How To Build A Radial Arm Saw Table
The majority of radial armsaws have a very weak and inadequate table that doesn’t support the workpiece well. This article will help you build a better table to support your workpiece, allowing you to make precise cuts.
Use a ruler and a pencil to draw where your brackets should be on the boards. Each bracket should be placed between 4-15 cm. This will allow you to securely clamp down your workpieces.
Pilot holes should be drilled into the boards to attach the brackets. To ensure that everything comes together neatly at the end, make sure you keep the distances between them equal horizontally as well vertically.
Use a ruler and a pencil to draw where your brackets should be on the boards. Each bracket should be placed between 4-15 cm. This will allow you to clamp down your workpieces securely. Drill pilot holes in the boards where the brackets have been drawn, then attach them using the L-brackets. To ensure that everything comes together neatly at the end, make sure you keep the distances between them equal horizontally as well vertically.
You will need to drill pilot holes near the baseboard’s top edge. These pilot holes should be large enough to accommodate your longer screws. Attach the opposite side of the table to the baseboard using these screws, washers, and nuts. This is just as you would with a regular doorknob.
Your new sawing machine is now complete! It is a good idea to sand the edges of the wood before you use it. They can get in the way when making more complicated cuts. How to make a crosscut saw sled.
Tools:
- A tabletop or circular saw. I used a tabletop saw for this project.
- Power drill (with different bits, I used my cordless power drill with 1/10 cm and 2/20 cm bits).
- Stud finder (optional)
- Pencil
- Measurement tape or ruler
- Measurement spoons (optional, but useful to determine the right amount of screws for your brackets)
- Use a came hammer to fix your hinges with hooks or nails if needed
- Wood glue (optional).
- Sandpaper
- Clamps
- Drill brush
- Big flat-head screwdriver Wrench
- Saw
- Drill bits
- Drill
- Optional: Carpet tape
Materials: 1 Board 46cmx91cm (45cmx91cm) 1 Board 46cmx3/10cm (45cmx20mm) 2 Hinges 6 L-brackets (2 the kind that comes with bolts or wingnuts) 2 Screws to attach the hinges to your tabletop
Step 1 :
Decide what shape you want your table. It will most likely be square, but I chose to make it rectangular for this project. You have the option to be more creative or stick with my design. Two sheets of 23×23 cm paper were used to measure the size of my wood. This gave me a little more space so the nails wouldn’t stick out or hurt me when I hammered them in.
Step 2
Use the paper as a guide and a pencil to mark where you will cut your board. I measured one piece and marked it at 8 cm. Another at 15 cm. This helped me to know where I needed to cut the ends. Measure the length of one sheet paper to ensure a square board. Mark each 10 cm with a pencil.
Step 3
Step 4
Make sure everything is straightened after you have removed the pencil marks from the board. If it’s not possible to use a jigsaw or hand saw (if necessary), and ensure that everything is cut smooth and correctly.
Step 5
Once your board has been cut to size, measure the location where you will drill the holes for brackets. Since my bolts measure 1/10cm in diameter, I used a 1/10cm bit. You can use a different size bit if your bolts are larger or smaller.
Step 6
Make sure you drill all pilot holes using your power drill. This is much more efficient than drilling it manually with a drill bit. Don’t make them too big if you don’t want the wood pieces to fall apart. This could lead to dangerous sawing accidents. It will not only affect the structural integrity of your project, but also impact what you are trying to achieve with it.
Step 7
Now it’s time to assemble the brackets. These can be used to assemble your brackets if you don’t have any screws left from an earlier project or leftovers from an IKEA furniture building. Make sure the size of the screw you use matches your pilot holes. For my brackets I used 1/10cm wide, 3/10cm long bolts and washers with regular black drywall screws. It is possible to skip the washer and just insert the bolts directly into your pilot holes, but that’s up to you.
Step 8
Step 9
Once your brackets have been assembled, all that is left to do now is to attach them to the wooden boards. Begin by aligning the boards as though they were one. Next, drill a few pilot holes where they meet. You should only use screws on one side of your piece to keep it straight.
After those have been secured, place a bracket on each side with a little gap between them. Screw it in so everything fits tightly together with no gaps or wiggle space. Although I screwed mine from both sides, others might prefer to use a clamp system instead of going back and forth using inset screws. It’s up to you.
Step 10
Attach the brackets to your table saw once they are secured. These brackets can be attached to a less expensive saw, such as mine. For more expensive models, I assume there is a different assembly system. If mine can do it, yours can probably too.
Simply line up the bracket and drill a few screws on the side that you are most comfortable with. My saw is very small and light-duty so I used a power drill to do this. However, if yours doesn’t have an electric attachment or is too heavy, you can manually tighten it down with an Allen wrench (or another hex key).
After you have secured them, make sure to secure the other side!
Once everything is arranged and the saw can rest on the rail, it’s time to attach the table.
Step 11
This is a simple task if your brackets are correctly built. Simply line up the center of wood with the place where the blade will be placed and then put enough screws to ensure it stays in place, but not too many so you can slide it onto the rail.
Because my power screwdriver was too short to reach the brackets, I used an Allen wrench to replace them. However, either method works perfectly; just make sure to not strip them or tighten them too much.
After they are in place, slide the wooden piece off your saw. Make sure to leave your brackets attached. This is crucial because it is necessary to measure the height of your saw or table, if any, before you put it back on.
How To Build A Radial Arm Saw Table
This video will show you how to build a circular arm saw table. This video will give you a solid idea about how to build a radial-arm saw table.
Learn how to build a Radial Arm Saw Table
Conclusion
Once everything is marked, you can remove the brackets and line them up like they were attached to your board. Then, transfer the measurements onto it so that everything fits properly when you put it back on. After that, screw them on to your boards using either black drywall screws or wood screws (but they can’t be both).
