BY MARK DUGINSKE
Of all the machine tools in a
woodworking shop, the table
saw is the workhorse. With it,
you can make virtually any straight cut.
Fitted with a good dado head, the table
saw is the tool of choice for cutting da-
does and rabbets.
I recently built a new shop and decided to upgrade my equipment, especially my table saw. After rethinking how I use my shop, it dawned on me that I wasted space because I had a number of machines that I used intermittently and when I wanted to use various machines, things were often in the way. Another factor in my decision was the fact that I have a sawmill, and the wood that I have dried, with the help of a dehumidification kiln, is now ready to use. One pressing question was, after jointing and planing the rough lumber how was I going to establish a straight edge quickly and accurately? I don’t have the room nor the inclination, much less the volume, for a specialty piece of equipment like a straight-line rip saw. For the straight-line function I decided to get a bigger slider. Although sliders are usually associated with cutting up sheet goods they also excel at straight-line ripping.
As sheet materials became more popular, particularly in production settings, manufacturers responded by creating the tilting-arbor table saw which is epitomized by the Delta Unisaw, first manufactured in 1939. Looking at the latest American saws, there has been very little change except for making the table bigger and beefing up the fence. Some of the manufactures offer attachments but to my knowledge there is no true slider made in North America. The attachments usually allow for a 4-foot crosscut but I also needed the straight-line ripping function. In contrast, Europeans have been building sliders for decades and continue to evolve and refine the design.
Mark Dugiinske workiing on hiis FELDER KF 700..
Like most woodworkers, I had acquired my collection of tools, one at a time. I have a cabinet saw for general purpose work, a vertical panel saw with a skill saw for sheet goods, a big radial saw for rough crosscuts, a small sliding table saw for general work and a miter saw for crosscuts and miters. I got the small slider after getting frustrated with two versions of bolt-on attachments for my cabinet saw. I also have a pile of jigs to increase the accuracy and efficiency of the tools.
Although my old equipment was adequate there was always a question mark in regard to accuracy, especially when handling large pieces. My attitude has changed with this new saw.
Although I occasionally make cabinets and various pieces with sheet goods the bulk of my work is made from solid stock. I’m slowly changing the ways that I
think and how I visualize the process of making something. The biggest change is using the slider to make a straight edge after face-jointing and planing the material on my 16" jointer-planer. The opposite edge is made using a power feeder or the slider. Wow, I can go through a pile of wood in half the time or faster. And what is even better than the speed is the quality of the product. With my old arrangement getting good results was always a struggle, especially with bigger pieces.
With my older, smaller slider I used the sliding table like a large miter gauge mainly for crosscutting. With the standard American table saw you make a cut using either the miter gauge or the rip fence to guide the work. If neither of those will do the job the usual approach is to design and make a jig such as a taper jig. A large accurate
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