# Improvement on my TS (craftsman 315.228390)



## thegrgyle

Well, I finally got sick and tired of all the sawdust that my Craftsman contractor table saw would make as I would cut wood up. I did by an aftermarket Dust collector shield that covered the blade inside the housing, and when that was on, it would provide a place to hook up a 2.5” hose to it, therefore getting about 75% of the dust, but still letting about 25% of it to get all over my shelf under the TS, as well as the floor.
I first took my TS off its mobile stand/base. This is what it looked like after I cleaned off the shelf, and then took the TS off… All that dust was inside the saw itself. The sawdust that I cleared off of the shelf was about 10 times that amount (at some point 2.5” deep).










I plan on replacing the steel stretcher on the top with the wood one I have cut sitting on top of the stand. I then drilled the correct holes, and cut out for a 4” dwv coupling to fit into the wood. Since the stretcher was on an incline, I decided to make the opening for the coupling to be level, so I went to the OSS to do this. I put some wedges under it to make it the correct angle, and proceeded to fine tune the fit till it was nice and tight. I then used Gorilla Polyurethane glue to glue it in place and seal up any minor gaps. I then installed it on the base.


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## thegrgyle

I then proceeded to lay out the metal “pan” to close off that bottom, as well as collect the dust and reroute it towards the DC opening. I then cut it out, took it over to the brake and bent it into shape. After a few pop-rivets, some screws, and a little persuasion, I got it to fit exactly as planned.






























On my agenda today, I plan to do a bunch of things since I have the behemoth table saw off of its base. First I know my blade is out of alignment with the miter gauge slots, and finally have the tools to fix that. Then I hope to close up some of the gaps around the TS, so as to only have the minimum amount of gaps to provide good air flow. Then I will close off the back of the saw, hopefully be done with this portion. Of course I will take more pics. 

Fabian


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## Shop Dad

That's impressive. Well done. Look forward to seeing it come to completion.


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## gstanfield

That's pretty slick!


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## Dominick

Nice job Fabian. Looks like it should work pretty well. Keep us posted on how it performs.


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## thegrgyle

Well, Yesterday was interesting to say the least in my shop.... I finally was able to measure just how much my sawblade was misaligned with the miter grooves on my TS.... It was .017" off.... I knew it was off, but not by that much! Fortunately, it was off in the direction that made the back of the blade farther from the fence, so as not to pinch it. Well, I was able to get it to within 3 thousandths of being aligned perfectly, and I wasn't about to pull my hair out trying to get it perfect, especially after hearing about others that have tried and failed.

I also was able to get an angle iron mounted on it for a future outfeed table, and am now closing up all the holes on the TS to provide for adequate suction. I will try to get some pics posted this afternoon.

Fabian


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## cocheseuga

Excellent work there.


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## knotscott

Excellent! :thumbsup:


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## Kevin07

Looks like it should work very well.


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## thegrgyle

Here is the pic of the angle Iron I mounted for a future outfeed table :thumbsup:.










So I started closing off the gaps on my contractors saw. If I did not close any of them, I calculated around 58 square inches of openings, and that wasn’t including the back of the saw where the motor was mounted. I started by taping off the gap on the sides of the saw, from the inside, with foil tape (that I had from my job). That gap wasn’t all that bad, just under 1”. I thought it would be better to do it from the inside, since the cast top had a lip that protruded down.


















The front of the saw was a different matter. Since there was cast iron lip that protruded down, the gap was must larger, almost 2”, as you might be able to tell in the picture below. I also had to contend with the lockdown mechanism for the tilting portion of the saw.










I decided then to use a type of foam rubber insulation (from work) to seal this portion. I made cuts in the foam rubber for all the ribs, and also over the top of the lockdown mechanism. I then used a type of contact cement to glue this onto the saw. I think it worked out pretty good.


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## thegrgyle

I then managed to get the saw back onto the stand. Here is a pic from the back of the saw where the motor is usually mounted… I took the motor off so that I had better access to the bolts that bolt the saw to the stand.









