A new design for a Format Tablesaw

During late January 2014 I was approached by André Wagner from Germany who had already built his own version of a Tablesaw and was interested in my development. We then agreed to start a joint project for a better designed machine. André encouraged me to prepare detailed drawings of the whole thing. Since I will not be rebuilding my saw once more (it works very well in its present state) I welcomed his desire to build a replica following some new design features I had envisaged.

Here is a view of the original saw with its new livery, in its present state with all accessories attached. These are not used concurrently and are easily removed and stored out of the way as necessary.

By June 2015 the dust collecting system was substituted by a much better one employing a Thien Separator, a large dust bin and a manifold with various blast gates to connect the saw, a router and a small router-powered jointer, both permanently attached to the Tablesaw.

A new Rip Fence was also designed and the original saw became the "prototype" out of which the new design evolved.

Essentially, the new approach is better and simpler to build and follows closely the most salient features of European counterparts.

A mechanism was designed to raise the blade vertically and eliminate the complicated linkage for the installation of a Riving Knife. This essential component is now simply attached to the Blade Arbor Carriage.

Here is how the new design looks. It has inherited all the features of the prototype and then some.

The photo shows the Outrigger Table installed and the Telescopic Arm that supports the weight of the workpiece making panel cutting down to size a reality.

The Crosscut Fence can be set at either end of the Outrigger Table and swivels to + or – 45° or any other angle in-between.

The new Rip Fence features an improved micro adjusting system and a reversible Fence with a high and a low side. This Fence is also adjustable lenghtwise to help control kickback.

The optional longer rail for the Rip Fence requires a short wood support to make the full width of the table available for ripping workpieces of up to 860mm wide. The retracting wheels pedal is also visible at the bottom.

This is the shorter Crosscut Fence directly attached to the Sliding Table. As the longer fence of the Outrigger Table it is adjustable to + or -45° or any angle in-between.

Both fences have positive adjustable stops for the 0° position.

A view of the back. These are the Blast Gates that control airflow in a manifold connected to the Thien Separator.

The partly open drawer below is the generous sized Dust Bin.

This view shows the vertical travelling Arbor Carriage installed inside the Power Box. UHMW strips provide smooth sliding action.

Note how the Riving Knife is simply attached to the Arbor Carriage with a knob. No linkage is necessary.

The following knob is used to lock the Arbor Carriage so that Blade height remains constant for precision depth cuts.

The other knob locks the Blade Guard in place.

All three knobs and the left-hand thread blade nut are easily accessed by moving the Sliding Table to the front.

Blade changes are very easy and the Riving Knife need not be removed for non-through cuts. Installing and reinstalling the Blade Guard is so easy there is no excuse to avoid using it as much as possible.

André is an accomplished woodworker and his rendering of our new design is impeccable. He did include some personal modifications like a metal top (3mm thick steel), a longer rip fence, a longer rail with an external support (to use the whole width of the table for ripping) and a longer telescopic arm for the outrigger table (enables placing it at the front of the sliding table). In a way, this is the approach we have in mind for would-be builders. The plans provide complete information on building the saw, but there is room enough to include own preferences, modifications and additions.

We have three YouTube videos of this new Format Tablesaw which you can watch using the following links:

Format Tablesaw - Overview

Format Tablesaw - Building process images

Format Tablesaw - Tools

The plans and written instructions are ready to be sent. We will keep all interested parties informed through our YouTube video channel.

If anyone is interested, we suggest sending a mail (which should include full name and location) to any of our mail addresses:

Héctor Acevedo topocalc@gmail.com

André Wagner aw-productions@gmx.de

We will gladly attend to inquiries in English, German and Spanish. We can also read Portuguese, French and Italian but will only answer in English, German or Spanish.

We both sincerely hope the project attracts and encourages fellow woodworkers to consider its construction.

Héctor and André

See also:

Hector's format table saw

Hector's homemade
panel saw