Throat plate leveler

[WoodMangler]

Anyone ever do this? I thought it would be nice NOT to have the 4 holes in my wooden throat plates for the leveling screws. I only drilled/tapped one tab just to try it out. With teflon tape it stayed put through a couple of hours of sawing.

Wanted to ask before I butcher the saw :)

http://a2.cpimg.com/image/6C/56/1170...-02000155-.jpg

[Tom Hintz]

I've been putting the leveling screws in my shop-made oak inserts. I use 1/4-20 Allen screws, drill the pilot hole a bit undersize, then tap it until the tapered end of the tap just comes through the bottom. then, when I run the Allen screw in it stays nice and tight. I have inserts I have been using for well over a year now and the screws stay tight, and where I left them.
I see nothing wrong with your plan. We used to put set-screws in race cars with the teflon tape and they resisted vibration-induced movememnt very well. With all the mass of the cast iron top deadening what vibration there is, I suspect your screws will stay snug a long time.

[WoodMangler]

That's exactly how I make mine too (GMTA eh?)

I was just thinking it might be nice to have a smooth, clean throat plate... without the holes... I dunno... maybe I got too much time on my hands eh... :)

[Lou_williams]

I made mine out of the white plastic cutting board stuff. Real smooth and I spent the time to cut in a dado that is the exact thickness of the lip on the TS. The insert is a friction fit and requires no levelers. Works like a charm and no holes.

[Sawduster]

But wouldn't you have to adjust the screws every time you changed TPs? Where-as putting them in the TP itself and leaving them there, you wouldn't have to adjust it but once.

[WoodMangler]

I make all mine out of 1/2" Baltic Birch ply, so the thickness is real consistent.

I think I'll try that cutting board stuff though... even though it goes against my nature of making everything out of wood :)

[WoodMangler]

I'll give that a try Lou... I have a couple of solid oak throat plates that are friction fit... I just have to get the right weather to use them :)

[Sonny Edmonds]

Marc,
If you use long allen set screws, you can put a jam nut on the bottem side and when you get her set, snug the nut against the bottem of the tab.
Locked tight, no worries.

I did a simular thing with my router in the side table. But I used T nuts in an inverted fashion. Set it, jammed it, ain't moved in a month of Sundays. :)

:D

Sonny Edmonds
"Precision Firewood Specialist"
http://home.earthlink.net/~sonnypie/
God Bless America !

[TDHofstetter]

I was wondering when someone would speak up about leverless throat plates, machined to fit with no adjustments. My "ripping" TS has a phenolic ZC throat plate machined to fit that way.

Those who know me well will surely be ready to speak up now, complaining that I have a milling machine for that kind of precision... but I made that throat plate with nothin' but my favorite router and a jig.

Uh, on the other hand... I've never yet attended to the throat plate on my "crosscutting" TS. Maybe one of these days I'll machine an aluminum ZC plate for that. Using, most likely, a router and a jig...

BTW - I like the Gordian Knot. It's new, isn't it? I'd like to find a large-scale drawing of a very complex Gordian for an inlay I want to try.

-- Tim --

Forever Endeavor.

[WoodMangler]

I'm gonna go haunt them Dollar stores... see if I can't find me some cheap cutting board stuff... Don't know how I'm gonna secure my splitter in that cutting board stuff though... hmmm....