Good morning. I found a screamin' deal at Ikea in their "as-is" area on a countertop that I couldn't pass up. I have been planning to build a workstation to house my table saw (with a router table built in to one end), and now reality has set in. I'd be interested in opinions. Here are the parameters.
I found a countertop, laminated on six sides (edges, top and bottom) that is 96.75" long and 25.625" wide (1.5" thick). I paid $25.
My portable tablesaw is 26.6875" wide and 17.125" deep (not counting the 1"x1" aluminum clamping tube for the fence).
My original plan was:
- Cut an insert for the saw table from the front.
- Fab a replacement for the 1"x1" clamping tube from an 8-foot tube and mount to the front of the table.
- Rout a slot down the center of the counter to accept the back of the fence clamping mechanism (I'd drop in a piece of aluminum angle to provide a bearing surface for the clamping mechanism).
This would allow me to move the fence three or four feet to the right and left of the blade.
Here is the issue:
- How do I keep the left and right surfaces of the table level? I'm concerned about the counter flexing. I have two 8' steel U-channels, which I had planned on clamping to the top of my saw before setting it into the cut-out. That way, I could measure for and build the mounts for the tablesaw to ensure it was flush with the counter. However, how do I keep the counter from flexing after removing them? With the cutout for the saw from the front, there will only be an 8.5" section of counter along the back of the counter to resist flexion.
I guess what it comes down to is the engineering of the counter understructure. I'm hoping someone has some ideas, 'cause I'm fresh out and new stock is backordered.
Ken