What you don't see are the two dividers that went in the middle and the sheathing that went on the side closest and farthest from us.
I made an effort to keep the treated wood away from where the inmates were likely to chew. That is why you see two colors of wood: White, untreated wood and darker, treated wood. The "floor" is at 36" and the top of the header is 19" above that.
Table saws
I purchased a used table saw at an auction for $82 this summer. It is my first real experience with a table saw.
My dad had one and it weighed a ton. The one I bought is a Craftsman and it is on roller-casters.
What a work-horse!
I am unreasonably proud of the fact that I used it to cut dadoes (wide slots) in the middle studs to slide the dividers into. There is a special blade you can buy to cut dadoes but I used the expedient of cutting shallow kerfs down the length of the 2-by-4 that were 1/8" apart and scraping out the feathers.
I actually had the presence of mind to set the fence, make one cut and then swap the board end-for-end and cut the mirror-image kerf without resetting the fence. That "cracking" sound is from the bones in my arm cracking as I pat myself on the back.
Summary
Table saws take up a lot of floor space but can do a tremendous amount of precision work if the user pays attention.
They can also cause bloodshed and mayhem in less than a blink of the eye. Consequently, the user can't be in a hurry or be distracted.
I have a pulley and slig that lets me pull my table saw up to the ceiling of the garage when not in use....One pully above where the saw resides, another at the wall for me to pull down. and a couple of nails to wrap the rope around.
ReplyDeleteThis way, the saw is out of the way near the ceiling when I am not needing it, but is easily powered and ready for use when I do need to use it.
Otherwise it becomes a table to stack stuff on until I need do need the saw, then it takes 15 minutes to put all the things that are sitting upon it away......
Cool. Same thing happens to my saw.
DeleteMine goes under a shelf in the basement workroom in the winter and in the garage in the summer for the projects.
DeleteYou 're going to need to make a step up platform for the wee ones to enjoy the bunnies.
ReplyDeletewhen selecting wire for the outside, you want coarse enough mesh so nom-noms can be pushed in., but tight enough weave so new baby bunnies can make a big escape.
"cannot" make a big escape
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a wee lad about 70 years ago, my dad had a Craftsman table saw on a wooden roll around box, that I could walk under the wings of, in our basement.
ReplyDeleteI bought a tabletop portable saw, but was promised that I would get that saw on his passing.
He passed, but his widow told me the saw had been stolen.
I found one similar to it online and bought it for $100.
Someone had mounted it on a sturdy hand truck (for portability) that I would have given $100 alone for. I mounted it on a roll around cart and love it. And I have the hand truck :)
Then my dad's spouse passed and I discovered she had lied to me. He had also promised me his radial arm saw, which was there also. I passed on both and pretend I'm still using my dad's original Craftsman saw as it is identical.
Not much use for a radial and not a lot of real estate for it either.
Enjoy! And watch your finger tips! My brother had to have his re-attached after an incident with a moulding cutter.
If possible, don't stand in the kickback impact zone while using the saw.
ReplyDeleteThe usual suggestions of eye and ear protection apply.
We are still using our Ryobi tablesaw, but as said above it's mostly a flat space to store stuff upon.
A table saw is a must for projects............
ReplyDeleteSurprised you've gone this long without one
I have a used Delta these days, it's on rollers (they fold out of the way) so I can store it next to the work bench (which is the same height as the table saw...on purpose) when I'm not using it.
ReplyDeleteI built a table for the miter saw that put's the saw's table height the same as the work bench also....
Been using table saws everyday for 40 years, still have my fingers.
ReplyDeleteSome luck, some skill, and a lot of listening to that internal voice saying "this feels sketchy".
Much "safety"advice seems to consist of "ears and eyes, unplug when servicing and be sure to use all the guards" is effective.
IMO, the most important thing is think about force vectors. Which way does the tool push, and which way is the operator pushing?
Never try to control the stock, on the outfeed side of the blade.
Any kickback will pull your hand along with it.
"Also known as never reach behind the blade." Slightly disingenuous, I do it all the time to move a cut off, but NOT when the stock is engaged with the blade.
This also applies to pieces of smaller plywood, as a kickback will pivot the wood on the trailing edge at the fence. The blade will pull the wood away from the fence on the leading edge, describe an arc on the stock as it pivots, putting a hand "safely" a foot away from the blade, right into the teeth.
Five more pages to write on this, but I will not bore you all.
Unless requested.
On advice, I took advantage of a sale and got a Metabo HPT job site table saw at half price. It folds up to a foot print similar to a two wheel hand truck, yet when set up is like a work shop saw in quality. Sure beat the saw in a plastic box table saw I'd been using up to then.
ReplyDeleteMeasure at least twice BEFORE you cut... :-)
ReplyDeleteThe local lumberyard has a sign "Measure once, cuss twice."
DeleteI wouldn't want to do a bunch of 3/4" or 1" dadoes this way, but check the width of your blade - it probably cuts a 1/8" kerf. Make one cut, producing a 1/8" kerf; put a 1/8" thick board against the fence, cut again. Lather, rinse, repeat to get the dado width you want. You've already figured out the "flip the board" thing, kerf-width spacers are a fast way to get narrow dadoes - 1/4" - 1/2" - without a dado blade. Also works for rabbets.
ReplyDeleteAlways use the pushers and the safety tools. I lost a part of my left hand on a tablesaw. You only need to fuck up once
ReplyDeleteMake sure that the fence is adjusted accurately and use a good sharp carbide blade. Always work safely. I've been using a table saw for 50 years, and still have all 10 of my thumbs.
ReplyDelete