Buying Bosch 4000 TS today…must haves
Hi All –
Ordering Bosch 4000 Tablesaw. Are there any *must haves* that I should get. How is the stock blade. My primary use right now will just be ripping plywood & I’ve got a couple of doorjambs I need to build out……or am I better off swapping the stock blade with a Freud *Red* blade.
-alan
Replies
Yes you will definitely need a new blade. I personally would get something other than the red, but it'll do if you so desire.
What would you recommend ? Like I said, it's primary job for now will be ripping plywood & door jambs. I will most likely end up using it when I do my wood floors also.
If I was going to get the red ones the Diablo would not be the blade I would get. IMO they are no better than Vermont America. I use Forrest but they are pricey so you may not want to shell out that much.
Others will come on here and recommend the Freud blades, they aren't the worst blade out there and it will be a big improvement over the blade that came with the saw.
Doug
Edited 6/21/2004 9:53 pm ET by Doug@es
Alan: I would go with the Diablo blade, I think hat would give you the best cut for you money, and the Diablo series contractor blades are made for your portable saw. I don't think you will be disappointed. good luck, See link below.
http://www.freudtools.com/contractors/rep/sawblades_diablo/Framing_Blades/html/Framing_Blades_1.html
Forget the dust bag, clogs easily.
Extension wings (front) might be a good idea.
I have a thick freud blade that defies finding the ripped edge. If you need a no. on the blade, might be able to find the paperwork. Thinner blades seem to wobble with no real way to stop it. Since I got the thicker blade, good smooth rips.
Some putzing with the outboard side of the blade guard plate so the wood doesn't get hung up. Seems to be a design flaw with the split plate.
A vac attached to the dust port with a box below catches alot of airborne dust.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
I'll second the crappy dust bag.
wishful thinking I guess, oh well, least it was only 10 bucks.
Wait a minute.....
I must have breezed by the first post of this....
They sell a dust bag for that saw???????
Ok, forget it.
Rob Kress
I use a Forrest blade stabilizer, and get real smooth rips out of the thin, red Freud combination blades. 'Course, I'm using a DeeWalt<G> I also recommend one of those miter slot feather boards, definite difference in cut quality.
That said, right now, I'm running a big, thick CMT kinda combo. Has stayed sharper longer than any blade I've ever used, and it cuts pretty smooth, even cross-cuts veneer plywood. Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Hi Alan,
Got the Bosch 4000 about a month ago. All in all a pretty good saw.
The blade is crap. On day 2 went out and bought the Freud big red and put their POS in the carrier. I’ll use it when the quality of the cut doesn’t matter.
In the “Must Have†dept.: (for my purposes)
Zero clearance inserts. If you have a router table, make your own. (If you don’t have a router table, make an insert for the Bosch.)
Router table insert. Mine works well for me, others may have different designs but it really is a must have. It gives you greater on site capabilities.
Fence extension. I made an extension that doubles as the RT fence with built in dust collection. If you go the RT route you really need some sort of dust collection. The fence itself is about 33†long, almost as long as the Beismeyer on my unisaw. The longer fence gives me greater control on long rips. (Had to remake the sight window for the ruler, )
In/out feed table. I submitted this design to FHB methods of work. Whether or not they use the idea this table really proved invaluable on my last job making window trim. I could easily cut 8’ boards without having to do a balancing act while cutting.
Splitter. I don’t use their splitter a lot because I make a lot of narrow cuts and it gets in the way. But I do like the safety a splitter offers so I cut one out of sheet metal. One cool thing about their design is the splitter goes up and down with the blade. On the unisaw, it is always up and sometimes in the way.
Cut off sleds. Both a 90* and a 45* for boards to wide for the chop saw.
These are some of the things that I’ve found useful. Hope it helps.
I’ll post some pics tomorrow if the rain holds off tonight.
Dan019
Dan,
Is that router table insert home made or an accessory Bosch offers?
if it's an accessorie that bolts to the table, can you post a pic or a link to where I could find it?
Adding a few items to the wedding registry. <G>Kevin Halliburton
"The Greek comic poets, also, divided their plays into parts by introducing a choral song, ... they relived the actor's speeches by such intermissions." Vitruvious, (Book V)
I have a tool buying problem
sue me.. ;)
least it aint crack right?
Its not a problem unless you can't afford to buy 'em.
Another reason to make sure your intended has a good job- so more of your income can go for tools.<G>
CAG,
No, it’s not offered by Bosch, it’s homemade. But the good news is it’s free!
Also, it’s not bolted on. It’s a drop-in insert. Easy in easy out.
Aaron,
The rain went away last night so I had the opportunity to get some pic.s.
There are no plans per se, as it’s a one-off kind of thing. But if you’d like I’ll take some more detailed shots and take some measurements along with a basic â€how I did it†set of instructions.(I don’t have anyway of posting hand drawn diagrams and I don’t do Paint Shop very well.)
