7 Must-Have Table Saw Upgrades

[@Exodus5K]

Marc, I don't think the woodworking community appreciates you enough. Thanks for teaching us over all these years.

[@lourias]

I appreciate his work. Why? No blaring metal music. Great narrating voice. Great ideas!

[@stevennachlas9596]

Totally agree. Marc still has one of the best WW channels on KZbin.

[@Todjcam]

😮🍌

[@innocuous_name7212]

This one of my favorite videos. My grandfather had his wood shop setup and customized to perfection. He passed away before I was old enough to absorb and appreciate everything he had done. This video not only gave me ideas but also took me back to his shop. Than you, sir.

[@petenelson8136]

Buying a Saw Stop for my new shop in my new house, and went searching for inserts for the saw. Found this site (for the 2nd time) and this time saved it to my shop ideas play list. Love what you did for the dust extraction system and the upgrades you made to the fence. My kids bought me a Jessem Clear-Cut TS Stock Guide for my saw and setting it up with the rail on the fence is an awesome idea, something I'm sure I'll be incorporating into my saw. Thanks again for all you do for the woodworking community.

[@noconz0727]

9:15 I like how you showed the process of installing the track for the guides but then your final shot shows them attached to your 80/20 fence like I would have done it

[@HelloAnthony]

I installed the aluminum extrusion on my fence today. I used the hardware recommended by Mark in the description. At 4:10 when he says "the bolts just barely grab the metal around the keyhole slot" he wasn't kidding. Because of this -- combined with the difficulty of tightening the screws with a ball-head hex key -- I opted to add some washers to keep the screws from slipping out of the keyhole. A dowel with a small square of double-sided tape at the end helps feed the screws into the holes from inside the fence. Next up, I'll be making my very own Cremona.

[@miketaylor4597]

Thanks. THe washer and dowel trick would have saved me 5 hours of frustration had I read your comment 5 hours ago!

[@philstevens9914]

I just bought a Harvey ALPHA saw and without any accessories other than their overhead dust collection arm. This system is one of the best I've seen and every bit as good as the one that cost 3 x as much on my FELDER Sliding Table Saw. All the fences etc are from Incra. The extension table will be a full drawer cabinet built by me that extends into a full woodworking bench. I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes out.

[@CarbonHill]

Thanks so much, I was having major heartburn about paying so much for dust collection but this solution is perfect and cost effective.

[@SolarMillUSA]

I added those Jessem Clear-Cut TS guides to my tablesaw last year. BY FAR the best upgrade I've made to my table saw in a decade. They are niiiiiiiiice. I briefly tried the board buddies first, they're ok, but the Jessem is worth the price difference.

[@gz2251]

Good advice. I did a similar thing with my Axiom CNC. They wanted $500 for an overhead dust collection pipe. Using 4" black PVC and a couple of toilet flanges, I made the same configuration for $76.

[@detroitboy65]

Love my Jessem clear cut saw guides! The only complaint I have is the tires. when they get a couple of years old they start degrading, becoming gooey and collecting sawdust. New tires are a little pricey but I bit the bullet and my guides are as good as new!

[@unoseemetoo]

Printing the little drawer now. I'm using orange PLA to maybe help me remember it's there. Thanks for the tip!

[@MyersWoodshop]

leave a review if you like it! :P

[@bullfrogpondshop3179]

Nice upgrades! Yes, dust collection on the SawStop is exceptional when both the cabinet port and blade guard dust ports are used! And despite other prominent YT'ers saying it wouldn't work well for machines like table saws and planers, my dust collection system is powered by a large shop-vac with key fob remote control and works very well on all my machines except the chop saw. My solution to the blade guard dust port is a mini shop-vac sitting on the extension table...for now. I've been thinking about hanging it from the ceiling to get it completely out of the way, but I rarely cut sheet goods, so it's seldom in the way. Only downside is it wouldn't be controlled by remote (it's now now either). Nice build on the DIY overarm, but I don't think I'd like any type of overarm system. I may have to go with the aluminum fence though! I've noticed my fence isn't PERFECTLY straight, or square to the table for that matter, which was frustrating when I built a spline jig a couple weeks back. I screwed a cabinet door handle onto the main rail endcap and I store the allen wrenches in there. A drawer would be even better! Thanks for a great video!