I then mounted the motor and belt, and proceeded to close up this HUGE opening. I used the same type of metal that I used for the DC pan, since I had the scrap laying around, and my TS was out of commission. I used the same foil tape to attach it to the saw, and seal up as much of that as I could. I was a little fearful of using the metal, for fear of shredding the belt, so I made the opening a little larger than I wanted to.










Then all I needed to do was close off the gap on the front of the saw where the angle adjustment was, and thanks to the great ideas in this thread, I used some of that magnetic sign material, and even wrote myself a note on it.
So here is my TS, hooked up and ready to go. 










After inserting a new blank in my zero clearance plate, I cut a new slot (since I aligned my blade properly), and even cut some wood to see how the DC worked. It worked about as good as expected. I recalculated the opening I have now, and they are around 14 square inches, so I think I will have ample air flow with my 4” hose hooked up to it. The best thing……. NO DUST ON THE SHELF BELOW THE TABLE SAW!


Fabian


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## Shop Dad

Excellent work! That should serve you well. Glad you made the reminder sign. :yes:


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## thegrgyle

Shop Dad said:


> Excellent work! That should serve you well. Glad you made the reminder sign. :yes:


Yeah..... It serves two purposes.... to seal up that opening, as well as remind me. :yes:

thanks for your kind words.

Fabian


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## dat

looks nice, makes for a lot cleaner shop too


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## tvman44

Good job!


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## dwendt1978

This was a great thread! :thumbsup:


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## MORRIS76

Fine job you did fabricating that enclosure! I plan to do something similar but I'm just going to seal off the bottom with a piece of plywood and have the tube coming out the bottom. For the back I'm going to try some flexible but strong black foam packing material and cut a slot in it for the motor rods to move through. I'm going to try a large shop vacuum first and if it doesn't pull enough air I'll have to hook it up to my dust collector.
Nice work on the angle iron for your outfeed table.
Thanks for taking the time to post the photos.


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## Bob Willing

Fabian

Great job:thumbsup: I have some sheet metal left from my cyclone build and you gave my just the place for the extra metal. I have a General Int contractor saw which looks like your saw.


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## thegrgyle

Thanks for the kind comments. I am happy that others may find what I have done to be useful.





MORRIS76 said:


> Fine job you did fabricating that enclosure! I plan to do something similar but I'm just going to seal off the bottom with a piece of plywood and have the tube coming out the bottom. For the back I'm going to try some flexible but strong black foam packing material and cut a slot in it for the motor rods to move through. I'm going to try a large shop vacuum first and if it doesn't pull enough air I'll have to hook it up to my dust collector.
> Nice work on the angle iron for your outfeed table.
> Thanks for taking the time to post the photos.


As far as the plywood on the bottom, I thought it might be a good idea to angle the bottom to help "guide" the dust into the intake.... It works fairly well. I feared that if it was completely flat, alot of dust would just settle on the flat surface, and not get sucked away. I know the packing material you are speaking of, and I think that stuff might be a good application for this. It is really easy to "slit" it to make room for the various things in the way... I will say this, that the aluminum I had used for the rear of the saw was cut for only vertical movement of the blade.... If I had to tilt the blade at all, I had to remove it... I did try to enclose the back of the saw in this thread, but that is still a work in progress... Unfortunately, I have too many outside projects that are taking my time now. :thumbdown:

Whatever you end up doing, post some pics... It might help someone else with a problem they are doing... :thumbsup:


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## _Ogre

nice setup. 
lot better than my feeble attempt on my craftsman belt drive. 
but the bucket and shield cuts down on the mess 
no dc just a shop vac


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## Kenbo

Nicely done. That should keep the dust down for sure. Fantastic work.


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## toolguy1000

thegrgyle said:


> ...... I used the same foil tape to attach it to the saw, and seal up as much of that as I could......




so how do you perform bevel rips if the rear cover is taped to the saw with that foil tape? or am i missing something?


