Byrne's Table Saw additions/add ons

[blackjack40]

So, I’m just about ready to pull the trigger on the saw after much deliberation. Planning to use it to mill my own lumber. As I’m looking at it thou, there are a ton of additional options/add ons and I wonder what you guys have found to be the most useful additions to the base saw and why? Really the only one I can see being critical is the micrometer. 

 

-Joe

[Jim Rogers]

The extended Fence. At least you deliberated first. I bought the MicroMark saw an learned a lesson. You get what you pay for. I have had my Byrnes saw for about two weeks and it is as advertised.....awesome. You’ll be very happy.
 

Edited December 20, 2019 by Jim Rogers

[Bob Cleek]

Not really all that many options, really, and most all of them are really worthwhile. I'd suggest the following in descending order of importance:

 

Micrometer stop. There's no point in owning a saw that is as accurate as this one without this convenience.

 

Extended rip fence. It really is important because the stock fence is really low. It's nice to have something more substantial to lean the workpiece up against when cutting larger stuff, cutting rabets and grooves, and such.

 

Miter bar gives you more control. The miter gauge comes stock with the saw and is very accurate. The bar is $8 and worth it. If you get the sliding table, you probably won't be using the miter gauge as much, but the added length is handy.

 

Miter gauge adjustable extension. It's just a stick of aluminum, but for the price, handy to have. I don't own a miter gauge that I haven't put some kind of extension on and I think I have four or five of them.

 

Sliding table. Yes, it's really worth the money... it expands the saw's utility tremendously and is super-accurate.  For repetitive cross-cuts, you gotta have it. This is the most expensive of the "must haves." If all you are going to be doing is ripping strip wood, you can do without it, but any sort of cross-cutting, making gratings, super accurate miter cuts for case building, lots of little short pieces all exactly the same length, and so on makes this a "gotta have" for me. It's really solid and accurate and slides as slick as greased goose poop. The integral blade cover is also a really nice safety feature. 

 

You should also get a selection of saw blades and zero clearance inserts, because they do make a big difference depending on the application. You can make your own inserts, if you want, but for eight bucks, you might as well get the perfectly-fitting ones from the factory. I don't know that the blades are available for much less anywhere else. I'd ask Jim Byrnes which blades he recommends for the work you expect to be doing. He won't steer your wrong.

 

Same goes for the "spare parts package." For eight bucks, it's worth having an extra of all the little screws that you know you're going to need when you drop and lose one every so often. You'd spend more than eight bucks in gas driving around trying to find someplace that had them in stock locally. A replacement belt is worth having handy as well. Keep in mind that if you order all this little stuff at the same time as the saw, you'll probably save a bundle on shipping costs over buying them piecemeal.

 

As you can see, that doesn't leave much not to buy.   Everybody seems to agree that the tilting table is really not something anybody uses all that often, for ship modeling, at least. maybe the model railroaders do, or whatever. You can always make your own taper gauge, but I bought one of Jim's because they're just so damn pretty. 

 

I guess the accessories are pretty much essentials, although optional, depending on the use to which a buyer is going to put their saw. 

 

Like the man says, if you can afford a BMW, you'd be nuts not to pay a few bucks more for the leather seats!

 

 

[blackjack40]

Thanks for the rundown! Very helpful. Agreed, why would you spend the money to buy a BMW and not spend a little extra to get the leather seats. 

 

Going forward, I think the most important pieces for me initially will be the zero clearance insert, the extends rip fence, and the micro meter. Why buy a precision instrument then add in error due to fat fingers? I will be reaching out to Mr Brynes to determine the right blade for my application, hadn’t thought to do that before.

 

I am not to the point in my project where a sliding table will be needed but in a few months, I think I can justify the 135 bucks to the Mrs. And it is very pretty. 

 

Finally, I agree, the tIlting table top doesn't seem to be a commonly used accessory and is well down the list of items I want to purchase. 

