I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8), which
looks identical to the one in the following pictu

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen... 1120776841638

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie

"Curious" wrote in message

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts
should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie

FWIW, your link did not work for me, nor do I have a Canadian Postal code.

Don't worry too much about it ... just get a bolt/screw that will fit the
hole, and is of the appropriate length to get the job done.

With a bolt, a washer or two - flat washer on one side, lock washer on the
nut side - is generally a good idea also.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/14/05

Newb - Im curious to know a little more about what experience you've
had with power tools first off

Swingman wrote:

With a bolt, a washer or two - flat washer on one side, lock washer on the
nut side - is generally a good idea also.

I'm reminded of a comment a design engineer I worked for during one of
my college jobs when I asked him why he didn't specify lock washers.

He said, "Lew, the lock washer hasn't been invented that ****ing on the
bolt won't beat."

That was a long time ago, and over the years I began to understand why
he made it.

Lew

When I mounted my miter saw to my bench, I used the largest diameter bolts
that would fit easily through the holes. If I were to guess, I'd say 3/8"
carriage bolts, long enough to give about 3/4" to an inch of thread to work
with when they came through.

Clint

"Curious" wrote in message
news:dtize.1895663$6l.995722@pd7tw2no...
I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8), which
looks identical to the one in the following pictu

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen... 1120776841638

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts
should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie

Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a couple of
trips to Home Depot if I could.

"Clint" wrote in message
news:idlze.141039$on1.62741@clgrps13...
When I mounted my miter saw to my bench, I used the largest diameter bolts
that would fit easily through the holes. If I were to guess, I'd say 3/8"
carriage bolts, long enough to give about 3/4" to an inch of thread to
work
with when they came through.

Clint

"Curious" wrote in message
news:dtize.1895663$6l.995722@pd7tw2no...
I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8), which
looks identical to the one in the following pictu


http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen... 1120776841638

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts
should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this
screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie

Not enough experience with power saws to have watched each of these safety
videos twice in a roll:
http://www.powertoolinstitute.com/stream1.html

Thanks

"knowknot" wrote in message
oups.com...
Newb - Im curious to know a little more about what experience you've
had with power tools first off

Curious wrote:
Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a couple of
trips to Home Depot if I could.

Before you go to HD, don't you want to ask how long the 3/8" bolts
should be?

Just a suggestion, but take out your tape measure, and measure the holes.
You'll also want to measure the thickness of the countertop, and how much
extra you need sticking through the saw pieces.

If it was me, I'd probably suggest trying to standardize (as much as
possible) on one size bolt to use for your equipment. 3/8" is a nice number
in my garage. Then hike on over to HD, buy boxes of 3/8" bolts in a variety
of lengths (say 2", 3", and 4", plus maybe a few in the 1/2" increments),
along with several boxes of nuts and washers. Oh, and grab some wing-nuts
to fit on there, as well. That way, you'll be able to use the same size
wrenches on most of your equipment, and you'll have a bunch of lengths to
work with. It's also considerably cheaper to by "by the box" as opposed to
bagging up 4 at a time. You might blow $30 up front, but the odds of having
to run out to the Borg at an in-opportune time is much reduce. I try not to
buy individual pieces of hardware anymore, unless I'm SURE it's a one-time
thing.

Clint

"Curious" wrote in message
news:QAlze.1896658$6l.1809099@pd7tw2no...
Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a couple of
trips to Home Depot if I could.

"Clint" wrote in message
news:idlze.141039$on1.62741@clgrps13...
When I mounted my miter saw to my bench, I used the largest diameter
bolts
that would fit easily through the holes. If I were to guess, I'd say
3/8"
carriage bolts, long enough to give about 3/4" to an inch of thread to
work
with when they came through.

Clint

"Curious" wrote in message
news:dtize.1895663$6l.995722@pd7tw2no...
I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8), which
looks identical to the one in the following pictu


http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen... 1120776841638

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts
should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this
screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie

"Clint" wrote in message
along with several boxes of nuts and washers. Oh, and grab some wing-nuts
to fit on there, as well. That way, you'll be able to use the same size
wrenches on most of your equipment, and you'll have a bunch of lengths to
work with.

Suggest a few lock washers to round out the collection.

"Dhakala" wrote in message
oups.com...


Curious wrote:
Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a couple
of
trips to Home Depot if I could.

Before you go to HD, don't you want to ask how long the 3/8" bolts
should be?

