I decided to start working on the feed tables for the tablesaw today.
I went out to the shop and got 2 critical measurements: the height of the tablesaw’s surface, and the thickness of the closet doors. With those in hand, I got the parts put together in SketchUp, and realized that I was going to need 12 boards (of 8′ each, nearly 100 board-feet) to do the legs for the 4 tables. The main source of extra boardage was the legs themselves; instead of ~30″, they are all more like 37″, and with 16 of them to build, that adds up. I also added in some extra “strut” pieces, and that added some, too.
I went to Home Depot and they had 2x3x8 (I decided on 2x3s because they are nearly as burly as 2x4s but don’t weigh as much) on sale for $1.70 per. I bought 3 extras, just in case. I figure the next time I’m doing a project that needs dimensional lumber, it would be nice to start having 2x3s on hand instead of 2x4s. I’m going to use some of the cross dowels from the CNC build to anchor the legs, so I bought some 2 1/2″ bolts to attach the legs.
My plan is to make the tables with folding legs, so that when I’m not using them, they can be stored flat.
With lumber on hand and the cut diagram loaded up, I decided to start getting the parts cut out. First order of business was to take all the “door” hardware off the tabletops. Then I measured to get the exact width I needed. I set the table saw fence (first time I’ve used it), and knocked out all the 21″ cuts (to go with the 24″ tables) that I needed. There are several cuts (the legs in particular) that are longer than the fence will do, so having a feed table available to clamp a stop block to will come in handy. I got the twelve 21″ pieces cut out (6 per 24″ table), and sort of winged it with the legs; I was doing it caveman style cutting to pencil lines, but I was able to get 4 legs to within about 1/16″ of each other in length, so I’m pretty impressed.
Working with the tablesaw is a new challenge. There is a lot of paying attention that needs to happen, and I don’t quite have the body position dance down yet. But, I got all the cuts made without too many exciting moments. The saw needs a little tuneup; a new blade, soap in the miter channels, a new zero-clearance insert, a new slot cut in the cross sled. But it did the job.
Tomorrow, I’ll be ready to glue and screw the leg assemblies for the first table, and then I’m ready to start cutting legs. I have all the pieces (minus legs) for a second table, too, at which point I’ll be rockin’. With a little more elbow grease, I will be able to call the table saw ready for action.
In other CNC news, the new Z-rail showed up today, and I determined that 59″ is a hard limit on the Y axis, at least on the top rail. So I’ll have to figure out how to chop an inch off the aluminum angle. sigh.
Tomorrow is going to start off on the drill press. I need to get the leg holes measured and drilled, and I’m hoping to get the rail holes drilled tomorrow too. We’ll see how that goes.
I’m making progress, but the whole project still feels “big”. Onward.