Anyway, let me know what you think. Dan019
Dan - great design. I have been contemplating the very set-up that you have designed. As a weekend DIY, I thought such a setup would be ideal for my own uses.
Any concerns over the weight of the router and stability with the extra weight/pressure on the extension side - ie, tipping over or stress on the extension runners? I had been thinking of putting a brace under the extension when the router would be in place. Re: the TS and stand tipping over to the left, your TS stand certainly looks far more stable from the photos than the Bosch fold-up I bought with the TS.
As with the others, I would be very interested in a design description/plans.
Nicely done.
Cheers, Paul.
Edited 6/23/2004 12:22 pm ET by varoom
Dan,
Which portable stand are you using with the Bosch?
Billy
Billy,
I'm using the Ridgid from HD. Back in March the were selling all there stands for $100 so I bought one of each. I think the TS stand normally sells for $169. The MS stand was selling for $199.
They are good stands.
Dan
hey dan..
the router table is pretty slick.. could you show a couple shots of how it goes in/out
thanks
oak
To All,
Ok, here goes. If I don’t answer all the questions you have, please let me know.
On RT fence1 I tried to show the fence with a quick drawing with dimensions, however the wind blew the page off and I didn’t notice until latter. The RT fence dimensions are :
34 ¾†long
Width = width of the Bosch fence + dia. of vac hose + thickness of ply (x 3) +1/2â€
See RTF bottom view to get a better idea of what I’m trying to say.
On Bottom view w/Bosch fence you can see how the Bosch fence sits in its place.
The ply spacer was cut just a tad larger than the width of the fence. You’re looking for a tight friction fit here. Mine was a little too tight at first so I fit it by sanding the tight spots with a 30-grit disc by hand and then scraping with my scraper until I had the fit I wanted.
RTF installed is, obviously, the fence installed with the fence cover.
Dimensions shows the overall dimensions of the pine frame used to stiffen the ½†plywood top.
Top dimensions give the final dimensions of the top. The top itself is ½†Birch ply with white laminate because that’s what I had on hand. Decide where you want your router to sit underneath (so you will have access to any controls and such) and use the base plate to mark where the mounting holes will go. To find the center, mount the router with the smallest diameter bit you have (I used a countersink drill bit with a ¼†shaft) and slowly raise the router until it just touches the plywood. This is your center point. Remove the router and drill whatever size hole you want with a spade bit or hole saw. I made mine as large as the largest diameter bit I intended to use which was a stile and rail cutter set.
RT inserts shows a full view of the inserts. I painted them blue so it would be obvious to me they were part of RT system and not just scraps of pine that could be accidentally cut up for something else.
RT inserts dimensions shows the final dimensions of the inserts. Wherever a (+) or (-) shows up in my dimensions it means it either goes up or down by 1/32â€. It just makes it easier for me to read w/o introducing any math problems.
RT with inserts installed shows inserts installed.
RT top corner view shows a close-up of the corner. Notice that the pine frame and plywood top are not flush. This is so the fence will be able to slide left to right w/o catching on the top.
RT top installed shows the top installed before being locked in place.
I hope I have answered all the questions you may have had regarding the building of the Router Table fence and insert. If not, please let me know and I’ll try to clarify anything that’s still unclear.
Dan019
Dan
I dont have dial up but for those that do they are not going to be able to open your pics!
Go to Irfanview.com, download free, you can resize your pics, very easy. Makes it easy for the dial uppers. You can find info on it in the photo gallery, should be a thread on it, may have to go back a ways though.
I do like some of your ideas with the saw, have one myself and the idea of using the router table idea realy appeals to me. I have a nice router table but its not very practical, nor portable enough, to take on job sites.
Doug
dan...
thanks for the details... thats a great setup... now all i need is the 4000, which should be in a week or two...
i took the liberty of making a little easier on the dial up folks..
Dan-
1) How does the router insert affect your ability to use the table saw? Do you have to remove the insert prior to going back to the saw?
2) What do you think about a left side extension that would enable full use of the saw?
Thanks,
Michael
Hi Mike,
The only ability lost was the fence measurement scale. I just use a tape instead or else line up my mark with the cut line on that yellow circle gizmo. Otherwise, no, it doesn't interfere with the fence or anything else.
You could mount it on the left I suppose, but it would be more permanent and it would stick out the end of the folding table, at least in my configuration. I did it the way I did it so that it would be easy in/out, and only installed when I needed it.
Dan
Not only would I love to see some of the pictures, I would REALLY appreciate some downloadable plans.Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
The Rousseau stand for the Bosch is a pleasure to use. I bought my 4000 recon and saved a $100. You will love this saw.
Eric S.
yes I would buy a forrest blade. also make sure that the table saw comes with the extensions wings for left side and rear. also the pop up stand is great and works very well.