Under Saw Table Magnets?

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Tue May 06, 2014 11:04 am

I know some guys epoxy steel to the underside of their table so they can use magnetic devices. I don't have the capabilities to cut the steel to the shapes needed so I use loose 1/2" rare earth magnets. It's a hassle.
Wondering if anyone has a better idea.

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Tue May 06, 2014 5:07 pm

I've not heard of that (gluing steel to the bottom of the table), but as far as cutting steel to fit the bottom of the table, a few ideas.

1. If you take a paper template to a local steel supplier, generally they have an in house fabrication shop.

2. Or just buy the stock from someplace (EBay - Amazon ), make a template and take it to a local Vo-Tech (or whatever they are now called) and give a student a few bucks to cut the shapes for you on a school plasma cutter.

Have you heard how well does attaching steel to the underside work?

. It would make using my Wixey stuff much easier!

As I was writing this I came up with a stupid, foolish and crazy idea that everyone can shoot down....

Why not embedded steel just below the top surface on table insert? Custom ZCIs of MDF, or whatever as well as the standard inserts.

Rout a channel on both sides of the blade slot, using the width of the steel bar, the depth could be such that the steel sets within an eighth or so of the top surface. Epoxy the metal bars in place.

Would there be enough attraction to hold if you glued steel in the gaps of standard SS inserts? I may have to go try that!

Be well,
Ben

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue May 06, 2014 6:47 pm

I might give something like this a try but what are we actually trying to accomplish?

I keep t-nuts either in the miter slot or nearby so that I can mount the Wixey (or iGaging Angle Cube) when I need to verify table tilt.

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Tue May 06, 2014 7:27 pm

I've been using this
http://www.amazon.com/Wixey-WR25-Digita ... ords=Wixey to set blade heights, especially for dados. Being able to allow the magnets to hold to the table/ insert surface would make adjustments significantly easier.

On my router table, one of the reasons I went with the aluminum INCRA router plate was because the inserts are steel. The gauge allows simples height adjustments for bits.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Tue May 06, 2014 7:58 pm

Dusty,
There are numerous jigs and safety gadgets that could be much easier to use if a Magswitch(s) could be used on the table. Thin rip jigs, coving fences on the TS, feather boards when the SS ones won't reach or the work is too wide, and probably many more I haven't thought of yet.
My BS has the iron table so a pair Magswitchs would work for an easily adjustable fence. But, don't want to buy a pair of 3mm Magswitches just for that.

anmius · Post by **anmius** » Wed May 07, 2014 10:42 am

benush26 wrote:I've been using this
http://www.amazon.com/Wixey-WR25-Digital-Height-Gauge/dp/B006WMRVS4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1399418013&sr=8-3&keywords=Wixey to set blade heights, especially for dados. Being able to allow the magnets to hold to the table/ insert surface would make adjustments significantly easier.

On my router table, one of the reasons I went with the aluminum INCRA router plate was because the inserts are steel. The gauge allows simples height adjustments for bits.

How about setting the blade/tool heights with this tip:

[ATTACH]24968[/ATTACH]

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Wed May 07, 2014 1:56 pm

anmius wrote:How about setting the blade/tool heights with this tip:

[ATTACH]24968[/ATTACH]

Interesting use of a cube I had not seen before. If I had a drill bit the diameter of the depth I wanted to cut I think this would be an option. I have used a drill bit to set the distance from blade tooth to the fence. Now, if I have a standard depth / width. I use the Kreg setup bars. I was given a set of the brass setup bars, but they were too fragile (especially the smaller ones) for my clumsy fingers.

Amazing how much one of those suckers will bend or ding up when drop from a table!!

I've found the Wixey digital depth gauge to be quite nice when it comes to non-standard cut depths(though it does go through a battery every couple months- buying the batteries in lots of a dozen on Amazon helps because they are very cheap - but then that might be why they die so quickly

)

Be well,
Ben

wasatch · Post by **wasatch** » Wed May 07, 2014 2:16 pm

What about attaching a ferrous metal plate to one or two T-nuts in either miter slot of the table, or attaching a metal plate to the fence on the miter gauge? This would allow you to use your magnetic devices.

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Wed May 07, 2014 5:15 pm

wasatch wrote:What about attaching a ferrous metal plate to one or two T-nuts in either miter slot of the table, or attaching a metal plate to the fence on the miter gauge? This would allow you to use your magnetic devices.

Were you thinking maybe a plate that had a slot(s) for left to right movement? And knobs to secure the movement of the plate. That way he could attach the feather board to the plate (magnets), move it in to position, tighten the Sliding T nuts in the slot, then the locking knobs?

BTW, I do appreciate Gene's question which led me to thinking about how to better use my gauge!

Be well,
Ben

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Fri May 09, 2014 12:25 pm

Gene, I too appreciate your asking this question. I have often complained that I could not locate aluminum magnets.

I also had my doubts that a magnet would be effective when obstructed by the table top. I have, as a result of your question, determined that my suspicions were unfounded.

Small magnets are strong enough to be detected or to have effect on the reverse side of the table.

I am going to look for "magnetic cloth" that can be cut to fit under the main table.