Has anyone ever tried to mount a circular saw to a table upside down and create a temporary table saw? I am not sure I really want to buy a table saw since I would really only use it only occasionally for rip cutting (not precision work) and I have a small shop by necessity (in my 2 car garage with 2 cars). I was thinking about just mounting it to the underside of a piece of plywood inset into my bench, sort of like a router table and would wire up a remote switch to turn it on-off.
-Richard
Replies
I've seen these both shop-made and commercially bought Richard. I can do as well as most of them with a flat surface, a straight-edge, a couple of C-clamps, and a circular saw with a good blade. 'Course, it sometimes takes a little thinking through to set-up a cut and the results aren't suitable for cabinetry; but, it's good enough for decks and porches.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Richard,
I have an old Porter-Cable circ saw that the trigger sticks like crazy on. I did just what your talkin' about. I pulled the stage off it and screwed it to the bottom of a piece of particle board. Works great.
You lose depth-of-cut by whatever thickness of material you mount it to but that ain't that big of a deal. Good idea if you don't have yur table saw handy.
-Sawdaddy
I had a bad experience doing the sidewinder to table saw conversion. My first mistake was using a cheap saw (homeowner-grade Sears, I think). It didn't clear the sawdust well and fried itself. If you need an occasional use table saw and have a few extra bucks, the little Makita (and there are others) 8" or 8 1/2" is really handy and can do a lot of work. I just feed mine 7 1/4" throwaway thin kerf blades and it handles 2" lumber just fine, if a little slow (compared to a 5 horse Powermatic). They run about $300 plus.
But, as was mentioned before, with a little practice with a circular saw in its conventional configuration, you can do a lot of different things.Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a piece of chalk and cut it with an axe.
Mounting a saw to plywood works just fine for simple cuts. It's especially good for narrow rips that you couldn't easily do holding the saw. My usual way is to use 1/2" or 3/4" ply, about 15"x20". Take the saw and drill a 3/16" hole near each corner of the shoe. Raise the blade all the way up to make mounting the saw easier. Use 4 #10 pan head screws, and mount it so the blade is near the center.Once it's SECURELY fastened CAREFULLY plunge the blade thru. To keep the trigger on use an electricians tie wrap or some tape but UNPLUG the saw first. Now turn it over and fasten the ply to a bench or some saw horses. For a rip fence, just screw down a straight strip of wood wherever you need it, just make sure it's parallel to the blade. Just remember to BE CAREFUL, you've created a saw with no guard and a makeshift on / off switch. I wouldn't want your next question to be about how to work with only two fingers!
I`m really a bit taken back to see such positive responses and reinforcement to such POOR practice. After reading the initial post a few days back, I didn`t bother with a response, as I felt no one is going to "OK" this idea. In all my years in this industry I`ve never seen even the greenest of "craftsmen" attempt such a ludicrous notion.
NO, it is not safe! NO, it will not suffice in a pinch. Either break the bank and get yourself an inexpensive table mounted table saw or spend some time working on your "hand ripping" capabilities with the circular saw. But DO NOT by any means move forward with this idea! J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
Jaybird...I agree. You're a man of wisdom! When I tried it, I was green and stupid and, in retrospect, was lucky my saw burned up.Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with a piece of chalk and cut it with an axe.
I agree that it would be very foolish to try this. In a 'pinch' ? That pinch could cost an eye or finger(s). Stupid idea. Go out ahd buy a $150 Crapsman if your that cheap.
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE
Ken Hill- Old One-Eye
If you're going to do a lot of narrow rips, how about this: Attach a guide block to the base plate of the saw, sort of like a fence, to give you the right dimension. Then use the saw hand held and right side up, the way it was designed to work. Wouldn't that be both safer and easier?
-- J.S.
Man, how low can this conversation go. This thread would have been blown out of the water 3 months ago and now we have folks responding like this is a good idea. I can think of about 10 things that could happen with this device and none of them are good or safe. Come on guys, this is supposed to be Fine Homebuilding, not get by with anything that might work. DanT
John-
Guide block works, too. Also a rip fence. Also clamped on rip guides. There's a bunch of methods to get a lot out of a wormdrive or a sidewinder- operating a saw upside down is not one of them. I've done some fairly accurate casework with my old Makita hypoid, just took the time and jigs and figgerin' to do it.