[@ChesterMcFarland]

Marc great concept, but needs to be an easier way to reattach or grab the inside of the bar to the extrusion? Just not enough grab with the bolts you recommended, too easy to slip or move. Doing some experiments with 1/2 bolts, vice 1/4 inch, and the oval nuts on both sides of bar, one on the bar inside and one in the extrusion. Need a ball end allen wrench for sure to get the angle to retighten. Been trying, frustrated and yes with little success. Agree with your comment on not the best way for sawstop to attach the bar face, maybe a recessed nut bolt arrangement, so you can get from both sides.

[@somebodypeculiar]

9:04 - Some lubricant on the tap is a Real Good Ideal. For that matter, using a tap wrench and doing it by hand isn't a bad idea. I was taught to reverse the direction a bit every half-rotation or so, but that seems to have gone out of fashion.

[@musamor75]

Yet another thumbs up video. No time wasting here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.

[@mattelias721]

Marc, love your style and humor (squeaky toy sound!). Of all these great add-ons, what really excited me was... the organizer thing you added to the saw's wood extension side. I'm doing this to stop looking there and saying, "Oh, FFS..." I will paint it black.

[@johnjenkins4]

"I think I'll call it Cremona" - glad I didn't have a mouthful of coffee. Also thumbs up on the Jessem guides - great anti kick back and really help getting clean consistent cuts.

[@Devin_Perkins]

Man, Todd nailed the edit. Love the American flag overlay on the drill index, etc.

[@petenelson8136]

Marc, thanks for showing us just how much easier it is to use a tool when you take the time to set it up with cool stuff.

[@kevinstenger4334]

I finally splurged on the Jess Em stock guides a couple of years ago and they are fantastic! I find that I get more accurate cuts, especially when cutting plywood shelves and panels that need to be truly square.

[@philackerly3174]

Thank you . Just assembled my PCS today and looking forward to many years of use and incorporating some of your ideas.

[@randallhooper4451]

Thank you. Do you have an upgrades list for a dewalt table saw?

[@robbrown6667]

You are correct, sliding on the tee track to the fence is/was a bear. Also, the design for the screws is not great! Great Video. So, I now have the tee track installed and the jessum Clear Cut guides.

[@chuckgrumble5440]

put the extrusion on my fence and its great, i like the dust arm too

[@johnm7469]

Great stuff. I am grateful for your Off Kick Switch also. It saved my butt a couple of times. Also extra style point for black zip ties.

[@tighecrovetti2844]

If you get the Jessem guides that are intended for router tables, you could slide them right into (and out of) your aluminum extrusion face. Then you also have them to use on your router table!

[@donmartinfamily]

Sort of. They each work a little different. It’s worth it to have the right ones.

[@TheFPSCENTRAL]

I have both, there is a significant size difference between the router and table saw versions. The router ones definitely don’t seem beefy enough for table saw use.

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

@@TheFPSCENTRAL This comment is strange. Router work is much more involving than table saw work, particularly for a rip cut, so if those router guides are beefy enough for your router work, they probably are beefy enough for table saw work. I think the only real difference is that the table saw guides allow you to extend them far away from the fence, meaning you can support much wider pieces.

[@tongyong007]

Very Professional and to the point. Great work sir.

[@claudeelliott3993]

Interesting video! Like a lot of hobby woodworkers, I find the very desirable Woodpecker attachments, gadgets , etc. priced out of common sense range but you find ways to bypass the originals and save money AND make them work!! Appreciate your ingenuity. Keep it up!!

[@donalddolan7709]

Thank you for the instructions on the extrusion face... this is the type thing that I'm always terrified of figuring out on my own as I'm always afraid I"ll mess it up and have to buy the whole thing over again!

