Shopsmith Forums

Just got my new Mark 7 last week, and I love it, but my very first project highlighted a challenge specific to the Shopsmith. Like most people who have experience on a regular table saw, I'm used to tilting the blade instead of the table when I need an angled cut. The first thing I decided to make, just using some scrap wood I had lying around the garage, was a little stand to hold the bandsaw when it's not attached to the Shopsmith. The legs are just made from an old 2x4, and I wanted to put them at a 22.5 degree angle for stability. Of course, I needed to cut both ends of each leg at the same angle so they would be parallel edges and it would stand flat on the floor. I did it by tilting the main work surface, adding an extension table, and using the miter gauge to hold the stock while cutting. It worked, but it was much harder than it would be if the table was flat and the blade was tilted. I'm sure that experienced Shopsmith users have figured out a better way to do this. What's the secret?

IIUC, I would have used the miter gauge(they be cross cuts). You need to use the same edge against the miter gauge face and cut from opposite sides of the blade.

Sawing a 22.5 deg. angle across the face of a 2x4 is a really easy thing to so on a Shopsmith. Just need to think of a different method of tilting the saw blade. As JPG suggests, rotate the 2x4 so the face is against the miter gauge, rather than on the table. Your saw blade should raise to 3 1/2". You may need to extend the quill to get the 3 1/2" height.

Thanks! I thought about putting the board on edge against the miter gauge, and in hindsight I guess I should have done it that way. In fact, the more I think about it the more I think I would have had a nicer end result and an easier build if I had just turned the legs of the stand 90 degrees. I could have cut the angles across the width of the 2x4s using the miter gauge, and no table-tilting would be necessary. As you said, the Shopsmith makes you think of different ways to get the cuts you want. I think it just takes experience, which I hope to build along with an assortment of future projects!