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## MORRIS76

I may try to build something underneath the saw to direct the flow better than a flat piece of wood. I used this saw for well over 20 years without dust control of any kind and honestly I'd never even heard of dust control. My radial arm saw threw the sawdust right in my face and I did rig up a backstop so most of it went down toward the floor. Right now it's sitting on my patio covered with a tarp. I had to move on to something else to avoid getting tired of working on the saw. I installed one solid cast wing and lifting that and getting the stand on the chassis tired me out. I'm sure many of you know this but these wings can be hard to install but I pick the wing up and put just one bolt in the end hole. Then the wing can be easily raised and the rest of the bolts installed.


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## thegrgyle

toolguy1000 said:


> so how do you perform bevel rips if the rear cover is taped to the saw with that foil tape? or am i missing something?


That is the problem.... I could NOT perform bevel cuts without removing the rear cover. It got to be a real pain to do bevel cuts, so that is when I attempted to box in the rear of the saw in this thread.... It is still a work in progress, that is for sure. My visit to Baileigh's headquarters showed me another way to deal with the DC.... I just have to get around to it.


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## Bob Willing

Fabian

I really like your idea but I can not get myself to lift off my saw top and try it. I have a cast iron top and 3 cast iron extensions. A little difficult to do by myself.


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## thegrgyle

Bob Willing said:


> Fabian
> 
> I really like your idea but I can not get myself to lift off my saw top and try it. I have a cast iron top and 3 cast iron extensions. A little difficult to do by myself.


I just saw this, Bob, and sorry I haven't replied.

I actually wouldn't lift it per se.... I would slide it over, and then set on extension on the workbench, and then with that extension taking some of the weight, I would lift the other end up, and get it up on the work bench, thereby only having to lift roughly HALF the weight.


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## Mad

Bob Willing said:


> I have a cast iron top and 3 cast iron extensions.



How is the third cast iron extension arranged? 


Do you have one wing on the left, and two wings, one after the other, on the right?


Where your wings are doubled in series, have you noticed any deflection at the furthermost cantilevered end?


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## GeorgeC

Mad said:


> How is the third cast iron extension arranged?
> 
> 
> Do you have one wing on the left, and two wings, one after the other, on the right?
> 
> 
> Where your wings are doubled in series, have you noticed any deflection at the furthermost cantilevered end?


Did you notice that this thread is 4 1/2 years old?

George


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## Mad

GeorgeC said:


> Did you notice that this thread is 4 1/2 years old?
> 
> George


 
Yes George. 


And I specifically looked up Bob Willing's profile prior to posting, and saw that he had been active on this forum as recently as yesterday.


And, the OP's (Fabian's) work on his saw was of enough excellence as well as interest to merit a visit back up to the top, so that newer members like Adpostel and myself, who are both currently rebuilding/refurbishing/deploying the exact same type of saw, can review the fine work and execution that other members of this forum have previously shared. Why let it languish in the archives, when it can be instructive and inspiring to new members who have joined in the intervening years?


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## woodnthings

*contracxtor saws are the worst ...*

Trying to collect the dust on a contractor saw, open back exposed motor and mount is an impossible task. As the posts above suggest you need to totally enclose and surround the motor and it's mount allowing for blade tilting which means a rather large box hanging off the rear of the saw. Others have tried with mixed results. 

The benefit of a 'motorized" saw is that the motor is contained within the cabinet, like a cabinet or hybrid saw making it easier to collect the dust.

Now for the physics of saw dust collection on table saws. Unless you keep the sawdust "airborne" until it reaches the dust collection port, it will fall to the shelf or pan because of gravity. A sloped pan as shown above is better than a flat pan or shelf. None the less, it still will not all end up in the collection system. You can keep it airborne by using a huge CFM dust collection system OR you can catch it with a blade enclosure like the new Saw Stop and my older Bosch 4000-09 job site saw uses.

My 12" 5 HP Powermatic cabinet saw had no such blade enclosure, so I made DIY version using sheet metal and soldered a 4" outlet to the back and bottom end. It works pretty well, much better than trying to evacuate a 24" X 30" X 25" empty space with a 4" port at the very bottom. 