[@josephromero1596]

Maaaan, never thought about just using my fence to attach stop block for cross cuts - my fence already has T slots too- ty sir 😎

[@paulcipriano7444]

Definitely going to add All of these Awesome tips to dress up my SawStop. Thank you as Always Marc!

[@zihotki]

The best upgrade for me was an upgrade from a table saw to a plunge saw with an mft table. Much less dust, easier to cut, requires less space. For me it works better for a small DIY shop

[@lefthandedleprechaun8702]

I made me a solid surface fence for my sawstop soon after getting it, stock fence was not too flat.

[@vallejokid1968]

Coincidentally I am heading to the store to buy my new saw this morning. Thanks for the great ideas.

[@pwknight7]

Hi Marc, As usual great ideas and demonstration. I have most of those ideas on my table saw and they work superbly and safely. The Jessem's avoid me because of the cost. However, feather boards off a t-track on the top of the fence do a great job coupled with a side featherboard to hold everything down and on the fence. Sorry, but why do so many people forget that Magswitches can be used in stacks of jigs.... you can take them out and move them around? I have a range of them for all sorts of jigs and they are a one off cost for multiple solutions. Even the Sawstop overhead dust collection arm works great on my tablesaw. Thanks again.

[@paulyanney3151]

Thanks I just ordered the zero clearance insert. How did you fit the riving knife with it? I may try that fence replacement too?

[@jamesmoreno4155]

I appreciate that you didn’t just name off a bunch of off the shelf crap to make a video

[@patrickbink4617]

Great suggestions Marc. I quite like your metal extrusion fence face. All of them are good. I do find my dust collection really sucks (in the wrong way) when using the zero clearance plate. My Delta doesn't have an overhead port of any sort so I have tried drilling various holes in the plate to give room for air and dust. Sorta kinda works. I love your channel (and Matt's).

[@bobbg9041]

Cover any holes. Like that big gapping hole at the tilt channel also a lot depends on your dust collection system and its cfm ratings and type of filter it uses.

[@petebuehn7789]

Great video, I was looking at how you mounted the Jessem guide and at 9:16 in the video it appears that the guides are mounted on the aluminum extrusion. Thanks

[@j.leavenworth7006]

Great suggestions once again Marc! Almost done with my Roubo! Love my Sawstop as well...going to try some of these ideas.

[@LarryTait1]

Those upgrades to the saw stop are brilliant. I’ve often had issues with feather boards for example. I like the dust collector DIY. I’m using 2” black ABS for mine and only 2’ of corrugated tube at either end of the long skinny ABS “U” to connect to the guard and for the hookup to the 4” port

[@ABNestor]

Nice video. Along these lines, may I suggest a video comparing after-market table saw fences? I thought your miter gauge video was excellent - but I tend to get more frustrated with the out-of-box fence on my Delta contractor table saw. It's not bad per se - just fiddly!

[@anthonydtobias]

Ooooooh I like that zero clearance insert. I have not seen that before but what a great idea!. I'm going to check that out! Thank you.

[@robertbamford8266]

Jessem stock guides👍. Outstanding for older saws with no riving knife (or usable kickback pawls). The wheels roll only one way to counter (prevent?) kickback. Extrusion fence face is an interesting idea! Speaking of fences, a replacement fence is probably a first consideration for those older saws. Thanks for the ideas.

[@vallejokid1968]

I bought the Colliflower inserts based on your recommendation. Solid parts and the fit really well. Jake Colliflower was very responsive to my questions too.

[@designcreationswoodworking963]

Mark I put my floating over arm on a Y off a single 4 inch drop. One to the cabinet and one to the overarm. On the Floating overarm I am pulling close to 600 cfm at the end of the tube.

