Author Topic: 7 1/4" Table Saw  (Read 3541 times)

Offline cfellows

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7 1/4" Table Saw
« on: July 13, 2017, 10:52:42 PM »
For those of you that would like to have a small, precise table saw, this tile saw from Harbor Freight makes a decent start:



I bought my version of the saw 5 or 6 years ago and the motor/blade adapter was set up for a 1" saw blade.  The shaft on the motor is 1/2" so I made a new adapter to accommodate blades with a 5/8" hole.  Here are some pictures of my saw with the table removed:



And with the blade guard removed (I recommend keeping the blade guard on for safety reasons):



I had originally planned to modify the saw with a sliding cross-cut table.  With the factory table removed, the saw lends itself to such a design and  provides the maximum cross-cut thickness capacity.  But it also increases the complexity of a ripping capability so I abandoned that idea.



Instead, I decided to retain the original steel table as it is exactly square to the blade and also very thin, which increases the thickness of material that can be cut.  With a 7 1/4" blade, the saw will rip material up to 1 3/8" thick.  The motor turns at around 3600 RPM, is very quiet, and seems to have plenty of power.  I installed a 60 tooth carbide blade which gives a really smooth cuts.  I made a wooden T-square fence for ripping and attached a slotted aluminum extrusion for securing the fence in position.  I also made a saw sled for cross cutting.  The bed of the sled is 3/8" thick MDF so I can cross cut material up to 1" thick.  The sled is guided by two UHMW plastic runners, one on each side of the table.  The table edges are sufficiently parallel that the table slides the full length without binding, but is tight enough that there is no slop. 

Here's a couple more pictures of the saw set up ready to go.





The only downside of the saw is the blade height is not adjustable.  You can make angled cuts by tilting he table but I don't expect to ever use that feature.  As you can see in the pictures, I also have a Dewalt 745 10-inch job site saw, but it's really noisy and not as accurate as my little modified saw.

Chuck

Offline vtsteam

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Re: 7 1/4" Table Saw
« Reply #1 on: July 14, 2017, 09:24:00 AM »
I like what you've done, Chuck! :thumbup:

Unfortunately, can't see it in its whole because of the sliders imposed when forum photos exceed 800 pixels in width.
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg

Offline cfellows

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Re: 7 1/4" Table Saw
« Reply #2 on: July 14, 2017, 12:53:09 PM »
If you right click on the image, you can select and copy image address, paste into your browser address, hit enter and see the image directly from the imgur.com website.

Offline vtsteam

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Re: 7 1/4" Table Saw
« Reply #3 on: July 14, 2017, 06:07:03 PM »
Thanks cfellows, I know. I was trying to gently suggest you follow the 800 pixel max convention when posting here on the forum.  :beer:
I love it when a Plan B comes together!
Steve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sDubB0-REg