My brother and I bought our first home. The idea is to flip it and move the hell out of the state of confusion, once my little brother retires. Owning a home comes the need for a new table saw. I’ve owned a few table saws in my life, so I know what to look for, but this time portability and the ability to store it away in little space was very important. Secondly, only to the accuracy and the functionality of a large floor standing shop saw.
I went with the RK7241S Rockwell 15 Amp Table Saw and that turns out to be an exceptional choice and has fulfilled all of my needs and desires perfectly!!
- Heavy-duty, yet versatile and lightweight for the jobsite, workshop, or cabinet shop
- Most cutting depth of any saw in its class
- Folding fence for extra wide cuts. Maximum cutting depth at 90°: 3 9/16 inches, Maximum cutting depth at 45°: 2 9/16 inches
- Exclusive laser indicator adjusts blade tilt
- Fully assembled trolley stand for portability. Rated No-load Speed:4800 rpm
(above photos & spec’s stolen from Rockwell’s website)
The saw performed exceptionally well for me for the first 3 months, then I became annoyed with the inconsistent inaccuracies of the rip fence. Also facing a complete kitchen remodel. it became apparent an outfeed table extension and dust control system were needed – ASAP!! since I would be working by myself, with full sheets of MDF.
Let the Remodel Begin!!
Fence Issues:
After several week of use the fence finally got under my skin in a big way! I’m very accustomed to working out the bugs in new equipment, the same holds true to learning the quirks. However, you can’t always be trained to the new ways, sometimes you get to be the Alpha Wolf, and have to make things work Your Way! So I set off on a journey to build an accurate fence for my table saw. I took my time and along the path I saw a lot of good and bad designs. I finally found something that seemed accurate and looked sound. I made a few slight tweaks and went for it….
Dust Issues:
The next thing I did was to roll the saw over and attach this huge 12″ funnel (12″ top opening, down to 2½” exit), to the bottom of the saw. I never installed the dust bag, thinking the negative pressure would force more dust back in my face, then it would catch in the bag. After duck taping the funnel I attached the 2,½” plastic hose to the dust collection system.
I used four wraps of duck tape, out of lack of mounting area on the bottom of the saw. So far it’s held reliable for more than a year.
The Outfeed Table
Next, I needed an outfeed table, something sturdy with a vice and holes to accept Bench Dogs, which will be handy once I start building Shaker style cabinet doors. I read 100 reviews before buying the table saw. The number one complaint was that no outfeed table was available or included as an accessory. People Please!! If you cannot build an outfeed table, Don’t buy a table saw! No table saws usually do not come with a factory outfeed table! Besides you need to consider the size and space available to fit your shop, spacifily… I used a half a sheet of melamine cut through the center, width wise.
Router Table insert.
Having such a nice large table and dead on, accurate fence, it seemed only natural to build it on the wing adjacent to the saw.