Cast iron table saw tops

"Frank Boettcher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> >
> >
> >1. Granite
> Hasn't been tried, but I suspect far two expensive and difficult to
> machine and tap.
>
Not to expensive at all. ore so than cast iron but not unreasonable.
Machines easily. Tapped holes are done about the same as tapped holes in
concrete. Drill a hole, install insert. Impractical though from a strength
standpoint. To brittle if thin enough for a table saw top.

iron moves. so does aluminum....

I see the scale on my bies rail change significantly with temperature.

OK, I give. What happened to your table saw top. The cast Fe type.
TomWoodman wrote:
> These damn cast iron table saw tops are nuthin' but trubble!!! Isn't it
> time to find a better solution?
> How about .....
>
>
> 1. Granite
> 2. Teflon coatings
> 3. Hi tech plastic composites
> 4. Graphite
> 5. Oak
>
>
> I'm votin' for oak. You just rub her down with some nice tung oil to
> slick her up and every month you can run yank it off and
> run her through your planer for a fresh new surface. The top would be in 12
> inch wide 4 inch thick T & G sections so you can have a table as wide as
> your shop....lol
>
> Any other ideas? Let's have 'em. maybe we can get rich quick! lmfao.

Amused wrote:
> "TomWoodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
> I'll have to stick with cast iron. And Johnson's paste wax. Besides, I
> like the stability that comes from the weight of the cast iron
> components..........
>
> James...


What about a cast iron top with a sheet of Formica glued to it?

>>What about a cast iron top with a sheet of Formica glued to it?

>Why in the world would one do that???

Have you actually read this thread?

How about plating the cast iron? A good layer of copper/nickle and a
flash of chrome should protect it nicely and look good for those that
like the shiny chrome look (personally I don't). Skip the chrome flash
and bead blast the CI before plating to get a nice satin look. The
nickle plate would be pretty hard so it should last a long time. A
thick plating of hard chrome would be even more wear resistant. Good
metalworking machines have hard chrome on wear points for long wear.
Rusting should not be a problem with plating.

I think I'll stick with Iron.


"TomWoodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> These damn cast iron table saw tops are nuthin' but trubble!!! Isn't it
> time to find a better solution?
> How about .....
>
>
> 1. Granite
> 2. Teflon coatings
> 3. Hi tech plastic composites
> 4. Graphite
> 5. Oak
>
>
> I'm votin' for oak. You just rub her down with some nice tung oil to
> slick her up and every month you can run yank it off and
> run her through your planer for a fresh new surface. The top would be in
> 12 inch wide 4 inch thick T & G sections so you can have a table as wide
> as your shop....lol
>
> Any other ideas? Let's have 'em. maybe we can get rich quick!
> lmfao.
>
>
>

Limey Lurker wrote:
>
> Amused wrote:
> > "TomWoodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> > I'll have to stick with cast iron. And Johnson's paste wax. Besides, I
> > like the stability that comes from the weight of the cast iron
> > components..........
> >
> > James...
>
> What about a cast iron top with a sheet of Formica glued to it?

Why in the world would one do that???

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 01:24:17 GMT, "CW" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Frank Boettcher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> full manufactured cost for a cast iron table about $.60/lb which makes
>> a table for a 10" saw about $11/sq. ft. I doubt seriously if you can
>> take a slab of granite, machine an insert opening, miter slots, bore
>> holes and set inserts for cabinet attachment holes, guide rail
>> attachment holes and even come close to that cost.
>
>Never claimed I could. "Not unresonable" was the phrase. A bit reading
>impaired?
>
>

No, but I know if you try to put a new material on a table saw and it
adds $50 bucks to the base cost as a granite table more than likely
would then mark it up with manufacturers and dealers margin the market
would consider that unreasonable and wouldn't pay it.

Frank

"Frank Boettcher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> full manufactured cost for a cast iron table about $.60/lb which makes
> a table for a 10" saw about $11/sq. ft. I doubt seriously if you can
> take a slab of granite, machine an insert opening, miter slots, bore
> holes and set inserts for cabinet attachment holes, guide rail
> attachment holes and even come close to that cost.

Never claimed I could. "Not unresonable" was the phrase. A bit reading
impaired?

On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 08:10:00 -0700, "TomWoodman"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>These damn cast iron table saw tops are nuthin' but trubble!!! Isn't it
>time to find a better solution?
>How about .....
>
>
>1. Granite
Hasn't been tried, but I suspect far two expensive and difficult to
machine and tap.
>2. Teflon coatings
Been tested. wouldn't hold up. also expensive to add the coating to
whatever substrate. Tried some other polymer coatings at the polymer
center in USM, Hattiesburg. Also wouldn't hold up.
>3. Hi tech plastic composites
Been tried. Delta introduced a very good builders saw about 15 years
ago. Saw was great. Top worked fine. Conservative ole woodwoking
market would not accept it. was discontinued after a couple of years.

