Popular Woodworking 2000-04 № 114, страница 14

Ingenious Jigs

Auxiliary Band Saw Table

The cure for the incredible shrinking work surface isn't a new band saw. By Nick Engler

There I was, perfectly content with my minis-cule14"-square band saw table, not even aware that there was something far, far better. Then I took a job teaching wood craftsmanship at the University of Cincinnati, and life was never the same. I walked into class and was smitten by a classic Tannewitz band saw. This industrial-sized baby had 20" wheels, more cast iron than an armory and—best of all —a table that was bigger than most workshops. I was seduced by the ease with which you could handle work-pieces of all sizes on that expansive surface.

If you've never worked on a large band saw, you'd be surprised and delighted by how it supports and balances the work. It also adds to the safety and accuracy of operations that involve large boards. If you use your band saw for ripping and resawing, the large table mounts a longer fence, making those chores easier.

No longer satisfied with a small work surface, I studied my own band saw and was amazed to find it has room for a much larger table. Fact is, almost all band saws that are made for small workshops will accommodate bigger tables. In most cases you can easily triple the size of your work surface—I expanded my table from 196 square inches to 576 square inches!

To expand the work surface on a band saw, make an auxiliary table. The sim-Continued on page 20

The tie bar holds the auxiliary table rigid after allowing space for the fixture to be slipped over the blade. Use a wooden clamp to hold the fixture's surface flat while you tighten the tie bar.

¹/4" x 2 " flat head stove bolt, washer and wing nut (4 required)

Mounting detail

1/4"

flat head stove bolt, washer and nut (6 required)

12 Popular Woodworking April 2000