OK, tell me if I'm just nuts or have suggestions for improvement.

 

I have a well-used sliding crosscut table.   I use it all the time.   I'm wondering to rehab or re-make.  The major issue is the kerf is wide enough that it's hard to use it as a guide as to where the cut will be.   And I have some Matchfit clamps that (might?) be useful to add in there.  Though probably 99% of cuts are at 90 degrees.  It's a Kelly Mehler design with a nice Lexan guard that slides up and down and holds the piece when needed.  The fences are 1" thick patternmaker's plywood and the base is 1/2" baltic birch

 

My thought was to cut some more baltic birch, at an angle, fasten it down with a dovetail slot for the Matchfit (use a spacer).    The potential issues:

* what kind of glue to use as the existing BB has an oil finish on it

* it's going to get pretty heavy

 

It saves me maybe a little time making new guide rails and tuning to 90degree cut and because of the Matchfit, the base would need to be 3/4" i think, so I might not save that much weight.

 

If it were mine, I would be leaning to building a new one.  A temp fix may be to use some Zero Clearance Tape.

Danl

Agree with Danl. Making a new one is probably the best way to go. 
 

when I built mine, I made it too heavy and didn’t make provisions for 45 degree cuts

I built mine to accommodate a replaceable insert. 

Like Gene I built mine to accept a replaceable insert made from 1\4" ply. I would just make a new one.

Paul

18 hours ago, kmealy said:

and tuning to 90degree cut

 

I made my fence wide enough and used 5/16 carriage bolts to hold it in place no glue.  Snugged the bolts up and tapped the fence with a hammer to align and finished tightening the bolts.  It has never moved.

7 hours ago, Gene Howe said:

I built mine to accommodate a replaceable insert. 

Oh, that's an idea I forgot about.   I'm wondering if I put a dado blade on, expand the kerf and glue in a new piece???

Edited December 9, 20205 yr by kmealy

13 hours ago, kmealy said:

Oh, that's an idea I forgot about.   I'm wondering if I put a dado blade on, expand the kerf and glue in a new piece???

I'd bet money that would work well. If you've moved to where you might be building a new one anyway, there won't be any loss in trying the dado trick.

52 minutes ago, Fred W. Hargis Jr said:

I'd bet money that would work well. If you've moved to where you might be building a new one anyway, there won't be any loss in trying the dado trick.

If it doesn't work, then I have a dado cross-cut sled.

Well, looking for something to do yesterday, I expanded the slot with a dado blade, cut an insert from the baltic birch that the sled base is made from, glued it in, and today re-did the slot.   I think it's going to work fine.

 

Insert in

 

kerf cut