Making Your Tablesaw Exactly What You Need It To Be

Many times we purchase a power tool that we can afford but this may not be the specific tool we require for our specific purpose. This isn’t always a negative thing though. The unavailability of access can often bring about more creative and innovative solutions which can at times prove to be even better than anything that is currently commercially available. Today, we will look at a few options to make your budget table see everything you need it to be.

Extended Tables and Rail System

A great local alternative for this is the SawStop rail and extended table systems. Although they may be slightly higher priced, the quality sure does speak for itself. The added stability found in installing one of these assemblies will make handling larger boards and panels a complete breeze.

Jessem Clear-Cut TS™ Stock Guides

The Clear-Cut TS™ Stock Guides for your table saw offer superior control of your work achieving safer, smoother, and more precise cuts with your work held securely in position. These stock guides are very easy and fast to install with the ability to be tucked away when no longer needed. The Jessem Clear-Cut TS Stock Guides feature “grip force” urethane rollers that hold your stock in position securely. The unique rollers are minted on a 5° angle effectively steering your stock towards your fence. This angle causes the roller to hold with more force if the wood tries to move against the direction of the feed. The guides have 3-1/8″ of total vertical travel and can accommodate a maximum stock thickness of 13/16″ above the mounting surface when mounted to the t-track. These Jessem Clear-Cut TS Stock Guides allow you to have complete control of your stock even when routing wide boards or large panels. The dual action of the guides will pull your work tight to the fence. Although these stock guides may not be the ideal and effective solution on most portable table saws, these are your contractor or cabinet saw’s best friends. 

Zero Clearance Inserts

One of the very FIRST things you should do to improve any table saw is to upgrade to a zero-clearance insert. Most factory inserts provide a wide gap for the blade that can accommodate not only 90-degree cuts but also bevels from 0-90. But if you want cleaner results and less chance of off-cuts getting wedged between the blade and insert, you want to close that gap. You can usually find pre-made zero-clearance inserts for just about everyone saw on the market or you can make your own. Tools4 chose to stock a zero clearance system of sorts made by a company called Leecraft. Instead of buying a new full insert for every common operation at the saw, Leecraft offers a simple plate that accepts smaller/cheaper inserts. The little inserts slide along a dovetail track and provide the needed zero clearance for any operation. In the long run, this should end up being cheaper than traditional zero-clearance inserts.

Sacrificial Fences

To get the most out of a table saw, you’ll need to make some sacrificial/auxiliary fences. These fences can be clamped to the primary fence for things like rabbets with a dado stack and raised panels. If you happen to have an aluminum extrusion fence, it’s incredibly easy to attach and remove any kind of fence you could need. Using hardware that engages with the t-slots you can get a good secure attachment without having clunky clamps in the way.