This makes three homemade table saws and I don’t think this one will be the final one, but since it will be the one I will be using for a while, I needed to install a table saw blade lifting system.
I thought about (and even tested) a rope system that would also allow me to tilt the saw, but in the end I opted for the easiest option, reusing the lifting system I had made when I installed the arm of my old miter saw as a table saw.
One of the advantages of this lifting system is that having the two tie-rods pushing the saw compensates the weight of the motor, which as I said in the entry new table saw, where I talk about the installation of the table saw on the table top, it was difficult for me to keep the blade perfectly vertical.
Even so, I still don’t have the disc exactly at 90 degrees to the board, at least not at all cutting heights (the deviation is minimal), but I think it’s vertical enough to be able to work with enough precision for the moment (and at no time did it give me any warning of a possible kickback. Although I always use dry and flat wood). When I need something better I will have to make a decision: upgrade this saw or buy a good quality table saw.
If you have one of these circular saws installed under a table top as a table saw, you will know that it is not easy to adjust the blade height as we need to have both hands under the table, one raising or lowering the saw and the other releasing and tightening the depth stop, while looking over the height of the cutting blade. The precision we achieve in this way is abysmal and we practically have to rely on chance to get the exact cutting height we want.
With this system, with a carriage that pulls by straps attached to the handle of the saw blade, it is easy to adjust the height. The pitch and slope of the threaded rod threads are very small and this allows the saw to go up and down very smoothly while remaining virtually fixed in position when we stop turning the crank. I still think it is always best to lock the saw in position using the depth stop, as this will help stiffen it up a bit. That’s why I installed that rod that allows me to operate the lock from this side of the table. On the other hand, the number of crank turns we need to make to adjust the height is enormous, but it is not an operation that we will need to perform continuously.
In the video you can see how I made and installed this system connected to the handle of the disc saw. I admit that I didn’t make it too complicated and I guess that’s why I can’t get a perfectly vertical disk. It is not an easy task to ensure that both copper tubes are perfectly parallel to each other and to the axis of rotation of the disc, and during the entire travel of the carriage. In this case it was a matter of testing and deciding if I was happy with the result.
See more about homemade table saws in this blog.