I don't know if trying to evacuate a sealed container which doesn't allow cross flow will work very well. Eventually you would create a negative air pressure environment and the thing will try to collapse.... JMO. Additionally, I don't think the DC system likes to have minimum air flow which will overspeed the impeller and motor.... :surprise2: I'm no air flow expert, just common sense tells me that much.

If it were me, and at one time it was me trying to contain and collect the dust from a 1970's contractor saw, having now switched to several motorized saws ganged together I know some things I tried didn't work very well. At best, a plate across the base of the cabinet with a 4 " port and waste gates it what I run now, but doesn't collect it all either. It piles up in the corners where is sits and become gently sloped toward the opening. My hybrid Craftsman uses a blade enclosure of a sort and that seems to work much better. A clever DIY'r could make a blade enclosure from pie pans and covers from cookie can and probably come up with a better way than sealing off the entire cabinet and motor system ... I donno ... I gave up on that concept years ago. :|


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## Mad

Owning a few contractor type belt drive saws with external motors, as well as the motorized direct drive saw, I can definitely see* the disadvantage of the motorized saw when it comes to dust. *


The issue? *Dust gets inside the motor.* Saw dust makes a decent fuel, and electrical motors can make a decent spark inside of them. I could be seeing windmills, but a known good shop practice is to always blow the dust out of electrical motors. This is significantly more difficult to do with "motorized" direct drive saws with encapsulated motors inside the cabinet. I spent a good 45 minutes blowing out my motorized saw, and even a half hour into it, if I angled the blow gun a certain way through a certain vent, I'd be blown away by how much dust was still puffing out of the motor. After 30 minutes of blowing!


On the other hand, the 8" table saw I recently acquired, built in 1950, has a belt driven overhanging motor outside the cabinet, not unlike a contractor saw... and I was just as surprised at how long it took to get all of the dust out of that motor as well. It took about the same amount of time blowing. But access to all the vent holes was much easier... and it seems that a shroud could be fashioned in some way to shield an externally mounted motor from dust, whereas shrouding a direct drive motor is nigh on impossible without impeding clearance in some combination of tilt and rise.


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## Mad

woodnthings said:


> Now for the physics of saw dust collection on table saws... sawdust ... will fall to the shelf or pan because of gravity. A sloped pan... is better than a flat pan or shelf.



Agreed.


I wish I could find the photo I saw online of the amount of dust inside a saw cabinet... layer upon layer upon layer. You could clearly see the strata of different wood the previous operators had cut, based on the subtly different colors evident when the center of the mass of saw dust was carved out for the excavation... not unlike the multi colored strata of rock one sees when driving through a mountain road carved out of a cliff. 


Flat surfaces under table saws make for a geologists or archeologists dream dig as the debris accumulates. Mindful of this, when I built a dust collection system for one of my vintage 8" table saws, I tried as much as possible to keep the bottom as sloped downward as possible, minimizing flat surfaces.


Steep downward slope:










Radiused foam surround stuffed into the saw to stand gap, to block the lower horizontal sheet metal flange from collecting dust:










All bottom surfaces drain downward into 4" collector hole:










4" drain hole connects to smooth radius 4" elbow, which gradually _tapers_ down (not "steps" down) to a 2.5" shop vac size:










Overall view of the saw in question, without a decent fence... rendering the saw useless for the time being:












I am building something similar for the 12" motorized saw (that now has a decent fence). The issue I'm running into is that I built a leg "compression" brace adapted from a recycled oven shelf, since the stock Sears leg stiffeners are really only good in tension, and not structural enough to resist deformation in compression. Well, my shelf interferes with an elbow. So I'm looking at zero clearance 4" port 90 degree clothes dryer vents for a potential solution. Kinda hokie, but I don't want to drill a hole in the grate.


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## ducbsa

Would a register boot like this or a different style be useful?


