Popular Woodworking 2002-08 № 129, страница 25

Ingenious Jigs

Table Saw Powered by a Circular Saw

A ripping tool for the job site.

I know, I know - what idiot would use a homemade jig to saw when he's got a perfectly good Shopsmith sitting around?

Well, the sort of idiot who writes articles

about jigs and fixtures, I guess. But there's a good explanation; really, there is. First of all, that Shopsmith just got here. When Al Parrish took these photos in the new Wright Brothers Aeroplane Co. workshop, Shopsmith had just delivered the tools. For a couple months previous while we were building the workshop, this circular saw table was the closest thing I had to a table saw - and it did just fine.

Like any craftsman with a well-equipped shop, I sometimes find myself at a disadvantage when I work at a job site and have to leave my stationary machines behind. And the tool I miss the most is a table saw, especially when I have a ripping operation to perform. So I made this jig to serve as my table saw away from my table saw.

Note that the saw table lays across one sawhorse, so the front and back of the table are parallel to the sawhorse.This keeps the table from sagging in the middle. The other saw horse, which isn't shown in the photo, is perpendicular to the first and parallel to the sides of the table.

Making the Saw Table

It's an absurdly simple jig, as you can see. The saw table is a large piece of V4" plywood, braced flat with a hardwood frame. The circular saw mounts to the table near one corner and is held in place by the frame and sev-

The frame, cleats and the cutout all have to be adjusted to fit your particular circular saw.

Notice that the side member of the frame is notched to accommodate the motor for this particular circular saw.

Photos by Al Parrish.

eral cleats. The fence is a large T-square that clamps to the table. The table and T-square are large enough that I can rip to the center of a 48"-wide sheet of plywood.

When you make the table, you have to adjust the frame and the table cutout to fit your circular saw. As shown on the plan view, part of the frame forms a box around the table cutout. The interior dimensions of this box should be the same size as the outside dimensions of your circular-saw base. The base should fit inside this box with little or no room to spare. Important note: Make sure that the frame members run true and are square to the edges of the saw table. When you install the saw, rest the edge of the base against the frame members. If the assembly is square, then the blade will be square to the front and back of the table. This, in turn, will make it easier to align the fence.

Secure the saw base in the jig with three or four L-shaped cleats screwed to the frame members. Because the front edge of a circu-

24 Popular Woodworking August 2002