Band saw. How to make bigger "table"?

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I'm not sure what it's called exactly, but this is my band sawhttp://www.sears.com/craftsman-2.5-a...p-00921419000PThere is a few inch gap between the side and the table where you rest the wood/metal on. Anyone have any ideas on how I can extend this in that opening?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:I have seen people do this. However you need to completely rebuild the saw to do so. Usually it involves building a new frame and adding a 3rd or 4th pulley and using the original drive wheels plus a longer blade. The pict will kind of give you an idea what you'd need to look at doing if you want to go this route. Your second option would be to get larger wheels and build the unit around that. Usually most saws you go taller, not wider. That's an easier rebuild as all you do is add a riser block to most saws and a longer blade.I did find an article from Fine Woodworking on building your own bandsaw.http://www.finewoodworking.com/Skill...F.aspx?id=2161EDIT: I reread your post. Are you looking to make the table itself larger, or expand the capacity to say 14" or 16" instead? I was thinking originally you wanted to go to say 14" rather than simply have a larger table. If all you want is a bigger working surface, a few holes drilled in the table and some plywood will do the job. I've got an auxiliary table for my floor model bandsaw that I use to cut large circles and radius's with. It's simply a 2x4' sheet of plywood that I mount to the original table that has holes so I can use it for centers to turn the arc. Took me about 5 minutes tops to fab it up. Attached ImagesLast edited by DSW; 12-06-2011 at 02:50 PM..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:if the table can be removed, drill and tap about 4 holes across the rear edge and get a piece of angle and drill some bolt holes in it and bolt it to the existing table..tackleexperts.comwww.necessityjigs.comhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/mach...dingequipment/
Reply:I don't think he means making the throat of the saw deeper.  I think he just wants the table surface to extend the full length of the throat.Like brucer, I would suggest a removable extension, since the reason the table has a gap is because more length would limit the amount you can tilt the table when cutting non-90° cuts.  One other solution would be to attach your table extension to the saw itself, so that if/when you run the table top at an angle, it would stay in place and you would still have the same range of movement that you currently have.Jack OlsenMy garage website
Reply:Yes I want the table surface bigger so I can add a fence and make straight cuts without trying to eyeball it as I do right now. I could drill holes and put wood on it, but I also want to be able to add a fence. I was thinking the magnetic fence would be an easy way to do it, but with wood I'm not sure. I'm not very creative with things like this.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Originally Posted by GambleYes I want the table surface bigger so I can add a fence and make straight cuts without trying to eyeball it as I do right now.
Reply:I have 1 good eye, so getting "used" to it won't happen. I can't cut straight to save my life, never have.Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Originally Posted by rlitmanThat's your first mistake.  A bandsaw will wave around in its cut, even if you use a fence.Personally, I think having a fence (or a miter guide) on a bandsaw is a waste (it's like putting a fence on a sewing machine), but I have made a magnetic guide for my bandsaw to keep repetitive cuts to a particular width.  But that had a rounded corner that I could "plunk" down next to the blade.  That way I could still vary the feed angle of the stock to keep the line straight.And that's the problem.  Unless you've got a lumbermill, the feed angle will need to be adjusted to keep the cut straight.  For one thing, when you're hand feeding, changing the feed force will change the blade's twist, which will change your feed angle (among other things, it will also change the cup).  Get a little practice, and you'll get the hang of it.If you need "furniture grade" straight cuts, get a tablesaw (or radial arm saw, etc.)
Reply:To strech your table I would use 3/4 phenolic plywood. Couple of reasons, 1. I have it in my shop, 2. it's dimensionally stable and strong 3. the slick surface holds up better and slides easier.
Reply:What is phenolic wood exactly?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Phenolic plywood is pretty much the same a baltic plywood ( cabinet grade no hollow spots ) with a phenolic coating on both outside surfaces. You won't find it at home depot or Lowes. The two big places it is used are making jigs, and concrete guys still buy it cause it outlasts regular plywood by a scale of magnitude.It is also cheaper than baltic plywood, and is sold in regular 4x8 sheets as opposed to metric 1 meter and 1x2 meter, which works out better for most of us in the US.I just did a workbench in my garage out of it, and have enough to build a router table extension on my tablesaw. I works really well for this purpose as it is slick, cheaper than buying cabinet grade plywood, and then still needing to apply laminate to get the slick. sliding effect.I am thinking I paid about $50.00 a sheet ( 4x8 ) for it but that was about six months ago.
Reply:Melamine is also a good slick choice. So is plastic laminate on plywood. like a chunk of old counter top. As far as a fence, two clamps and a nice straight board will work fine, a chunk of angle iron and the clamps works even better. I'm forever using either the 9' piece of 1/4" x6 alum as a straight edge, or a chunk of angle iron as a straight edge with a few clamps. Check out a few wood working supply places on line. They usually have an endless supply of fence parts that you can buy or copy for these sorts of projects. Oh and adding a few lines on the table will help get things lined up faster. Remember a band saw has a small blade and you need to keep the fence parallel to the blade most times.You could make the table from steel rather than wood, but if you make a decent sized table and use that fence, keep in mind the weight may cause issue keeping things where you want them. I did use steel to fab up the top of my router table. I built the fence from 2 pieces of wood glued and screwed together like angle iron. The fence has 2 slots cut in the base for adjustment, and the table top has a few drilled and tapped holes for the screw knobs to go into. Each set of holes gives me about 2" of adjustment with the slots roughly. If I need more, I go to the next set of holes. If you want to do a lot of resaw work, having a fence you can slightly tilt will help as opposed to a straight fence. Many times if a blade isn't perfect, it will cut a slight taper in thicker wood. You simply adjust the fence to compensate. If the top of the board is 1/16" larger than the bottom, you tilt the top of the fence in that 1/16" and the saw will cut straight after the 1st couple of inches..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:" So is plastic laminate on plywood. like a chunk of old counter top."Most of that is particle board and doesn't hold up very well, by the time you brace it up and fiddle around its easier to get good material to start. When I priced laminate on real plywood it actually cost more, although you can get a cut sheet of it.A good place to look is on the fine woodworking website under there tool review and forum section. I wouldn't be suprised if you found a article from someone on a similar fix.
Reply:You can often find damaged sheets of laminate at Depot and so on cheap. It takes nothing to F up a loose sheet. Usually they will sell them for almost nothing if you spot a chunk and ask.  A bit of contact cement and some scrap ply and you are good to go. I agree about particle board, but you can often find this stuff dirt cheap on in the trash. If you get a few uses out of it for next to nothing you are often well ahead and can fine tune the next generation to suit your needs better. Run screws down thru the top and anchor them in plywood or 1x below. That way the threads bite into something solid, and the recessed screw heads will hold in the melamine or counter top. You have to do the same thing if you use thin plywood for your top anyways. Older counter tops from the 70's and early 80's are often on plywood. They may look like $hit, but still work well. You can grab them for free when someone remodels the kitchen..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:On that small table I got to agree with you, when I was looking I was going to hang a router and the up mechanism on it which pretty much starts to sag on particle board about day 2. which I admit really doesn't apply here.There is only 6 inches or less on the back of that table and just about anything flat and slick would work, it will get enough bracing just getting it to set flat with the original fence and the arm and a couple of countersunk screws to hold it to the underside supports.I would still use phenolic because I have a scrap piece lying around and for me its free which is cheapest.Phenolic is good stuff to have lying around if you buy though I make a lot of jigs and fixtures out of it, not the one time use dipose of stuff but items you know your going to use over and over.