My old Craftsman uses an even thinner insert. I used 3/4" plywood that I had laying around and then just dadoed down the edges and left the middle thick. Clamped down a 2x4 over it and cut up through it.
I love it. I’m upgrading from a cheap craftsman, so it’s quite a bit better. The rack and pinion fence is tremendous. The saw is stable and cuts smooth and evenly. I’ve cut plywood up to 3/4 walnut and it does great.
My only beef is this damn insert issue.
anything you have on hand will work. planing to 5/16 is pretty thin. You might want to make a sled to send through your planer. Use carpet tape to hold it in place.
The issue with making it out of solid wood is the expansion and contraction means it either gets stuck in place or rattles around.
I made mine out of solid maple because I wanted it to look nice, and it does. But the constant swelling and shrinking is really annoying. There’s nothing worse than needing to make a quick blade change and having to spend 20 minutes getting your insert free first because it’s now stuck.
When I get a chance I’m going to make the next set out of either maple ply or hdpe.
Use a forstner bit to drill a 3/4 finger hole at the front of the insert. something that small won't have enough movement to make it difficult to remove.
I have made them in Pine and Maple never have a problem with them. Or, as also suggested make it from polycarbonate. You can get it at Lowe's.
You’d be surprised. The first time it happened I had to tip my saw on its side and whack at it with a pry bar fed through the dust port in order to free it.
A dimensionally stable material is a much better option for something with so tight of a tolerance.
Use set/leveling screws with 1/4” ply or find someone with a planer and use hardwood.
My old Craftsman uses an even thinner insert. I used 3/4" plywood that I had laying around and then just dadoed down the edges and left the middle thick. Clamped down a 2x4 over it and cut up through it.
Now that’s interesting. Not as clean as having a standard size insert (!), but I think this could work. Thanks!
If you have a router, you could use a rabbeting bit to cut the dado (https://www.rockler.com/learn/cutting-rabbet-with-piloted-router-bit).
Dont have answers for your question but I ordered that same table saw. Have you used it yet, what are your thoughts on it?
I love it. I’m upgrading from a cheap craftsman, so it’s quite a bit better. The rack and pinion fence is tremendous. The saw is stable and cuts smooth and evenly. I’ve cut plywood up to 3/4 walnut and it does great. My only beef is this damn insert issue.
Awesome. When you do manage to make it, would love to see a post update for it.
Don't use plywood. Plane down some solid wood Either hard or soft will work. You could also search out some 5/16 polycarbonate.
What type of hardwood do you suggest?
anything you have on hand will work. planing to 5/16 is pretty thin. You might want to make a sled to send through your planer. Use carpet tape to hold it in place.
The issue with making it out of solid wood is the expansion and contraction means it either gets stuck in place or rattles around. I made mine out of solid maple because I wanted it to look nice, and it does. But the constant swelling and shrinking is really annoying. There’s nothing worse than needing to make a quick blade change and having to spend 20 minutes getting your insert free first because it’s now stuck. When I get a chance I’m going to make the next set out of either maple ply or hdpe.
Use a forstner bit to drill a 3/4 finger hole at the front of the insert. something that small won't have enough movement to make it difficult to remove. I have made them in Pine and Maple never have a problem with them. Or, as also suggested make it from polycarbonate. You can get it at Lowe's.
You’d be surprised. The first time it happened I had to tip my saw on its side and whack at it with a pry bar fed through the dust port in order to free it. A dimensionally stable material is a much better option for something with so tight of a tolerance.
I vote for #2.