One of the machines that can represent a significant advancement in our woodworking workshop is a table saw, especially when it comes to giving the wood strips and boards the desired dimensions. The idea, as you may have seen in many places, is to screw our circular saw to a board, cut a slot for the blade to protrude on the other side, and place the board with the saw upside down on the structure of a table. To be able to turn on the saw, we need to lock the machine’s switch with a tie or another system like the one seen in the video.
The machine, however, should not be plugged directly into the electrical outlet; we need to install a switch that safely cuts off the power. I will use the one you see in the photo, which I have from a workbench I no longer use much. It is advisable to use something like this since this type of switch is not easily activated accidentally.
If you install a simple switch or a power strip with a switch, you must place it so that you can turn the machine on and off safely.
My handheld circular saw doesn’t have a very large blade diameter, so I used a 1cm thick particle board so as not to lose too much cutting capacity. Since I didn’t trust that it would be well secured by screwing the machine directly to the board, I preferred to make holes that go through and use screws with self-locking nuts.
I wondered whether to use melamine particle board (I think that’s what those with colored “veneer” on both sides are called) or plywood. In the end, I chose particle board because it stays flatter over time. This board has been in the workshop for a while, leaning on one side, and it remains flat. I have a small plywood board in the same conditions for half a year, and it is warped.
This won’t be my definitive table saw, but I suppose I had to do something like this on this woodworking blog. You will see that the board I am using is a bit small for the table structure and has a cut on one side. Since this is temporary, I didn’t want to use a new board, and luckily I had this used one in the workshop. As soon as I can, I will put a board that covers the entire table structure and will install the motor of the disassembled miter saw, which has more power and will give me more cutting capacity.
If you want to see how to make a blade lift system or other versions, here are more articles on homemade table saws.