 

Thanks again for the feed back! 

 

-Joe

[Bob Cleek]

7 hours ago, blackjack40 said:

in a few months, I think I can justify the 135 bucks to the Mrs.

Check with Jim Byrnes about the shipping cost on the sliding table. I'm guessing that you would save a bunch on shipping if it were included in the package with the saw. The separate shipping cost savings might convince you to get the whole shebang shipped at once.  

 

As for the Mrs. ... It's a "men are from Mars, women are from Venus" sort of thing, but did you ever notice how they always do it? "This pair of shoes is wearing out. They don't owe me anything, though. I've had them for years. I guess I'll have to replace them."  Then, the new shoes arrive and it's, "They were on sale! I got a great deal. I think they were only like a couple of hundred bucks."  Then the bill comes. You ask (timidly,) "Did the store make a mistake on this $375 credit card charge for your new shoes?" She says, "No. There was other stuff I had to get at the same time." You say," I see that, but the itemized receipt says the shoes were $325 and you said they were only a couple of hundred bucks!" She says, "I don't have to answer to you for every dime I spend!" and the fight is on!

 

Be creative. I doubt she'll throw  you under the bus over the $135 for the sliding table. She'll get over it.

 

 

 

[kurtvd19]

9 hours ago, blackjack40 said:

Finally, I agree, the tIlting table top doesn't seem to be a commonly used accessory and is well down the list of items I want to purchase. 

I have the tilting table and have used exactly one time.  It was critical to the job and it more than paid for itself with the time and materials saved on that job.  I can't think of another use for it - at least in my case - so unless I am commissioned to build another barge with sliding covers it will probably just gather dust.

The sliding sled is much more useful for future consideration.

Kurt

[blackjack40]

2 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

She'll get over it.

🤣🤣🤣 best piece of advice I have read in years. You sir, are not wrong. 

[Gaetan Bordeleau]

The only accessory I use is a modified fence that can be lift on 1 side to cut long strips.

Micrometer stop... too slow to use. I measure between the fence and the blade with a digital caliper.

[Bob Cleek]

 

On 12/21/2019 at 8:27 AM, Gaetan Bordeleau said:

Micrometer stop... too slow to use. I measure between the fence and the blade with a digital caliper.

I rely on the micrometer stop to accurately cut spacer blocks which I then use to make repetitive cuts of identical distance between the fence and blade. Faster than any other way I know.

[Worldway]

Just being a new owner of the Byrnes saw myself I realized a couple of things.  Because shipping to Canada can add up, I wished I added a few more blades and a couple more zero clearance inserts.  4" blades are difficult to find in Canada.  I also wish I had ordered more of the miter bars.  It's the piece of machined aluminum that fits in the guide slots on the table. That way I would have a few spares if I wanted to make jigs that run in the slots.

 

[Bob Cleek]

I believe the miter slots are exactly 1/2" in width. Perhaps you can source stock locally for jig making.

[jimbyr]

Derek

 

The miter slots in the table are .499  +.000  -.001.  Reason for that is because the miter slide stock comes in at .500  +.003  -.001 and it is not usually straight or flat.  The miter bars are machined then ground to .497  +.000  -.001.  More than likely 1/2 x 1/8 steel stock won't fit without a lot of sanding.

 

regards

Jim 

[Bob Cleek]

4 hours ago, jimbyr said:

Derek

 

The miter slots in the table are .499  +.000  -.001.  Reason for that is because the miter slide stock comes in at .500  +.003  -.001 and it is not usually straight or flat.  The miter bars are machined then ground to .497  +.000  -.001.  More than likely 1/2 x 1/8 steel stock won't fit without a lot of sanding.

 

regards

Jim 

And now we know why the Byrnes machines are so accurate!

[ajromano]

Impressive! I am close to ordering one!

[ajromano]

LOL! Discussion over before it started!

 

With wife about cost of shoes.

Edited January 24, 2020 by ajromano