Shopsmith Forums

A lot of you were not around when I posted this thread back in 2008:

http://www.shopsmith.com/ss_forum/viewtopic.php?t=2713

It is about pattern cutting with a table saw. This next project is an extension and I hope improvement on the methodology involved. It stems in part from this and then throw in a handful of guided saw systems and you get to the idea I have that I want to build and test this spring.

Very much like the old post you will need a attachment to the rip fence that provides a horizontal rub area with ample space below for the waste pieces.

What I showed in the post was the blade being located back and below the horizontal piece which gives you an off set that you have to deal with. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it requires a pattern that is not the same size as the finished product.

In this new version the far edge of the blade is located at the edge of the horizontal piece. The alignment is such that the blade is still under but aligned to the edge. I have a sketch that shows how this works:
Of course the details would be that you would use a small square or similar and touch the outside facing tooth such that they will produce a cut at the line created by the horizontal piece.

Next you need a piece that I will call a track. It needs to be thicker, perhaps an inch or 1-1/4"??? this can be determined once it becomes clear how much space is really needed. Now this would be made with some notches cut in the length of it for strips of Festool 485724 Replacement Non-Skid Strip For FS Guide Rails. Other brands might work just as well but this is what I have on hand. You can check it out here:

https://www.amazon.com/Festool-485724-R ... ool+485724

The length and width will be figured out later but something like 6" wide and say 24 or 30 inches long might be a good starting point. A couple of handles or grips on the top sounds like a good idea as well.
That is the whole jig. You might find that a few sizes might be desirable but it is too early to tell.

Now lets get in to the how it works phase. Lets say we want to make a birdhouse like the design in the other thread. You do a layout something like this:
Now the guide lays on the line where you want to cut, just like a guided saw system.
Then you slide the guide and work piece using the edge of the guide against the horizontal part to make the cut. Once you have made all the cuts you have a part that can be used to trace more parts on other work pieces.
This would work for long narrow tapers or other odd angles, if you can draw the line you can cut to it.

If you have the time and desire go ahead and make one and let us know how it turns out. I'm a month or more away from being able to work on it.

Ed

I'll come back to this post in March, for sure. Sounds like a neat idea.

It is March.

And the project has gone from some sketches to actual parts. I didn't do a step by step build since I didn't see the interests expressed in the idea presented. So the pictures are of the parts that I have made.

To start with this is the part that will attach to the fence on my 520. The idea works on other machines but the mounting method may need to be changed. It is not critical to the design anyway.
The length is the same as the rip fence but it could be longer or shorter..... the other portion of the "L" is about 6". This is not critical either but the smaller you make it the less capacity you will have.

The "L" leg is attached with pocket screws but again this is not critical, glue/nails/other screws all would work.
This show the attachment T-nuts but again other fences may need other ways of attachment. It is critical that the vertical location of this part will cover the range of the materials you will want to cut. In my case I went with 1/16" to 1" with enough room for the blade to extend taller then the work piece. I did that using slots.
Here it is attached to the fence in its lowest position.
The half circle cut outs allow the highest position and provide clearance for the washers and allow easy access with the allen wrench as can be seen here:
In this picture you can see the blade height in relation to a 3/4" thick piece of plywood.
In the next post you will see the part that is used to control the cut and to locate where the cut is made after alignment is performed.

Ed

This next part is the one that you use to push the wood through the blade and controls where the cut is made by riding against the "L" fence extension in the previous post.

This is a lot like how a guided track saw works. The edge of this part is put on the line you want to cut and then you slide it along the fence to make the cut. The edge of the outside tooth of the blade has to align to the "L" for this to work.

In this case I went with a piece 20" long and 3" wide. I'm not sure this is optimal but it is a starting point. One may want a set of these with different lengths and width. As you can see I grabbed some screen door handles and mounted them at an angle to better match hand position but again this is just a starting point and may change after some testing.... or not.
You might notice that one screw is missing........ spent 20 minutes looking and moving things but so far it is eluding me.

I should also mention I have the fence located on the right side but if you like to keep it to the left that will work too. Parts are symmetrical at least how I built mine.

The bottom has some Festool grip attached. This stuff really holds well and the two strips will have a good deal of grip.
Once the weather warms I get some shots of it in action and give a few user interface pieces of information which you more then likely can figure out on your own after reading this whole post and the drawings provided.

Ed

What this project was lacking was a name. So I think I will call it.....

Guided Wood Saw System.

Today was test day and the GWSS works fine. I did make a new guide that was smaller and has a single handle and three strips of stick-em tape on the bottom.

I'm now going to add a new thread something like "Today in the shop the GWSS".

I have a video which I will process and post on youtube later today if it turns out decent enough.

Ed