same results as a the saw with far fewer cuts. Also the tablesaw required the user to lift the full sheet of material once and pick up the equalivant in weight many times to make the cuts where the guided saw system user never lifted anything heavier than the finished cut piece. The comparison proved it required less cut hence less time, less energy and produced superior results using the guided saw system compared to a tablesaw.

Oh, I guess you and I are really in different dream worlds. You are talking like a professional, high production work shop while I am dreaming about a small home work shop.

We will never agree on this.

[Ed in Tampa]

Oh, I guess you and I are really in different dream worlds. You are talking like a professional, high production work shop while I am dreaming about a small home work shop.

We will never agree on this.

Dusty
You are probably right but I'm looking at high production work shops and seeing how they are saving money, time and human energy and seeing how I can realize those savings in my small shop. I think you are still thinking of home work shop of the eighties.

I'm seeing production shops doing better work using tools that cost them less than third of what they once paid for machines and they are doing it faster, easier, safer, and cleaner. I think all of us want that kind of improvement in our shops.

The real difference between a high volume production shop and the small home shop is the guy in the production shop can justify the cost of replacing his 80's equip and method of doing things with the new equip and the new ways of doing it.

This is where I have problems some of advice on today's woodworkers forums. New people are coming in seeking advice and many of us are giving them advice on how it was done in the 80's instead of telling them to seek out the new machines, the new methods and new materials being used in wood working industry.

When I started wood working almost everything was made was from dimensioned stock, finished with lacquer and mortized and tendoned together. Today most woodworking involves sheet stock, water finishes and biscuit (or something similar) construction.

Most home workshops are trying to accomplish that on machines made to deal with dimensioned stock and such. But someone starting out can get the latest and newest equiptment designed and built to handle todays materials and do it cheaper and probably even in a more compacted package than even a full Shopsmith shop.

Example when I was starting out to finish a product you needed a 20-30 gallon compressor setup, today you can do a better finish using a HVLP turbine which is 1/4 the size of the old setup and costs less than half.

Another one when I was starting out to straighten a tapered board I first ripped it, jointed it and ripped it again and jointed it again. I used a $1500 Shopsmith (or $700 saw), and $400+ jointer. Today the same board can be made finish ready using a guided saw system and two cuts never picking up the board and done with equip costing less than $500 and much much much safer.

[damagi]

Dusty
You are probably right but I'm looking at high production work shops and seeing how they are saving money, time and human energy and seeing how I can realize those savings in my small shop. I think you are still thinking of home work shop of the eighties.

I'm seeing production shops doing better work using tools that cost them less than third of what they once paid for machines and they are doing it faster, easier, safer, and cleaner. I think all of us want that kind of improvement in our shops.

The real difference between a high volume production shop and the small home shop is the guy in the production shop can justify the cost of replacing his 80's equip and method of doing things with the new equip and the new ways of doing it.

This is where I have problems some of advice on today's woodworkers forums. New people are coming in seeking advice and many of us are giving them advice on how it was done in the 80's instead of telling them to seek out the new machines, the new methods and new materials being used in wood working industry.

When I started wood working almost everything was made was from dimensioned stock, finished with lacquer and mortized and tendoned together. Today most woodworking involves sheet stock, water finishes and biscuit (or something similar) construction.

Most home workshops are trying to accomplish that on machines made to deal with dimensioned stock and such. But someone starting out can get the latest and newest equiptment designed and built to handle todays materials and do it cheaper and probably even in a more compacted package than even a full Shopsmith shop.

Example when I was starting out to finish a product you needed a 20-30 gallon compressor setup, today you can do a better finish using a HVLP turbine which is 1/4 the size of the old setup and costs less than half.

Another one when I was starting out to straighten a tapered board I first ripped it, jointed it and ripped it again and jointed it again. I used a $1500 Shopsmith (or $700 saw), and $400+ jointer. Today the same board can be made finish ready using a guided saw system and two cuts never picking up the board and done with equip costing less than $500 and much much much safer.

wow, have you taken a sip of the Dead wood concept koolaid? Dino - is that you?

seriously though, its definitely worth considering the value of the table saw for various functions. Breaking up plywood sheets is the typical example. a guided circular saw and a compound sliding miter saw can make the need for a table saw go way down.

