Just a thought.
I have a older Craftsman without a T-slot in the miter slot.
Can it be done without overheating the table.
What would you use?
I have a third party miter guage that has the option of a T-slot. The T-slot will allow the guage to overhang the table without tipping out.
Cast iron? Aluminum?
What would I use? Nothing, I'd have a machine shop do it. Assuming, of course, the table has enough material to take the cut. Ed
The table is cast Iron............
Definately, take it to a machine shop, they shouldn't charge more than 25 bucks to do it. It's well worth it rather than attempt to mill it out yourself, unless of course you are experienced in milling.
Rich
Mike in NB
No doubt!
Also consider that manufactures have always been rather efficient in use of cast iron when making table tops. Unless the factory had intended for the top to have a t-slot, which requires a wider miter slot rib cast into the top, it probably won't have enough meat to work with.
If you can get away with some minor undercutting in your miter slot, enough for your accessories to grab hold of, you probably can cut some shallow 1/16" deep or so slots. Of course you probably will have to modify the "T" slot tips on the accessories to fit since standard t slots are more like 1/8" - 1/4" wider on each side than the primary slot. Also consider that Craftsman slots are narrower than "standard" slots to begin with so aftermarket T slot accessories probably won't fit anyway unless they specify "Craftman compatible"
-Bruce
Hmmm. 25 bucks seems too low? I had my hemi block milled and the guy only charged me 50 bucks. I figured 25 would be a good price. This was a few years aback but geeze 300 now a days WOW
Rich
But was this by a regular machine shop or a "machine shop" that does only engine work? Think setup time, etc.
Where's this machinist of yours? I've a got a load of stuff he can do for me. I've never seen general machine shop that would fixture and machine a part for less than $75+.
Reminds me of a post I saw earlier today on another board: "Looking for someone to change the alternator in my Nissan. The garage wants $100 to do it, but it's a ten-minute job so I'll pay $25." For some reason I have a feeling that person's still waiting for a DIY'er to help.
GTO(John)
Yeah It was a engine machine shop, but he did other odds and ends for me. I knew him but only as an impersonal light! I didn't really think he was doing me and lowball favors. He did do most the work on my Charger. Maybe that would account for the figures.
Rich
It was Ed Kanupps machine shop in Pasadena MD.
Rich
I would start by using the Grizzly catalog. Sell that saw and buy one if you want Tee slots. You will end up saving money.
-- Bill Pounds
Yes, easily. Milling machine.
I'm in the US. My price would be $250.00 minumum, probably more depending on the saw.
The block would still probably cost you less than $75.00. The reason for this is that places that do that kind of work have specialized machines to do just that. Set up is fast and easy. A general machine shop would have more universal machines. While they could do the work at least as well as the automotive shop, setup would take far longer and tooling may have to be built for the job. Compare it to router cutting dovetails. A man with a router and a jig is going to get the job done much faster than a man with a router and no jig.
What about milling a slight dovetail, less material needed. You will still need to replace the t-slot "slider" on third party gauge...same guy could mill from steel or you could make from aluminum.
In addition to the machining costs mentioned, you'll find that standard T-slot cutters found in machine shops are too wide (e.g., starting at about 1/4"), so you'd get hit with a charge (at least $100, I'd think) for a custom cutter.
Maybe I could suggest some alternatives:
1) Could reversing the miter gauge (with the head towards the back of the saw) give you the travel you need?2) If you're doing primarily square cut-offs, or even angled cuts at the same angles, why not build a cross cut sled? You can make this as long as necessary and it'll give better cuts with less effort than a miter gauge.
3) Replace the bar on your miter gauge with a much longer one. Buy a piece of 3/4" x 3/8" steel bar as long as you want. You'll have to carefully file a bit off one side (Craftsman saws have 0.745" rather than 0.750" slots), and drill it to fit your miter gauge head. Or, carefully file the miter gauge slots out to 0.750".4) Could you build something like the Delta miter gauge extension
If you're still interested in adding T-slots, first, check that there's enough metal in the table casting to cut into, and if satisfied, you could make a hand tool that slides in the slot and uses a piece of hacksaw blade to cut into the bottom of the miter slot walls. It'd take a while, but cost would be low.
Have fun!
Tim
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