>4. Graphite
Too soft and too nasty.
>5. Oak
Now you're talkin. why not
>
>
>I'm votin' for oak. You just rub her down with some nice tung oil to
>slick her up and every month you can run yank it off and
>run her through your planer for a fresh new surface. The top would be in 12
>inch wide 4 inch thick T & G sections so you can have a table as wide as
>your shop....lol
>
>Any other ideas? Let's have 'em. maybe we can get rich quick! lmfao.
>
>

"TomWoodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> These damn cast iron table saw tops are nuthin' but trubble!!! Isn't it
> time to find a better solution?
> How about .....
>
>
> 1. Granite
> 2. Teflon coatings
> 3. Hi tech plastic composites
> 4. Graphite
> 5. Oak
>
>
> I'm votin' for oak. You just rub her down with some nice tung oil to
> slick her up and every month you can run yank it off and
> run her through your planer for a fresh new surface. The top would be in
> 12 inch wide 4 inch thick T & G sections so you can have a table as wide
> as your shop....lol
>
> Any other ideas? Let's have 'em. maybe we can get rich quick!
> lmfao.

I mounted a piece of rock maple to the face of my fence, and I'm very
pleased with it. HOWEVER, after four years of moderate use, (i.e. sliding
pieces of wood along the fence), there is a perceptible grove in the fence.
It can be replaced very easily, and at a very reasonable price. I would not
appreciate trying to replace the entire table top, even if it had been
coated with Formica, after a rather short period of time (relatively
speaking compared to cast iron), it would have to be replaced in total.

Besides, oak splits, splinters, and wears much faster than iron, and
requires as much or more attention than any cast iron table top,
besides.......Iron does not expand or contract with changes in humidity, and
it's expansion rate is considerably less than any wood, with the changes in
temperature.

I have some saw horses made out of some polymers, and they are outstanding,
strong, stable, relatively light, but even they show wear from wood sliding
across the surface.

I'll have to stick with cast iron. And Johnson's paste wax. Besides, I
like the stability that comes from the weight of the cast iron
components..........

James...

"Limey Lurker" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Amused wrote:
>> "TomWoodman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> I'll have to stick with cast iron. And Johnson's paste wax. Besides, I
>> like the stability that comes from the weight of the cast iron
>> components..........
>>
>> James...
>
>
> What about a cast iron top with a sheet of Formica glued to it?

>Plastic laminates tend to wear quickly also.

TomWoodman <[email protected]> wrote:
> These damn cast iron table saw tops are nuthin' but trubble!!! Isn't it
> time to find a better solution?
> How about .....
>
>
> 1. Granite
> 2. Teflon coatings

Been done...the Ridgid TS2400LS is coated with something like this.
It's this weird silver stuff that looks and feels like it belongs on a
non-stick frying pan.

On Thu, 22 Sep 2005 02:26:03 GMT, "CW" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Frank Boettcher" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> >
>> >
>> >1. Granite
>> Hasn't been tried, but I suspect far two expensive and difficult to
>> machine and tap.
>>
>Not to expensive at all. ore so than cast iron but not unreasonable.
>Machines easily. Tapped holes are done about the same as tapped holes in
>concrete. Drill a hole, install insert. Impractical though from a strength
>standpoint. To brittle if thin enough for a table saw top.
>

full manufactured cost for a cast iron table about $.60/lb which makes
a table for a 10" saw about $11/sq. ft. I doubt seriously if you can
take a slab of granite, machine an insert opening, miter slots, bore
holes and set inserts for cabinet attachment holes, guide rail
attachment holes and even come close to that cost.

And you're right, way too brittle.

On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 16:24:49 -0400, W Canaday <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Besides which, if you want cast Fe any flatter, you can just lap it in.

So _that's_ why people have three Unisaws!

On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 09:43:18 -0700, bridgerfafc wrote:

> iron moves. so does aluminum....
>
> I see the scale on my bies rail change significantly with temperature.

There is a number known as the "coefficient of expansion". It's in the
tiny decimals for cast iron and aluminum. Comparatively speaking, it's
off the map for any wood.

Besides which, if you want cast Fe any flatter, you can just lap it in. Do
a good job of it and it will be flat enough to use as a reference flat
(generations of michinists did just that and it worked fine for 'em.)

I am using corian for my new router table.

Oak moves. That ought to disqualify it as a TS table.