[@markgado8782]

I like the cauliflower piece. Didn't know about that option. Thanks! 🤠✌

[@street_yeti7854]

I purchased the extruded aluminum fence shown in the video and had difficulty securing it to the saw stop fence. The screws shown aligned exactly with the large part of the keyhole slot. They could not be tightened to secure the two fence pieces. I used a pair of needle nose plier to thread a washer on the screw before attaching the oval nut. Took some finagling but got her on their. Also I tried using a single sheet of paper thickness and it felt like it was dragging. When I doubled it up by folding it in half worked like a charm.

[@shawnpeters3141]

Thanks for this. I'm having the exact same problem. The fence pops off when I lower it to just above the table.

[@g.fortin3228]

Awesome. I did very similar thing last year, only welded up a bracket and box tubing. Yours looks just as good ! I used a section of straight shop vac extension tube to a hose. Love the material you picked it's sturdy. Love the U-bolt idea. I am using a velcro strap to park it. AND ...I need to use your extrusion idea !

[@KnottyBurlWoodworks]

Thanks for this. I was intrigued by your aluminum fence but was afraid that it would interfere with my stock guides.

[@williamellis8993]

Great tips, Marc. I especially like the Cremona reference. I still have my board buddies that I use whenever I'm ripping. Bill

[@Saw-IT]

Some great ideas to try with my new Sawstop, i particularity like the overhead pipe setup.

[@bigpapaporsche1]

I found a used SS Overhead Vacuum assy on CR and hook it to a separate Shop Vac which is operated automatically activated switch. It works fantastically!

[@QUARTERSAWN]

After adding the extrusion and sacrificial fence, did you have to lay down new measure tape on the rail?

[@DonnieKluck]

For the fence would if you do not have an out feed table setup like you have, you would want to get the extrusion table to be the same length as your fence system correct i.e. 36"?

[@charleselkins4546]

Nice video, good tips. Especially like the tip about adding the extrusion face to the fence.

[@woodwhisperer]

Thanks for watching!

[@Iamthatmike]

I just used strut to hang my dust collector but I didn't think about using it for the table saw dust collection. I have a 1944 Unisaw, dust collection wasnt exactly built in... If I can find a blade guard to retrofit I'm going to do copy your idea. Thanks for the video.

[@xof-woodworkinghobbyist]

Great ideas, especially the extrusion fence... Thanks a lot for the advice.

[@redneckdoc1991]

I have had the Jessum accessory for a couple of years now and I did the attach to some 3/4 inch Baltic Birch and use 2 mag switches and it works perfectly. I am going to switch to the aluminum extrusion fence so I can add the sacrificial fences and other accessories you showed and I have a shop vac I'm not using that much and will add that to my over arm suction. thanks for the tips!

[@Devin_Perkins]

Great idea with the strut Marc! Weird seeing it not made out of wood, but totally makes sense.

[@briannelson4122]

I love the Jessum guides, have them on my old saw (no riving knife) and it is a game changer in my instance.

[@smoothieking157]

I just wanna say, man that painting inside a cardboard box is genius

[@israelcharo1563]

Great video Marc, always great to see clever ways to optimize the table saw, and even better when someone presents a detailed way to do it! I have the ICS model, and also experimented with ways to improve the table top dust collection. In my experience, connecting a Festool CT26 directly to the port on the blade guard did not significantly improve dust collection as compared to the SS overarm thing...though I did change the "Y" connection at the saws 4 inch port so the airflow from the 2 inch hose was now towards the DC (Oneida V3000)... I don't have an air flow meter, so it may well be that the CT26 did provides more suction, but it did not result in enough of an improvement for me to dedicate it to the saw. Also, did I see some "dots" in the background for the "Origin" CNC machine??? If you review that, please address how it can be used (if it indeed can...) without first mastering a CAD program.. Thanks again for the video!

[@Danko88]

how is the aluminum fence working out? I was thinking about doing this on my SawStop as well because when using the saw gauge there is allot of variance when sliding the gauge along fence wood extrusion from beginning to end. .

[@Josephcpratt]

Hi Marc, any thoughts on how to attach the aluminum extrusion to a Biesemeyer fence that does not have access holes on the underside to get at the bolts? My fence has faces attached to a square steel tube, but the faces must be must be glued on.

