My plan for the day was to get started with the next new building that will be near the west property line, but an inch of rain and the threat of more kept me inside. I began by adding another layer of particle board to the counter top I installed on Thursday night, then I painted the inside of the upper cabinets. While I waited for this to dry I installed the radial arm swa top. This took a bit of work, the picture above shows the blocks that I used to fasten the saw frame down. There are a total of 8 blocks in the corners of the framing and will hold it in place without fear of vibration loosening it. You can see the saw top cut-out marked by the other arrow. I used a 4" diameter hole saw to cut a hole. The next step was to rip the piece in half and to carve out the back half of the hole so I could tip the piece into place.
I made two center supports to replace the metal pieces supplied with the saw. Although the metal will not warp or be effected by humidity I felt that the ability to fasten the top down would work better with wood. This saw, a Sears Craftsman, is about 30 years old and like so many Sears power tools has problems with design. In this case the adjustmets holding the blade square to the table and true for tavel have been a constant headache. One problem will be eliminated by this method of installation. The old top, a 1" thick piece of particle board warped terribly when ever the humidity went up, by fastening it to four supports I hope to hold it in alignment regardless of the moisture level in the air. My final project of the day was to complete the upper cabinet painting. Tomorrow I will be able to set some material in them so I can make room to continue building cabinets down the north wall.
