Building a 1 Inch Table Saw

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I

I_luv_bridges

Member
Hi all,

Well it all started when I found a need to cut some very thin accurately spaced slots for a resin-casting master part (Lattice bridge girder to be exact).

I tried using a razor saw but the results were less than perfect.

So I decided to spenf a few hours (actually quite a few, maybe 8 or so) building a small table saw with a 1 Inch blade in a dremel flexshaft.

Here is what I came up with:

View attachment 10371

Here is additional info on the build process.

Table top is 18 inches deep by 24 inches wide. Mostly MDF (Medium density Fiber-Board). White and Red parts are UHMW (Ultra High Molecular Weight) plastic (bought mine at a tools store in an assorted 3 pound bulk bag).

Key to good operation is to ensure everything remains square and parallel. I find that cutting spacers to mount things works a lot better than working from pencil lines.

Here is a pic of the top and arbor mounting plate. The hinges are made from UHMW drilled with 1/4 hole to accept 1/4 steel rod. It needs to be a snug fit and I clamped the hinge halves together when mounting then to the MDF. I used a pair of machinst 1-2-3 blocks (Perfectly square and accurate 1 inch x 2 inch x 3 inch steel block) to keep the top and arbor mounting plate parallel while fastening the hinges.

View attachment 10372

Here the mounting hardware for the flexshaft is in place. The aluminum piece holding the flexshaft is a piece I had been saving (I'm kind of a packrat for junk) in case I needed it someday. It has a 1/2 hole which is a perfect fit for the flexshaft. I also tried boring a hole into a piece of maple hardwood with a 1/2 inch Forstner bit and that worked too, but I liked that I could finally use a piece of junk that I had been saving for 25 years :D

View attachment 10373

Blade Height Adjustment is done by using a lever, a 1/4 threaded rod on a knob will be put through a tapped hole the saw skirt to raise and lowere the blade. Here is a view of the adjustment lever.

View attachment 10374

Well, the forum only lets me attach 4 files. Hopefully I can add a few more in a follow-up post
 
I will say I really like what your doing annd would be interested in making one myself except a little less low key. I can really see how that would help alot with trestles! got a question what disc is on your dremel? is it just a grinder disc? again I really like what you did!
 


Continued:

Here is the saw with contact cement applied ready to put down the Formica (High Pressure Laminate, others include Arborite, Wilson Art, Pionite) top .

View attachment 10375

All that work just for this, one tiny little blade that can poke out of the table a maximum of 1/10 of an inch.

View attachment 10376

Here is a detail pic of the Blade Height adjustment mechanism, the spring keeps tension an the knob to prevent it from turning on its own. The end of the threaded rod has been rounded with a file by chucking it in the drill press.

View attachment 10377

Here is a pic of test piece I cut 13 slots into. Each slot is spaced 11 inches apart, so 12 slots should line up exactly at 11 feet. The dial gauge makes it easy to move the fence anywhere within a 5 inch range.

View attachment 10378

I guess it was kind of a fun project.

I'll be more than happy to answer any questions.

Thanks,

Gord
 
It is an actual saw blade, I have two 1 inch blades, coarse and fine. I suppose one could also use a cutoff disk to cut thin metal or slots in heavier metal. I may try to build a frog and point filing jig by cutting some slots in some 5/8 inch keystock.
 
I think you oughta submit this to Bill Schaumburg at RMC for their monthly Dremel Kitbashing award, I'm sure you'd win hands-down!

I might very well build one of those myself when I get back from my vacation. Thanks for sharing!
 
sd80mac said:
Very innovative! This is the part about the hobby that I really enjoy!

Donnell
Click to expand...

I'll second that. :)

Is that blade one of the Dremel accessories? I found a few at Home Depot but will need something that can handle circuit boards (copper and fibreglass).

Mark
 
CanuckMark said:
I'll second that. :)

Is that blade one of the Dremel accessories? I found a few at Home Depot but will need something that can handle circuit boards (copper and fibreglass).

Mark
Click to expand...

I have had the blade for a while so I'm not sure if it was a dremel accessory or not. I think dremel sells a saw blade now but there is no mandrel available for it ( it has a quite large hole in it) it is meant to be used with their saw blade attachment, a $50.00 accessory here where I live.

In any case this small blade would have a tough time sawing through circuit boards and I don't think it would make too many cuts before becoming dull.

I have cut circuit boards on my 4 inch saw with a carbide tip blade, and even then the fiberglass is very hard on the blade. I notice the difference in sharpness when going back to cutting wood after cutting some circuit boards.

Are you familiar with fast-tracks? they make turnout tools and sell punched 16 foot ties, I think about 12.00 for a hundred ties.

Hope this helps.
 


Looks like a great project. I agree about submitting it to RMC. I've been thinking about a temporary table saw using my Dremel tool and this gave me a lot of ideas.
 
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