[@BillFrazier-rt4ht]

I just bought a sawstop and aluminum fence. If it touches the blade a sawstop tech said it will stop the blade. Do you put a sacrificial fence on the fence and then drill new holes so the sight bubble is right? Thanks

[@hhanger1]

Hey Marc. Curious as to why you didn't reuse your VSCT fence system with your SS since you already had it. I also have a SS and was going to order one as well so how I'm wondering a bit if there is something I should know before pulling the trigger on a several hundred dollar accessory.

[@SteinerHaus]

Good information. I realize that I'm something of a dinosaur in that my table saw is a 48 year old Delta Contractor's 10 inch. Having said that some of the suggestions that you make can be adapted to the Delta, but not all of them. SacrificiaI fences and the like are an interesting project to do on the Delta fence. I have a Ripstrake device that acts as a hold down on the fence that is also probably pushing 45 years old. It requires an add-on to the fence for use. Don't know if anyone else uses the things or not. ZCIs are mostly made from 1/2 laminate flooring at a fraction of the cost of a OEM insert. Dust collection is a FrankenVac system, but I to like the overhead arm idea. Mebbe in the winter I'll get out my DIY Engineer Cap and have at it. Wish I had the time and bucks to invest in a "newer" saw, but the old Delta does what I need and want to do.

[@allent555]

The Wood Whisperer talks to Table Saws! What a great video!!! I like all of your table saw enhancements. Also, you can use the unistrut for custom storage solution also. Would like to get your thoughts pro and cons of adding a digital measurement device to a table saw.

[@MatthewKrieger]

The outfeed table with the black phenolic top and nice wooden border - do you have plans for that or something similar?

[@jeremyoliver3871]

Can you please explain why you went with the 48" extrusion for the fence upgrade? I have a SS and the T glide fence is roughly 36" long. I am curious of the benefit. Thank you for all the useful information!!!

[@Woodhaven_LLC]

Woodhaven offers several extrusion lengths. You can select the length that works the best for your setup.

[@GageDrums]

This is great timing cause I'm about to buy my own sawstop!!

[@johnvodopija]

Nice video. My trouble is I need to replace the entire table saw first. Cheers 👍😎🇦🇺

[@chrishayes6057]

I just got the Festool dust extractor, but it doesn’t fit into the sawstop blade guard. What connector do I need to make that happen? Thanks, love the videos!

[@justinmdominiak]

After adding the aftermarket fence, did you do anything to fix the indicator cursor position? The stock indicator doesn't allow moving that extra inch that the aftermarket fence adds.

[@TheWoodLab]

Sweet Marc! Will definitely check these upgrades out.

[@scott8351]

Thanks Marc, I have a similar aluminum fence (Woodpecker Supertrack) on my Delta T2 Fence, but havent taken advantage of too many attachments for it yet. I ordered the hardware you linked to add any sacrificial fence small, tall whatever. I can also use them on my miter gauge since it has an aluminum extrusion Powertech fence as well. The fence you linked looks awesome, I would have just purchased that. Comes in a lot of sizes. Thanks

[@MarkDavis77]

Have you done a video on where to source lumber for things like books shelves, furniture, etc... just general non-construction lumber? This is what I'm having a major problem doing and it's really impacting my desire to attempt larger projects

[@plumbum6558]

Question can you compensate for the added thickness of the fence and still use the fence tape ?

[@thatguythatdoesstuff7448]

The Jessem guides are the best accessory I've ever bought for any tool. I agonized over spending the money for a long time. After using them, I am still lamenting not buying them immediately.

[@chipsterb4946]

I wish I’d known about that zero clearance insert with the budget friendly inserts. That would be great for dado stack cuts. I might still get one. The only time I have serious dust issues with my SawStop is when I’m using my cross cut sled, and that means no blade guard. Any suggestions? Watching a hole get tapped in metal with a power drill and without cutting fluid made me queasy…

[@jeffreysmith5018]

Great stuff! I have an almost identical dust collection configuration on my saw stop - works very well.

