Question about Table for my RAS

Brent Dowell

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[Reposted from OWWM]

I've recently inherited an old Red Star Multiplex 40-a 12" Radial Arm Saw. This saw was my FIL and it's in pretty good condition. Motor runs good, everything is tight and slides smoothly.

The problem I have is that I need to build a new cabinet and table for it in order to fit it into my shop. I have ordered the "Mr Sawdust" book, but I'm not finding much help online on how to actually build a table for the saw. Specifically how to build the table to enable the 'clamping' of the fence. There's really nothing integral to the saw to enable doing that. I've got a few ideas on what I might be able to do but didn't want to re-invent the wheel. The way the current table was done is a little funky, and I'd rather have something that doesn't require reaching behind the saw to adjust.

I've seen a few threads on how to actually build the table, but nothing ever directly address how to clamp the pieces of the table together.

If anyone here could point me in the right direction, that would be great!

Thanks!

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I'll have to ask my dad to verify, but it seems his had the fence built into the adjoining cabinets, which were about 6' on each side, but the bed piece on the saw was not attached. This way he could replace that piece as needed and the fences on each side were one piece when he started and were aligned to one another. When the fence got too cut up, he'd replace the whole thing again with a solid 12' - 14' piece.

Will let you know...
 
I'll tell you what, the folks over on OWWM are pretty quick about things.

From what I can tell, the way the table and fence on the saw were assembled was a bit of a creatively jury rigged affair. I can take pictures later, but it wasn't very solid, or how shall I say, well engineered? It worked, but I'd like something a little better.

What I need to do is get a few pieces of solid bar stock and manufacture a couple of these things.

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The table sits on this, and the thumbscrew at the back will press the sliding back table up against the fence to hold it tight...
 

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This would be why I didn't see any way to mount the fence. Originally, it was held in places by wedges....
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Lotta good guys over at OWWM. :thumb:

One of them posted some shots of his table and had something like that. Another guy suggested using toggle clamps instead. Torn between the two ideas. I don't really think I'll be messing with it that much to make the toggles worth it...
 
See if you can find a Craftsman RAS & take a look at how its system works. They have a threaded piece that dropped into a hole with a threaded rod with a pad like a c-clamp that was threaded that tightened from behind the fence to push & clamp the table top pieces up against the back side of the fence. I have both a 10" & a 12" from the 60's.
 
Made a little progress on the cabs today. Got the upper cabs manufactured. Will get them installed sometime tomorrow...

Nothing fancy, just ply boxes with ply 3/8 ply backs. Got a little shelf pin drilling jig the other day and drilled holes in them all for adjustable height shelves.


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My saw has the clamping rails with thumb screws already mounted on the base. Can take a picture but until Monday. Still consumed with Christmas stuf.

I wonder why RAS tables were made of multiple pieces of wood?
 
OK. That makes sense.

Also, Brent, my table rails are adjustable, not the solid bar you drew. FWIW. The adjustability is to make the depth of cut (for dados and rabbets) the same for travel from back to front. Critical, for my application.
 
OK. That makes sense.

Also, Brent, my table rails are adjustable, not the solid bar you drew. FWIW. The adjustability is to make the depth of cut (for dados and rabbets) the same for travel from back to front. Critical, for my application.

Yeah, there is a lot of tuning up that will need to be done.

I ordered the 'Mr. Sawdust' book on Radial Arm Saws. It comes highly recommended.

I left out all of the holes and such that would need to be in the bar for attaching to the saw and adjusting the table. I figure once I get his book, a lot more will become clear to me on how to build the table, attach it, and zero it out so that all of the cuts are accurate.
 
My saw has the clamping rails with thumb screws already mounted on the base. Can take a picture but until Monday. Still consumed with Christmas stuf.

I wonder why RAS tables were made of multiple pieces of wood?

When ripping, you could move the fence to the very back and get wider rips. I have a Crapsman and can rip 26" but it's kinda scary. You need out board tables or extra people. The few times I needed that I rough cut with a circular saw and finished ripping on the RAS. I now have a table saw, actually three, but that's another story. Still use the RAS for cross cuts.
 
Yeah, many years ago I built a cabinet using my dads RAS. Used it to do some rip cuts. It worked fine, but I'm not sure I knew enough about tool to have been properly scared...

I ripped full sheets of ply on that puppy :eek: I don't recall having any problems, and I've still got that cabinet to this day, but it's about to go into the junk heap...

Anyway, I've got it figured out how to make the table and I've got the materials to make it with. Just need to put it together. :thumb:
 
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