Replies

1. 
   PlaneWood | May 08, 2002 03:35am | #1

   Chris -

   On point #2, I've seen small saw blades that mount in a router like a router bit.  They are thin kerf and have up to a 1/2" depth of cut.   Might work to take the top off a box if you have a router table.  Or, you could use them in a drill press. The problem might be in making the cut on the last side.  Some spacers could do that trick.

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
   PlaneWood

1. 
   cbwerner | May 08, 2002 04:28am | #2

   Mike,

   Thanks.  Do you recal where you saw these?

1. 
   Alan | May 08, 2002 05:07am | #3

   Chris,

   I can't help with the table.  But as for cutting the tops off of boxes, there's a neat trick you can do with a router:  use the router to put a groove,  slightly more than 1/2 the thickness of the stock, on the inside of the box, where you want to separate them.  After assembly use the same bit to make another groove on the outside of the box, with the same depth setting, just a tad higher than the lower edge of the groove on the inside.  When you separate the top you will be left with a lip on the bottom that fits perfectly into a recess in the lid.  Be sure to have some scraps around that are the same thickness as the diameter of the router bit:  use some masking tape to stick them in the grooves on the outside, so the top doesn't wobble as you get down to one cut.  You can vary the size of the lip/recess by using wider or narrower router bits.  It's much safer than cutting all the way through with the router; and the lipped edge looks good and makes the box seal tighter.

   Alan 

1. 
   StanleyNiemiec | May 08, 2002 11:24pm | #6

   Very slick idea there Alan.  I've never heard or seen that before but it is absolutely wonderful.

   I would set up a router table with a fence to do that.  On to that fence I would mount a board that is exactly the thickness of the offset I wanted.  Then after the first cut and the assembly of the boxes, all you would have to do it remove the spacer board from the fence and you would be t's right on.

   If you are going to build a table for support (I would not recommend attempting to mount something on the band saw table), I would suggest you build two.  That way the two can be used for infeed and outfeed support for long stock.

   If you are substituting a bandsaw for a table saw, I would invest in various different blades (width) and the best guide system you can afford.  Don't invest (mistakenly) in blades without any pitch (distance between the teeth) other than gullet distance.  Laguna Tools in California has a stellite tipped blade that might be worth the investment.  These are very spendy blades! Not because of the stellite but because these stellite tipped blades are side ground (producing little if any side clearance variablity).  Since they have a "swaged" tooth and are side ground, they will produce a much smoother cut than spring set teeth.  If your saw has capacity for wider blades, you might get very good results with a large pitch (ie 1.0").  If you want to see what the bite is (the distance between each sawtooth cut) remember that bite is to feed speed as pitch is to blade speed.  If you are hand feeding, I doubt if you will attain feed speeds > than 8-12 feet per minute.

1. 
   Elcoholic | May 09, 2002 12:23am | #7

   What about buying a 2nd table as a part.  A little drilling and tapping and you're done.  You'd have a 2nd mitre slot which would allow you to use a crosscut sled.  Not that I'm gonna wean myself from my TS, but since I set up my 12" SCMS (Makita LS1212) with (2) 5' wings I do almost all my crosscutting on it.John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking

   Life is tough.  It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne

2. 
   vanderpooch | May 08, 2002 06:50am | #4

   i use a 1/16" slot cutter to trim the tops from boxes, skipping either just the very corners, or a couple small spots around the box. this leaves the top attatched by a little wood, which is simply cut out with a small saw and planed down to match the rest of the cut. a similar method which requires more planing is to kerf around the entire box, leaving just a hair of wood connecting top to bottom. same process as abve to finish. i do this in a router table....

   -kit

3. 
   forestgirl | May 08, 2002 08:05am | #5

   Is it possible you could use a bench-top circular saw to cut the boxes?  My first "table saw" was an Ace-brand bench-top saw that I got on sale for $75.  I put a $90 ATB combo blade on it, and it cut great!  Just a thought.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)