[damagi]

Ressurecting this thread because I ran into something interesting yesterday. I kept seeing patent art prints on ebay for shopsmith stuff and I knew that they had to be public domain. I went and took a peek, and there is a lot of interesting data out there. While looking, I ran into a 1957 patent for a tilting arbor attachment for a shopsmith:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=P-tGAA ... &q&f=false

It uses a belt to attach a secondary shaft and then a bevel gear assembly. I think you could simplify it unless the perception is that the belt setup adds value to the safety of the design. Check out the photos...its pretty neat.

Then again, a simple u-joint might do the trick too: http://www.appletreeauto.com/STEERING-S ... 860724a34c

[algale]

Ressurecting this thread because I ran into something interesting yesterday. I kept seeing patent art prints on ebay for shopsmith stuff and I knew that they had to be public domain. I went and took a peek, and there is a lot of interesting data out there. While looking, I ran into a 1957 patent for a tilting arbor attachment for a shopsmith:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=P-tGAA ... &q&f=false

It uses a belt to attach a secondary shaft and then a bevel gear assembly. I think you could simplify it unless the perception is that the belt setup adds value to the safety of the design. Check out the photos...its pretty neat.

Then again, a simple u-joint might do the trick too: http://www.appletreeauto.com/STEERING-S ... 860724a34c

Boy, that patent sure is interesting.

[paulmcohen]

Miter saw that is also a table saw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhsPlaOVHj8

And they said the Shopsmith was tall with small tables, this things sets a new benchmark in both those areas.

[dusty]

And they said the Shopsmith was tall with small tables, this things sets a new benchmark in both those areas.

Now that looks like a neat solution - for someone who needs a small portable saw. I can see it working well for a finish carpenter. If I was still spending like a "tool junky" I could find room for one in my shop.

[tryinhard]

Ressurecting this thread because I ran into something interesting yesterday. I kept seeing patent art prints on ebay for shopsmith stuff and I knew that they had to be public domain. I went and took a peek, and there is a lot of interesting data out there. While looking, I ran into a 1957 patent for a tilting arbor attachment for a shopsmith:

http://www.google.com/patents?id=P-tGAA ... &q&f=false

It uses a belt to attach a secondary shaft and then a bevel gear assembly. I think you could simplify it unless the perception is that the belt setup adds value to the safety of the design. Check out the photos...its pretty neat.

Then again, a simple u-joint might do the trick too: http://www.appletreeauto.com/STEERING-S ... 860724a34c

This is a really interesting design. Just wondering: If powered from the main quill, would the table tie-bar possibly interfere with the tilting arbor?

[dusty]

Dusty
You are probably right but I'm looking at high production work shops and seeing how they are saving money, time and human energy and seeing how I can realize those savings in my small shop. I think you are still thinking of home work shop of the eighties.

I'm seeing production shops doing better work using tools that cost them less than third of what they once paid for machines and they are doing it faster, easier, safer, and cleaner. I think all of us want that kind of improvement in our shops.

The real difference between a high volume production shop and the small home shop is the guy in the production shop can justify the cost of replacing his 80's equip and method of doing things with the new equip and the new ways of doing it.

This is where I have problems some of advice on today's woodworkers forums. New people are coming in seeking advice and many of us are giving them advice on how it was done in the 80's instead of telling them to seek out the new machines, the new methods and new materials being used in wood working industry.

When I started wood working almost everything was made was from dimensioned stock, finished with lacquer and mortized and tendoned together. Today most woodworking involves sheet stock, water finishes and biscuit (or something similar) construction.

Most home workshops are trying to accomplish that on machines made to deal with dimensioned stock and such. But someone starting out can get the latest and newest equiptment designed and built to handle todays materials and do it cheaper and probably even in a more compacted package than even a full Shopsmith shop.

Example when I was starting out to finish a product you needed a 20-30 gallon compressor setup, today you can do a better finish using a HVLP turbine which is 1/4 the size of the old setup and costs less than half.

Another one when I was starting out to straighten a tapered board I first ripped it, jointed it and ripped it again and jointed it again. I used a $1500 Shopsmith (or $700 saw), and $400+ jointer. Today the same board can be made finish ready using a guided saw system and two cuts never picking up the board and done with equip costing less than $500 and much much much safer.

I'm not sure what conclusion that would lead you to but I am definitely not talking about a shop from the eighties. This has been my shop since the early sixties (not eighties) with both small changes and one major change along the way. The major change being when I floated that loan with Shopsmith.

[paulmcohen]

Now that looks like a neat solution - for someone who needs a small portable saw. I can see it working well for a finish carpenter. If I was still spending like a "tool junky" I could find room for one in my shop.

Dusty I have seen your shop and room is not something you have a lot of:)