Rusty Old Table Saw Turned Into A Workstation Worthy Of A Master Craftsman

rusty-old-table-saw-turned-pro-workstation

Okay, first of all: holy crap! Even if you didn’t know this started as a rusty table saw, the workstation that came out of this project is just phenomenal. It really makes us wish we had looked around for a used model with a cast iron top instead of going for the cheap stamped metal one that was ready to use.

[Simon Leblanc] started with a Delta contractor’s saw that was rusty inside and out. The refurbishment began by removing the table and everything from the inside. The rods and gears were all cleaned up before he began to sand away the rust on the table itself. But obviously he didn’t stop with getting the saw to be functional again. He built a small set of cabinets to serve as the base for the saw. They went inside of this larger assembly that combines an MDF table top with an Accusquare rip fence to greatly increase the working surface of the tool.

Now he needs to start in on an extra fancy CNC jig for the thing.

[via Reddit]

18 thoughts on “Rusty Old Table Saw Turned Into A Workstation Worthy Of A Master Craftsman

  1. A cast-iron top makes a huge difference. I got a nice Bosch for about $500 with a cast aluminum top, which is nice enough (and really helps with portability), but my crosscut sled binds against the aluminum too much to really be usable. Iron is much much slicker.

    1. I have to agree. I bought a Jet Proshop 10-inch tablesaw a couple of years ago and recently upgraded it so that it has cast iron wings. It’s an incredibly nice piece of equipment for what I paid for it. When I’m doing a project with it, I’m constantly amazed at just how precise/square the parts are when I’m done.

      Prior to that, I had a $100 Craftsman saw that my parents bought me. The cast aluminum top was so flexible, I found it impossible to accurately align the fence, blade, and miter gauge so I didn’t end up with burnt wood everytime I went to use it. I did some nice work with it, but felt I was better served with a better saw in the long run.

  2. I like the accusquare fence — 250 bucks — ouch but its sure is purdy and makes a straight cut — how is the fence attached at the back — it seems that the fence would cock sidewise without a rear attachment unless accusquare is that good!!

  3. I did this too, but nowhere near as neatly, in a 4×8 sheet. It’s outside, but it’s covered over with an aluminum A.R.E. camper shell. I would show pictures, but I can hear the laughter already. It’s held up for a couple years so far, though, and is only leaning slightly. I put a switch and outlet in it to run the saw. A little later I added my router on the left side. I don’t have a fancy fence, though; my saw is at the front of the table, and I use the original fence. It’s short, but it’s there.

  4. Makes me feel like a spendthrift, for spending $2 on my belt driven one, plus $5 for a 1/2HP motor, $2 for a stand, 50c on a switch etc… think the motor needs a new startup cap though, tends to blow the circuit breaker every third time I turn it on. That one is just stamped steel, BUT 30-40 year old stamped steel, so gratifyingly thick. I tend to drag it outside to use it, so pondering putting a briggs and stratten motor on it, since the 1/2 HP is a tad underpowered when I’ve got anything bigger than a 8″ blade on it. It’ll take 12″. I generally use a handheld for small jobs and try to use this one to rip stock down to size… I say try because my fence arrangement isn’t stellar and takes 5 mins to set, and one dumbfooted twitch to unset. (Leverage from the other end of a 8ft plank)

  5. I have the exact same table saw. If you are going to spend this much time just get an old Delta Unisaw, they are about $600 used and often come with a Biesemeyer fence. Doing all this work to an old delta 10″ is really akin to polishing a turd. Dont get me wrong, it is a very nice job, but the saw it was built around is nothing great.

    1. Some people have time but lack money…
      Some people have money but lack time…

      I’d say if the first was his issue, the cost of lumber was far cheaper than a used $600 saw he may still have to spend time on.

  6. Picked up an old 50s 60s craftsman saw with a belt driven external motor from a curb including blade fence the pusher piece and some attachent I cant figure out . This is exactly the setup I imagined :)

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