Craftsman TS and new extension rails

Mike Grimm

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So, I have a Craftsman TS, has a nice heavy cast iron top on it, but when I got it, the thing was missing some parts and the legs for it didn't have an option to add casters to it, so I built a rolling cart for it. I'm thinking I want to build a new larger cabinet, that will hold the TS and a router table down on the end and be big enough to accommodate sheet goods. My question is, how hard is it to add aftermarket rails and fence to something like this?

Should I buy the rails first and build the rest of the cabinet around them or does that not really matter so much?

I have some router table plans that I'll likely modify to make work with this set up, so thats not a huge deal, just wondering about the extension rails mostly.
 
Mike, in my limited experience, it's pretty easy to change the rails on a tablesaw. Personally, I think I'd want the new rails before building a cabinet. That way you can be sure the two components will work together.
 
Buy the rails first. For a contractor's saw, the Biesemeyer "Home Shop" fence is a nice choice. I had one on my old Craftsman for many years. (Have the Shop Fox cabinet saw now).

For a cabinet, Woodsmith magazine had a very nice one about twenty years ago. It was in Issue No. 47.

I built that cabinet, and used it with a Hitachi router in the right wing. It was a very good combo.
 
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Rails first makes the most sense. I'm guessing there must be something on the fence that makes it adjustable as far at table depth goes? Clearly those can't all be universal so there must be a way to adjust the underside of the fence so that it can clamp/fit over the rear rail somehow. I think this is a valid excuse to go down to the local wood store and spend some time looking around at things :)
 
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