Makita MLT100 aluminium zero clearance insert
I have the makita mlt100 table saw for almost 2 years and i can say that it's a saw that needs a lot of improvements. The first thing that i have made for this saw when i got it was a stand with out feed table.
Because of my work schedule i haven't used it as much as i wanted to... and my "honey do" list it's growing and some of the items from the list are made from wood i have to change this aspect and start using it more so i have to make some changes for the makita mlt100 table saw: first on the list zero clearance insert.
A while back i've made an insert for the table saw from plexiglass because the one that came with the saw it's a ... how can i say this one properly... a piece of crap.
The plexiglass insert it's not really zero clearance because for the blade slot i've used an 8mm router bit (the blade that i have now in the saw it has 2-3mm kerf) if you are going to watch the video that i've made for this build you are going to see this insert when i'm tracing a line on the aluminium insert.
Enough with the stories from the past and let's start with this build: the first step was to cut a piece of aluminium a bit bigger than the dimensions for the insert using my jigsaw with an aluminium cutting blade. The most time consuming step was sanding the oversize piece of aluminium until i had a snug fit on the table saw. At this point i can give you a good tip that i've learned the first time when i've made and insert for this saw: remove the 10 inch blade from the saw! because the insert will hit the blade.
Next i've marked the holes location for the screws that will keep the insert in place on the saw. I've drilled and countersink the holes.
With the insert mounted on the saw and the blade changed with a smaller one it was time to cut the aluminium insert. For this step i've used one of my jigs (straight edge cutting jig) to keep the insert in place even though the insert it's hold in place with screws ... better safe than sorry :). i've started the saw and raise the blade slowly until the blade was at the maximum height. The next step was to remove the insert from the saw and change the saw blade and do the same thing over again (clamp the insert down and raise the saw blade slowly until the slot was cut).
After the slot was cutted i've removed the insert again to clean the burrs and for this task i've used a trick that i've learned a long time a go... if you don't have the proper metal pile you can make it using a piece of sand paper and double sided tape and stick the sand paper to something that have the proper dimensions for the job and clean the burrs.
The first change that i have in plan for this table saw it's done, the next one will be the fence.
Thanks for reading
