Best Setup

Dennis Allen

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10
Hello,
I purchased a new cabinet saw today. I wish to incorporate a router wing on the right side, as there is a motor housing on the left side. I want the entire thing to be mobile. I don't want to do this twice and would appreciate your combined expert input. The saw will be fitted with a 52 inch rail INCRA positioner.
Thanks!
Dennis
 
build the cabinet to include the saw and the router as a single unit.. on my saw i dont have the router on the right or left but i do have the saw raised up a little which would allow for casters if i wanted them.. so you can do the same.
 
Thank you for the advise. I did not purchase a mobile base for the saw. I plan to weld together a 2x2 inch square tube frame to put casters on with a lift to move it about. I am unsure as to the best left and right location of the fence and thusly the supporting frame below. I would much prefer the router on the left, to work around the table, but the motor housing is in the way. I have no experience with the INCRA device, but I would like to optimize it's usefullness in this build. And need guidance.
Regards,
Dennis
 
check out a earlier post by paul douglass on a incra fence setup.. there is a guy named alan bienlein that has done what you wanting to do an on the right side.. as for a router table setup and the incra setup is top notch and can be used for the TSaw and router table both..
 
Dennis, I have an Incra system on my table saw, but I ended up putting the router on the left side of the blade. To switch from table saw fence to router table fence, I simply slide the entire fence/positioner assembly down the rails a few feet. Putting the router table on the right side will work, but you'll need to remove the fence and rotate it 180º when switching between tools.

It's an extra step, but the good news is that the fence/positioner assembly only takes a couple of seconds to remove and goes back on nearly as quickly. And in the case of mine, it has always returned to dead on accurate every time I've removed it (or moved it down the rails).

My router table isn't enclosed in a cabinet (so my only dust collection is at the fence, which only gets some of the stuff. Here are a few pics of my setup. Maybe they will give you some ideas (or prompt other questions). You'll see that the positioner takes up some real estate to the right of the saw blade. That's why it'll need to be removed and rotated when switching to the router table on the right of the blade, but can just slide down the rails if the router table is on the left of the blade. (I do understand your reason for putting the router table on that side.)

New Incra Jig Setup 1- 700.jpgNew Incra Jig Setup 2- 700.jpg

I eventually added braces under the router table to help support it. The turnbuckles in the middle of the braces let me tweak things to ensure everything stays flat.

Ridgid TS Braces 600.jpg

Of course if you're building a cabinet, the braces would be unnecessary.

I hope this helps...
 
Hello,

What you have is what I would prefer, with the router on the left side so as to enable working around the end of the table. But as I said the motor housing / cover sticks out on that side. I suppose that I could space the router out left a bit. I just wondered if any one had done it before, and if there were compromises to using the saw with the positioner rails shifted left. I guess I'll have to mount the rails and slide everything about to see. Thanks for your guidance!

Dennis
 
But as I said the motor housing / cover sticks out on that side.

Hi Dennis. I just thought I might add some data that could lead to you being able to have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. I like my router table on the left so that the feed direction is the same for TS and RT; jigs are interchangeable, I don't have to walk around or reach over the TS to use the RT, etc.

I had a left side RT extension on my contractor saw, I built a cabinet and attached the whole rig to my first cab saw which had the motor cover on the right. For many years I NEVER fully opened that motor cover and eventually built removeable storage in the area where the cover would swing open. I still opened it only enough to squirt some lube on the screw mechanisms about once a year.

Having learned from this, when I upgraded to a new saw with the motor cover on the left, I still attached the router table cabinet to the saw in the left position. I can get the motor cover open a bit to retrieve dropped items (never happens) or to vacuum/blow out or lubricate mechanisms for routine maintenance but, it is far from wide open ;-)

My point is that the rarity of requiring unfettered access to the motor cover area on a cab saw led me to put my router table where I wanted it for 99.999% of the time. In the event that something happens that requires me to gain that level of access to that area of my saw, removing the router table will be the least of the job. Its been nearly 10 years and three saws and it has not been a problem yet :thumb:.

P.s. Here's a very old shot of the second saw with this setup from years ago just to give you the general idea of the configuration:

TS Overview2.jpg

The current saw has the tilt wheel on the right and the cover on the left. You want yours mobile and will be making your own mobile base. This gives you great flexibility since you can make a setup that pleases you and then simply set it all on, or attach it to, the base.
 
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Hi,
That does for me, I will mount it on the left as your photo illustrates. I just brought the saw home today. Haven't even opened the box, as the weekend is coming. I'll have the treat of assembly and fence installation over the weekend.
Thank you all for taking the time to coach me, not a really a newbee, just have't taken the time to do it really right before.
regards,
Dennis
 
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