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## Steve Neul

I don't know about the rest of you but sometimes if I'm only going to make a couple cuts on the saw I don't bother turning the dust collection on. I might do this many times before I do something that warrants turning the dust collection on and by that time there is quite a bit of dust collected in the saw. With the modification the OP had it wouldn't take very many cuts before dust was up in the motor. As well as it was made I think the shoot should have been farther down.


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## woodnthings

*Probably ...*

However, if you could make a shape like that and locate it right under the blade you would have a much better solution... catch the dust at it's source! The blade cover on a radial arm saw is a perfect example as are the ones on sliding miter saws. Table saws just get overlooked in the dust collection department of the design because they have a large cabinet below for the dust to fall down into, but that just doesn't work very well.


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## Bob Willing

This is very old post, I have since bought a contractor SS TS after two accident in two years and losse of two fingertips this old bird finally got smart and bought the SS TS. Others may not agree, but this SS has excellent saw dust collection built in already.


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## JIMMIEM

I found a couple of magazine articles that had some ideas for dust collection on a contractor style table saw. I hung a box off the back to surround the motor.....it also acts as an outfeed table. One article's author put a back on the box that had openings that followed the arc of the motor supports when tilting the blade for bevel cuts. I never finished the back because I found that only a very small amount of dust makes it out the back and it settles on the floor of the box and is easily vacuumed. I also made an over the blade dust collector attachment so I can collect dust from both above and below the table.....both hoses are connected to a DC with a wye. It isn't perfect but gets the majority of the dust.


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## Mad

Steve Neul said:


> sometimes if I'm only going to make a couple cuts on the saw I don't bother turning the dust collection on. I might do this many times before I do something that warrants turning the dust collection on and by that time there is quite a bit of dust collected in the saw. With the modification the OP had it wouldn't take very many cuts before dust was up in the motor. As well as it was made I think the shoot should have been farther down.


 
Sears / Emerson Electric agrees with you, Steve.


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## Mad

Bob Willing said:


> I have since bought a contractor SS TS (Saw Stop Table Saw) after two accident(s) in two years and (the) *loss of two fingertips* .


What happened?

In each case, what happened?

Do you have a post on each of these incidents already, that you can link me to?

If not, are you willing to talk about these incidents now? Sounds like there is much to be learned here, especially for table saw novices like me who can't afford a Saw Stop, and who can't afford to loose fingers either.


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## Bob Willing

I was cutting a piece of oak 1) had the blade too high 2) the piece got stuck and I pushed it without a push stick. At 78 my reflexes are slower and the 1" thick oak gave way and my hand followed a natural path right into the over extended blade. Took the tip of my thumb off (of my left hand) at an angle along with the nail, it took over 3 months to heal, and still no feeling in the tip of my thumb. I have arthritis in my right hand index finger, So how in have a problem butting my shirts. I am left handed. My left index finger ended up similar to my thumb but my memory blanks out the incident. Now 79. In the mean time I had a similar accident with the band saw on my left hand index finger knuckle pushing a piece of wood that was slow to cut and gave way. I now use a push stick at all times and am very careful around my power tools. With my lathe if I drop something I turn off the lathe (don't want my hair getting caught in the lathe). I also use a device to pick up that which I drop, as you get older you have a propensity to drop things.
I guess the moral of the stories is "if you have something get stuck in a saw" turn it off and investigate. This is easy to say bu when you have your mind set on something it is easy to forget.


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## woodnthings

*Simple mistakes, operator errors*



Mad said:


> What happened?
> 
> In each case, what happened?
> 
> Do you have a post on each of these incidents already, that you can link me to?
> 
> If not, are you willing to talk about these incidents now? Sounds like there is much to be learned here, especially for table saw novices like me who can't afford a Saw Stop, and who can't afford to loose fingers either.



I don't want to labor the point as Bob has explained what happen to him in each case. I will say to all beginners and old timers alike: 
NO. 1
The riving knife or splitter belongs on the saw, not in the drawer"
They will prevent a piece of material from closing on the back of the blade, causing you to force it through or causing it to spin up and over, a kickback, either of which is very preventable.