[@sehabets]

When drilling or tapping metal you might find cutting oil to help with the process.

[@janitorbob2008]

So question about tapping, I have only done it on mild steal and by hand, for taping other materials like brass or aluminum is the process done different, do you need to do back turns to clear the threads?

[@sehabets]

@@janitorbob2008 I use the same process regardless of material, though if I'm tapping wood I don't use cutting oil. Slow cuts backing out to clear threads every few turns like you said. I know some are comfortable using power tools but I still just do it by hand.

[@twistedlimb4053]

Came here to say that, it was like fingernails on chalkboard to watch that.

[@ehRalph]

Years ago, I spray painted my bandsaw table flat black because the glare was a distraction when making small tight cuts. Btw, I make small drawers out of sheet aluminum repurposed from an old aluminum awning by bending it into a U shape and tacking in thin wood ends. Might try making a drawer for my table saw void, if I can figure out what to stored in there 🤔.

[@blayne2029]

Is the tap used a 1/4 - 20? Brand of the tap? Thank you!!

[@TheTranq]

Nice tips, I especially like the 3rd party insert plate

[@robertkripaitis5528]

Marc, did you set your measurement indicator to the fence without any sacrificial fences.

[@kingoftowns]

Great video, thanks! Is the measuring tape on the fence rail still able to be accurate with the new fence and additional sac fence?

[@woodwhisperer]

It is.

[@AdamMuhle]

My recent SawStop purchase was timed with several shop upgrades, including a bigger dust collector so I can have it piped instead of moving the dust collector around all the time. So I don't have the existing duct work problem, but I'm still struggling to decide if I should tie the top port to the main dust collection or use a shop vac. I already have one very close connected to my Kapex. I might have to figure out a way to automate switching 2 1/2" hose connections as I really want to get away from moving hoses all the time.

[@brokenhill8590]

Great video and suggestions ... i have the Jessem guide, going to add the others as it makes a lots of sense, thanks for sharing productive tips.

[@rw7532]

Woodcraft and Infinity have sales on the Jessem saw guides from time to time. I saved $60 the last time they were in sale. Also, if you do decided to mount them using wood and mag switches just done screw the magswitch down and you can use them on other jigs as well. A person could just plain the word strip to the exact thickness of the magswitch and the lip on the mag switch holds the wood strip down.

[@rw7532]

Edit: don’t screw the mag switches down. For some reason I cannot edit a post on KZbin using my iPad.

[@JW-qc2qk]

I looked into getting a fence rail drawer for my Biesemeyer fence and found someone on Ebay selling 18 inch or 36 inch long drawers that fit Biesemeyer rails for $ 25 or $ 30. I ordered some 18 inch ones and will see how they are.

[@jayhitek]

I love the more laid back not sponsored Marc. He's a refreshing cup of joe.

[@janitorbob2008]

Isn't he still sponsored by tightbond?

[@jayhitek]

@@janitorbob2008 never let the truth get in the way of a good story

[@SirFrankoman]

Woodpeckers rip flip is another great accessory to have, it lets you micro adjust your fence!

[@texascraftsman7215]

Hey you ever think about building a custom cabinet under the wing of the saw for storage… it’s really convenient and looks awesome but I’d like to see what to come up with

[@billystray7007]

I've been planning to do the aluminum extrusion fence thingy since the plastic laminate started coming loose from my Biesemeyer , a little harder because it appears to be attached with self tappers, then plastic laminated Super glue has been my answer But that add-on is on my list

[@gregmize01]

The collection my friend Is flappin' in the wind 😁😁😁😁

[@WalterCoolbaugh-rx8ff]

What bolts are you using to attach the fence

[@msk3905]

I need to get that last Jessum upgrade

[@coiltap6491]

Is there any update to the recommended bolts for this? I bought the ones suggested and they pull through the keyholes on the fence no matter how carefully I try to get it setup.