Craftsman Table Saw - Model 113.27520

james f beck

Member
Messages
2
i need to replace the insert on my Craftsman table saw. it's an old saw, inherited from my dad. i need a zero clearance insert (ZCI) and i want to add a splitter (i already have the splitter - a nice little unit from Micro Jig). My problem - the current insert is pretty thin - around 1/8" aluminum. the replacements i've seen are thicker - so i need to know if i can either buy a thin one that will fit - or if i can router out the after market ones down to 1/8"
 
Craftsman Table Saw - replacement insert

Thanks. i like the hobby shop idea - i'll give that a try. i'm concerned if i use plywood or some other wood and i router the edge down to 1/8", it won't hold up. i may be able to find a piece of plastic or some other material that'll work better.
 
We have a place here in town called "Tap Plastics" that sells plexiglas and other types of plastic. I get the white cutting board type plastic and use that. I made a master insert and use that with a flush cutting bit to clean up the inserts after roughing them out on the band saw. They have a scrap bin and sell it for $1.00/lb.
 
Why not use thicker material and simply rabbet the edges so the plate sits into the throat, 'hanging' deeper into the opening than the original?

I had a saw like that. I tried thin material (not metal) and had trouble with sagging and staying in place. Then I used 1/2" BB plywood and rabbeted it in.
 
My Dad used to use thin material & glue a stiffener on the under side.

I used 1/2" thick material & rabbeted the edges all the way around & ran a groove where the blade went through the same depth as the edges. This gave clearance for the ZCI to set fully down into the table before the blade was rolled up through it. I have used good quality plywood as well as cutting board material I got at Ace Hardware I made several ZCI out of that material it cost around $3 per ZCI.
 
Thanks Bart for giving me the solution to a problem I've been thinking about.

I bought some inserts for my saw when they were on sale, but I can't use them yet because when I put them on, they wont go down all the way due to the blade.

I think I'll just mark the location of the blade on them and use my router table to take a little off so they can sit all the way down before I go ahead and raise the blade through them....


My Dad used to use thin material & glue a stiffener on the under side.

I used 1/2" thick material & rabbeted the edges all the way around & ran a groove where the blade went through the same depth as the edges. This gave clearance for the ZCI to set fully down into the table before the blade was rolled up through it. I have used good quality plywood as well as cutting board material I got at Ace Hardware I made several ZCI out of that material it cost around $3 per ZCI.
 
...I bought some inserts for my saw when they were on sale, but I can't use them yet because when I put them on, they wont go down all the way due to the blade.

I think I'll just mark the location of the blade on them and use my router table to take a little off so they can sit all the way down before I go ahead and raise the blade through them....

Brent,
Just put a blade from your circular saw in the TS, and raise that thru the insert, then change back to your regular 10" blade. One of the outside blades from your dado set will also work.
 
When I had a saw like that (3/32" thick actually) I would use 1/4" melamine or surplus Pergo bought on the cheap and route a rabbet around the shaped insert then glue a block of hardwood under where the MJ Splitter holes got drilled.
 
The reason I put the groove in is because this allowed me to use the blade & insert as a pair & the blade & kerf match exactly. I marked the insert & blade with a number using a sharpy. A glue line rip blade is way different than a thin kerf blade.
 
Top