NO.2
Your hand or fingers should NEVER be in direct line with the cutter or blade. They must be off to one side in the event that the material suddenly self feeds or becomes so easy to feed you can't retract them soon enough to avoid getting cut. Also an easily avoidable situation.

NO.3 
The push stick or push block which I prefer, should be on top of the fence or close at hand so when it's needed it's right there to finish the pass all the way past the rear of the blade.

NO.4
NEVER reach over or around the spinning blade for catch a workpiece or cut off. The out feed table which is one of best safety accessories you can make and should be installed on the saw, not in the drawer with the "to do" later list.

NO.5
An extended fence bolted across the face of your miter gauge and tall enough to not get cut through when the blade is raised, is another safety accessory that is a must have. It make pushing both the workpiece and the cut off safely past the blade a one step operation. When the blade stops you can retrieve both pieces OR make a new cut if that's what required.

NO.6
Small cutoffs can be "swatted" forward towards the operator using a small scrap long enough to not get your fingers too close to the spinning blade. I do this most often on the bandsaw where it works like a charm, it's fast and safe.

NO. 7
Take nothing for granted. Fingers and eyes do not grow back. :|
If it sounds like I taught shop safety at one time, you would be correct. I had about 20 Big Ten University college sophomores all women, aged 18 to 20 who had never used a power tools their entire life. It was my job to help them execute their projects and to keep them from losing any fingers. Our worst class mishap was a fingernail that was sanded down to the flesh, no blood and no haz-mat required.


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## Mad

Bob, I am sorry to read of your misfortune, and am thankful you saw fit to share what happened here, because your story will help me and future readers remain vigilantly mindful of the danger of feeding materials through a power tool with one's hands.


When I got my first (Sears) radial arm saw decades ago, I had to read the manual in order to put the darn thing together, it was packed in so many separate pieces inside the box. Well, that manual so strongly emphasized push sticks (even for a RAS) that I was inspired there and then to make four of them, with different angles and shapes to adapt to the material thickness or angle being cut. It is ironic that Sears and Emerson were later sued, and that their radial arm saws became the subject of a massive recall, due to saws made during WWII not having the same best technology blade guard protections as saws made 50 years later in the mid 1990's. My RAS was dated 1983, and I did eventually receive an entirely new blade guard assembly from Emerson, but somehow, Sears got the message across to me from the very beginning... as push sticks became inculcated into my habits, despite a 30 year gap between working with powertools as a young man, and now again working with powertools as a recent retiree.


Yet, as an older person now, a new dimension now enters into the risk picture, one that you help remind me of, and really, all the world reading, for as long as this archive remains accessible. I may not be able to afford a Saw Stop, but I can afford to take more time to be careful with using the same basic safety approaches that have been established long before modern Saw Stop technology was invented. It really helped me to be reminded of how Oak is not the same cutting experience as the Doug fir, larch, and mirch that I typically have cut as a typical homeowner doing improvements around the house. And to always, always, always keep using those push sticks.


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## Mad

woodnthings said:


> NO.6 * Small cutoffs can be "swatted" forward towards the operator* using a small scrap long enough to not get your fingers too close...


This was the only point I had trouble understanding. Can you please explain more... perhaps with a photo or two? 


Once seen, I'd probably instantly recognize what you are talking about as common sense, but generally speaking I tend to be too literal in language interpretation, and thus get a little lost sometimes with words alone.


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## Maylar

He means when there's a piece of cutoff on the table don't kick it away with your hand. Instead use your pushstick or some other wooden object to move it out of the way.


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## Mad

Thanks Maylar. That makes complete sense, and I knew it would be obvious to me once I understood what was being said. For some reason I thought Bill had typed "squatted" out of the way, but that makes no sense, and I must have been bleary eyed when I read it, even though the q and the w are adjacent to each other on the keyboard.


Thanks for patiently explaining! I always use a stick to remove small pieces that sometimes "linger" between the blade and the fence. Or I will shut the saw off, or crank down the arbor, or all three.


