When I was young, I used to work summers with my dad. He’d leave me on site with the painters, concrete crews, or carpenters. But it was Neal, my dad’s finish carpenter, who put the spell on me.
I remember him building an entire house’s trim package right on site. He made cabinet cases, drawers, doors (jambs and all), closet surrounds, track, shelving, and supports. Neal used a huge cast iron table saw for all this work. The thing resembled a stationary shop saw more closely than a contractor’s saw. It took four guys to move it.
The advantage of one of those heavyweights, or today’s somewhat lighter contractor saws, is the ability to rip up to 25-inch-wide stock on a very stable, accurate surface. The trade-off, of course is the weight.
Setup Tricks
I followed my father’s and Neal’s footsteps into building. Today, the tradition of setting up and building out complete cabinet and trim packages on site is alive and well on my jobs here in California. But instead of wrestling with a heavy cast iron table saw, I use a lightweight portable saw with a collapsible Rousseau Porta-Max stand. I’ve added some custom features to get the most out of this setup.
I use a Makita 2703 table saw, which cuts almost as smoothly as the pricier and heavier Bosch, Rigid, and DeWalt models. The Rousseau stand secures the saw at a comfortable height and also provides a 32-inch rip capacity.
I crosscut and rip 8-foot sheets of plywood and MDF on site, so I need a big work station platform that can handle almost anything. I bought the stand with accessory wings, bringing the cost of my set up to around $600. That’s approximately what a top-of-the-line portable saw would’ve cost me. There are lots of stands with wings out there; I prefer Rousseau’s because of its solid top and because the universal stand accepts most portable saws.
Outfeed table. An outfeed table is essential when working alone to prevent long boards and sheet goods from dropping off the back of the saw. There are plenty production models out there, but I built my own from Baltic birch because I wanted a wide, light table I could easily store in my van.
My outfeed table is 24 inches wide and 48 inches long. It attaches to the stand with a simple 1/2-inch hook-strip of wood, which I screwed to the underside of the extension table. Two legs are also hinged to the underside of the table, beneath the back edge.
Router table insert. I don’t use my router table nearly as much as I do my table saw, but having one on site is indispensable. I use the router for rabbeting, edging, slot-cutting, and even cutting raised panels. I’ve collected several Rousseau plastic inserts, so I can quickly drop a different router into the table without changing bit set ups. That’s especially handy when using cope-and-stick bits to make cabinet doors.
Gary Katz is a woodworker, photographer, and writer based in Reseda, Calif.
Joe Youcha’s Two Cents
Here are some simple things you can do to reduce the tools’ vibration and improve their power, adjustment, and stock control.
Go for the bigger horsepower motor. Size matters, at least on a table saw.
Upgrade to better pulleys and use link belts. Good, balanced pulleys vibrate less and link belts absorb vibration. Make sure all your stand bolts are tight. Take the time to line up your drive assembly.
Go for high tolerance inserts. I like the phenolic zero-clearance throat inserts. They cut back on chip-out and prevent some types of kickback. They also allow you to rip thin stock.
Go for the fence upgrade. I personally like a good Biesmeyer style fence. You shouldn’t have to check the squareness of your fence for every cut.
Build sleds. I never use a miter gauge for crosscutting. I build sleds that ride in both machined slots in the table and provide solid stock control. When I need to change an angle, I cut an insert block. My sleds have good quality 3/4-inch plywood for the bases and clear 2-by or 5/4 stock for the end rails. The runners are appropriate-width steel bar stock screwed to the plywood.
Control the stock. Build or buy good infeed and outfeed rollers. If you have the space, build tables.
Use a good push stick. I use a 3/4-inch-thick plywood rectangle (usually about 5 inches x 10 inches) with a 1/2-inch step in its lower edge. It lets me push down on the piece while I push it through the saw and rip thin stock without fear.
Joe Youcha is a wooden boat builder and woodworker in Alexandria, Va.
Spec out Table Saws on ebuild, the Professional’s Guide to Building Products(TM).