Ken Hill
A spinning blade is a spinning blade. If you want to hold the motor, or hold the work, who gives a poop? No, I've never done this, I have a portable(in fact a few) and I have a unisaw in the shop, so I've never "needed" this set-up, but I also have never had a guard on one either. They've all been removed so that "the camera can more clearly show what cut "I'm making. Mount it anyway you want! This is America, and you have the right to do whatever you want to your own body.
I did this once way back, a hose clamp held the trigger on, and turned it on an off with the rocker switch on one of those power strips. Used a "clamp-n-tool" guide as a fence. Worked o.k. no tilt.
No argument about the right to self mutilation among other rights. I agree that its ok to do as you wish. Doesn't change my opinion which is another right I am for. DanT
About 3 yrs ago I bought a $100 ProTech saw from Lowes. 10". Came with a remarkably nice blade. I use it for job sites, and have a decent contractors saw in the garage. It's safe and convenient and almost disposable. Considering the amoiunt of hillbilly engineering you would have to do to mount your circular to a piece of plywood, this is a bargain. There have been tool reviews in FHB in the past on these portable saws, some of them are expensive, and they don't recommend the cheapies like I have, but you'll never convince me that that $100 wasn't a reasonable decision.
John - Your method sounds like it'd work, basicly your creating a rip fence. Many saws come with one that fastens to the base. You ask if this would be safer and easier and I guess it boils down to what your comfortable with. I've got a nice cabinet saw, and a 10" makita, and I've been on the job without either and have had to make due. The setup I describe takes 10 minutes to make. For me I like it because it's stable, the blades stationary, the top is, the fence is, and so all my concentration is on the cut.
My opinion is that you can hurt yourself very badly even with a good table saw. I have a huge line on my thumb to remind me of that. Tried to cut a small piece of wood on a Bosch portable table saw and nearly lost that thumb. Met a guy who had his middle finger sewn onto his thumb area because of a good table saw kicking back. Another more recent person cut off four fingers which they couldn't put back on. He had been a good careful carpenter for many years. Alas no more. Accidents happen all the time with these powerful tools. My opinion is either spend the money on a table saw of some kind or buy a circular saw like a porter cable or skil or makita and a little fence that fits along the side of it. You will probably use the table saw more than you think though. Many projects come up where you need a fine line in a piece of plywood or a board 1 and a half by 3 inches and need to rip.
Save fingers for better things than lying on the ground of your shop.
A few companies made table for this purpose. Hirsh comes to mind. It wouldn't be my first choice for a table saw, but for a few cuts i mights do it. However, you will be a million times happier if you take $100 to your local home depot or Lowes and buy a damn table saw. A cheap delta or such. Will beat the heck out of any conversion you can make.
Can't I go 1 day without spilling my coffee?
Re: circular saw turned table saw...
I have done this several times. It is completely safe, if you do it right. The dangers that exist, exist for any table saw. Don't be put off by the "You're gonna poke your eye out!" crowd. They must think everyone is too stupid to do it safely.
There are several videos and other articles that exist that will show you how to do it. Just use common sense and make sure the saw is securely fastened by whichever method you use. I use clamps, and I tighten them after every use. You do not want the saw to move, or worse, fall out. I also keep the plug right next to me in case I need to shut it off quickly. I have never had a problem though.
No Chicken-Little Here!
Still ... why re-invent the wheel?
I mean, you can buy a table saw at Harbor Freight for $129. With a simple sheet of decent plywood going for $40 or so ... I bet anything you make will be less good and more expensive.
So: What matters most in a table saw? The best saw in the world is useless without a good fence. Then you need a much larger table - and work area- than the tool itself provides. Do you really think you are the first to face this challenge?
That's why the 'track saws' are so successful. Some systems are more elaborate than others, but all seek to provide you with table saw capabilities without making you lug a big saw around.
Face it: An exposed blade with you pushing a board into it is more dangerous than a protected blade being pushed away from you.
For me ... it's either "Sawstopper" or Festo. Pick your method.
There is an advantage to the DIY table saw in that one can make the table as large as needed. Also, the cheapie table saws tend to be under-powered. And often you can make a better fence than the one on a cheapie TS.