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## adpostel

Mad said:


> Yes George.
> 
> 
> And I specifically looked up Bob Willing's profile prior to posting, and saw that he had been active on this forum as recently as yesterday.
> 
> 
> And, the OP's (Fabian's) work on his saw was of enough excellence as well as interest to merit a visit back up to the top, so that newer members like Adpostel and myself, who are both currently rebuilding/refurbishing/deploying the exact same type of saw, can review the fine work and execution that other members of this forum have previously shared. Why let it languish in the archives, when it can be instructive and inspiring to new members who have joined in the intervening years?


Haha, aaaannnd what do ya know, here I am.... Good looking out, Mad.....


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## adpostel

Wow, very useful information here. I am a new table saw user, as well. I just picked up an older Craftsman table saw off CL a couple weeks ago. Thanks to this forum, the first things I purchased for the saw were ALL safety items. 

Machined Pulleys and link belt
New Paddle stop switch
Micro Jig Splitter kit
Micro Jig Grr 100 push blocks
Magnetic featherboard
New zero clearance insert

I have the Okie Doke from the wife to buy a new SawStop if I "really get into the hobby" I just thought I'd see how much I use the Craftsman for now, and if I find myself using it more and more, I will 100% purchase a SawStop. I just found out my boys want to take their middle school woodshop class a little further, so if they start using the TS, we will 100% be purchasing a SawStop. No amount of money can replace a finger or hand, etc..... 

Thank you Bob for sharing your story, and thank you woodnthings for always helping out on this forum, I have read several of your posts. Much appreciated.


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## Toolman50

*Sawdust collection*

My sawdust box for my Delta helps but it’s nothing as elaborate as the designs above. I don’t have a dust collection system. I have a Shop Vac and this drawer on my table saw.


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## Maylar

My Craftsman has served me well for almost 35 years. For dust collection I have a bag that hangs under the stand, with a shop vac port on it. Don't remember where I bought it. Had to seal the cabinet as best I could. Not as slick as the OP's solution but it's way better than nothing. Shop vac is on a remote with key fob, which keeps me from having to use the vac's switch.


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## adpostel

I have a bag that hangs under mine, as well. Looks like this. Not sure how good it works, as I just got this saw. But here's a pic.


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## Bob Willing

Maylar said:


> My Craftsman has served me well for almost 35 years. For dust collection I have a bag that hangs under the stand, with a shop vac port on it. Don't remember where I bought it. Had to seal the cabinet as best I could. Not as slick as the OP's solution but it's way better than nothing. Shop vac is on a remote with key fob, which keeps me from having to use the vac's switch.


I was noticing your vacuum system. I tried the HD pail but had to switch to another pail because the HD pail started to collapse also had to reinforce the cover. I am using a cheap Chinese knock off of an Onida. I think I paid less than $30.00 for it on one of the ads that pop up on one of my sites. Amazon also sell it very reasonable.


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## Mad

Maylar... what is the purpose of those parallel bars that you have zip tied to the rib intersections underneath your open cast iron grate?


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## Maylar

Mad said:


> Maylar... what is the purpose of those parallel bars that you have zip tied to the rib intersections underneath your open cast iron grate?


They're supports for my outfeed table. They're also used as a spot to hang my crosscut sled. I'm redoing that now using metal brackets screwed to the extensions instead of the lame zip ties.


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## Mad

Nice Maylar.


I'd like to have some kind of hinged outfeed table that permanently lived on the saw I'm building, and that was quickly deployable and dispatchable, without having to mount and store it separately. I'd also like it to not interfere with the blade guard and splitter assembly. This is where I'm thankful to not have a motor hanging outside of the saw cabinet in the way. Still, the challenge of building and supporting a portable outfeed table appears daunting... and a never ending quest for improvement.


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## Maylar

Yeah the motor is a problem with these contractors' saws. I don't have room for a permanently attached table, so my solution is a removable one with folding legs that gets stored against a wall. I've started using a splitter after many years of not, and need to modify the outfeed table to accommodate that.


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