Todays Project - What did you do today?

[TomG]

Did some machining today (metal) for the first time since I retired and it felt pretty good. I made a 3" extension for the column, to increase the capacity under the blade guides. I needed a full 8" when I was making the rocking chair and it only had 6". I had planned on welding up a box out of steel plate, but only had 3/8" on hand which would have been extreme overkill, so I milled a solid block out of aluminum (plenty of that on hand). It has a 1" hole through the middle for the bolt, and a couple of 1/4" dowel pins for location. I still have to make it gray.



I also ordered the pulleys and belts needed to enable the high speed capability of the saw. Those parts were missing on the saw and I never got around to chasing them down. It has a two speed transmission that provides for four low speeds and a direct drive setting for high speed.

Finally, I started designing a fence for the saw, because I always thought it would be a nice accessory. It will be a simple 1/2"x1 1/4" bar mounted to the table with a sliding block with a T slot on the back to attach the fence to. I'm playing with the design to try and keep the bar as short as possible and still allow the fence to get close to the throat of the saw. Not sure if a fence was ever offered by Delta, but there are tapped holes in the front of the table.

Tom