How To Build a Radial Arm Saw Table? – Complete Guide

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how to build a radial arm saw table

Most radial arm saws come with a relatively flimsy and insufficient table which doesn’t tend to support the workpiece very well. This article will show you how to build a better table for it, which will allow you to achieve much more accurate cuts.

Using a pencil and ruler, draw out where you want your brackets to go on both boards (I’ve done everything in inches). I suggest putting at least 4-6″ between each one. This should leave some space for clamping down workpieces securely.

Drill pilot holes into the boards where you’ve drawn out the brackets, and attach them by screwing in some bolts through the L-brackets. Make sure to keep the distance between each one equal both horizontally and vertically so it all comes together nicely at the end of this step.

Using a pencil and ruler, draw out where you want your brackets to go on both boards (I’ve done everything in inches). I suggest putting at least 4-6″ between each one. This should leave some space for clamping down workpieces securely.
Drill pilot holes into the boards where you’ve drawn out the brackets, and attach them by screwing in some bolts through the L-brackets. Make sure to keep the distance between each one equal both horizontally and vertically so it all comes together nicely at the end of this step.

Now drill another couple of pilot holes somewhere near the top edge of your baseboard, big enough for your longer screws to fit through. Attach the other side of your table with these screws and some washers and nuts on the inside, just like you would for a normal doorknob.

And that’s it – your new sawing station is all built! You’ll probably want to sand down the edges of the wood before use though, as they may get in the way during more intricate cuts. How to build a crosscut sled for the table saw.

Tools:

  • A circular saw or tabletop saw (I used a circular saw for this project)
  • Power drill (with different bits – I used my cordless one, with 1/4″ and 3/8″ size bits)
  • Stud finder (optional)
  • Pencil
  • Ruler or measuring tape 
  • Measuring spoons (optional but helpful to get the correct amount of screws you need for your brackets). 
  • A came hammer to secure your hinges in place with nails or hooks if necessary
  • Wood glue (optional) 
  • Sandpaper 
  • Clamps 
  • Drill brush 
  • Big flat-head screwdriver Wrench 
  • Saw 
  • Drill bits 
  • Drill 
  • Carpet tape (optional)

Materials: 1 board 18″x36″ (45cm x 91cm) 1 board 18″x3/4″ (45cm x 20mm) 2 hinges 6 L-brackets (the kind which comes with bolts and wingnuts) Power drill (to drill pilot holes for the screws and bolts, since I don’t have a cordless one, or rather haven’t seen that happen) 2 screws, to fix the hinges to the tabletop

Step 1:

Decide on what you want your table to look like. For the most part, it will be a square but for this project, I decided to make mine rectangular. You can get more creative if you want or go with my design, either way, it’s up to you! To measure out how big my wood needed to be I used two sheets of paper that were 9″x9″. This left me with a little extra space on each side so that when I hammered in the nails they wouldn’t stick out and hurt me.

Step 2:

With a pencil, mark where you need to cut your board using the papers as a guide. I measured one piece of paper and made a mark at 3″ and another at 6″. That way I knew where to cut both ends. If you want your board to be perfectly square, measure the length of one sheet of paper and then make marks every 4 inches.

Step 3:

You can use a handsaw or table saw (if you have one) to get straight lines for your cuts. I used my circular saw but if you don’t have one of those either option works fine! Read more here How to build a table saw.

Step 4:

After cutting down the board with the pencil markings make sure that everything is actually straight by using your ruler or measuring tape. If not, use a hand saw or jigsaw (again, if needed) and make sure it is all cut smoothly and properly. 

Step 5:

Now that your board is cut down to size, measure out where you’re going to drill the holes for the brackets. I used a 1/4″ bit since my bolts are 1/4″ in diameter. If yours are bigger or smaller make sure to use a different sized bit.

Step 6:

Drill out all of your pilot holes with your power drill and make sure they are big enough for the bolts to fit through! It’s much easier this way rather than trying to do it by hand with an actual drill bit later on. Just remember not to make them too large if you don’t want the wood pieces falling apart again which could be dangerous if they came loose while sawing. Not only that but it will affect the structural integrity as well as what you’re trying to accomplish with this project.

Step 7:

Now it’s time to assemble your brackets. If you have some spare screws from another project or maybe some leftovers from a previous IKEA furniture build these can come in handy for this part if you don’t want to buy new ones (although they are pretty cheap and you might find them at a hardware store). Just make sure that whatever size screw is needed to match your pilot holes! For my brackets, I used 3/4″ long, 1/4″ wide bolts and washers along with normal black drywall screws. You could also skip the washer and use the bolts directly into the pilot holes but it’s up to you.

Step 8: 

To assemble the brackets just put the washers on the bolts and then line up your pilot holes. If you’re using drywall screws or something similar, these are pretty cheap so I suggest getting some sort of clamp or clamping system to help hold the wood in place while screwing them together; this will make sure they don’t fly apart when putting it all together later. Once everything is secure (make sure your boards align properly with one another) take out any excess bolt sticking past the edge of the board with a wrench or socket set if necessary. You don’t want this protruding into your wood pieces because it could puncture through to where you’re going to be working on your saw – nobody wants that! Read more here How to build a miter saw table.

Step 9:

Now that your brackets are assembled all you have to do is attach them to the wood. Start by lining up the boards as if they were one with two brackets on each side and then drill in a few pilot holes into where they meet just as before. Be sure to only use the screws on one side of the piece since this will help keep everything straight.

Once those are secure, line up another bracket on both sides with a little space between them and screw it in so that everything fits together tightly with no gaps or wiggle room. I screwed mine in from both sides although some might be better off using a clamp system again rather than going back and forth with inset screws – it’s really up to you!

Step 10: 

Once the brackets are secure just attach them to the table saw! If you’re working with a cheaper saw like me, these brackets will be simple to screw onto your rail. On more expensive models I would assume that there is a different type of assembly system so if mine can do it theirs probably can as well.

Just line up your bracket and drill in a few screws from whatever side you can reach best. Since my saw is small and not very heavy-duty, I was able to use a power screwdriver for this part but if yours is too heavy or simply doesn’t have electric attachments, make sure to manually tighten everything down tightly with an Allen wrench instead (or some other hex key).

Once those are secured don’t forget to put them on the other side as well!

Now that everything is lined up and your saw can sit on the rail, it’s time to attach the table.

Step 11:

This part is pretty easy if you built your brackets correctly, just line up the center of the wood with where it will go over the blade and put in enough screws so that it stays together but not so many that you prevent yourself from sliding it around on the rail when necessary.

I had to use an Allen wrench for this part since my power screwdriver couldn’t reach between my brackets but either way works fine; just be careful not to strip them or tighten them down too much!

Once those are screwed in place slide your wooden piece off of your saw while leaving your brackets attached (you may need some help) and mark where they hit on your rail. This is important because you need to know the rough height of your saw (or table if there isn’t one) before actually putting it back on!

A Video On How To Build a Radial Arm Saw Table

If you want to learn or know how to build a radial arm saw table you have come to the right place. After watching this you will have a good idea of building a radial arm saw table.

Learn How To Build a Radial Arm Saw Table

Conclusion

After everything’s marked down and you remove the brackets, line them up as if they were still attached to your board, and transfer those measurements onto it so that when you put everything back on you have a good fit. Once that’s done just screw them into place on both sides of your boards with either more black drywall screws or some wood screws (but not both) and you’re done!

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592 thoughts on “How To Build a Radial Arm Saw Table? – Complete Guide”

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