Please do tell, oh, great supreme [facetious] one, with a bow, :-) In all
seriousness, your remark is right on yet polite. Yes, I do know how to check
using a tape measure. FWIW, seems like at least two manufacturers are using
3/8" diameter for those mount holes: Mastercraft and the one who made
Clint's miter saw.

No need for any more than one trip. Measure the holes. Measure the surface
you are going to bolt it to.

"Curious" wrote in message
news:QAlze.1896658$6l.1809099@pd7tw2no...
Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a couple of
trips to Home Depot if I could.

"Clint" wrote in message
news:idlze.141039$on1.62741@clgrps13...
When I mounted my miter saw to my bench, I used the largest diameter
bolts
that would fit easily through the holes. If I were to guess, I'd say
3/8"
carriage bolts, long enough to give about 3/4" to an inch of thread to
work
with when they came through.

Clint

"Curious" wrote in message
news:dtize.1895663$6l.995722@pd7tw2no...
I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8),
which
looks identical to the one in the following pictu



http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen... 1120776841638

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts
should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this
screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie

"Clint" wrote in message
If it was me, I'd probably suggest trying to standardize (as much as
possible) on one size bolt to use for your equipment. 3/8" is a nice
number in my garage. Then hike on over to HD, buy boxes of 3/8" bolts in
a variety of lengths (say 2", 3", and 4", plus maybe a few in the 1/2"
increments),


You can buy bolts? I always thought they came from the maintenance
department at work.

In article ,
"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:

"Clint" wrote in message
If it was me, I'd probably suggest trying to standardize (as much as
possible) on one size bolt to use for your equipment. 3/8" is a nice
number in my garage. Then hike on over to HD, buy boxes of 3/8" bolts in
a variety of lengths (say 2", 3", and 4", plus maybe a few in the 1/2"
increments),


You can buy bolts? I always thought they came from the maintenance
department at work.

All you can hope for now, is that Lars Ulrich didn't see your post.

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 22:59:21 GMT, "Curious" wrote:

I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8), which
looks identical to the one in the following pictu

http://www.canadiantire.ca/assortmen... 1120776841638

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Curious newbie



one that the threaded part will fit through the hole but the head
won't....

Curious (in dtize.1895663$6l.995722@pd7tw2no) said:

| I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8),

| The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal
| bolts should be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work
| surface. Is this screw size a particularly standardized one? Any
| suggestion as to what that diameter might be would be greatly
| appreciated. Thanks Curious newbie

McFeely's has a helpful chart of wood screw dimensions in their
catalog.

I've posted a chart with some machine screw (inch only, no metric yet)
info at the link below.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/CNC/TapTable.html

Curious wrote:
Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a
couple of trips to Home Depot if I could.

MEASURE THE FREAKIN' HOLE!!

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
"Clint" wrote in message
If it was me, I'd probably suggest trying to standardize (as much as
possible) on one size bolt to use for your equipment. 3/8" is a nice
number in my garage. Then hike on over to HD, buy boxes of 3/8"
bolts in a variety of lengths (say 2", 3", and 4", plus maybe a few
in the 1/2" increments),


You can buy bolts? I always thought they came from the maintenance
department at work.

Of course you can buy them, silly...just call the equipment
manufacture's parts department.

--
dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

"dadiOH" wrote in message
news:V2vze.3$ZN6.0@trnddc02...
Curious wrote:
Thanks for the info. I'll try 3/8" first. Just wanted to save a
couple of trips to Home Depot if I could.

MEASURE THE FREAKIN' HOLE!!

--
dadiOH

Of course I did. You are missing my point. It is a user's responsibility to
RTFM before using an engineered equipment, but it is also the duty of the
manufacturer to produce accurate and complete documentation in the manual,
which is, in this case, not only incomplete but also poorly written. Just
because I know how to use a tape measure does not release the manufacturer's
responsibility of FULLY documenting the product.

"Morris Dovey" wrote in message
...
Curious (in dtize.1895663$6l.995722@pd7tw2no) said:

| I just bought a compound miter saw (Mastercraft 8.25", 55-6814-8),

| The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal
| bolts should be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work
| surface. Is this screw size a particularly standardized one? Any
| suggestion as to what that diameter might be would be greatly
| appreciated. Thanks Curious newbie

McFeely's has a helpful chart of wood screw dimensions in their
catalog.

I've posted a chart with some machine screw (inch only, no metric yet)
info at the link below.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/CNC/TapTable.html


Thanks for the table of data.

"Curious" wrote in message news:_Evze.195214

Of course I did. You are missing my point. It is a user's responsibility
to
RTFM before using an engineered equipment, but it is also the duty of the
manufacturer to produce accurate and complete documentation in the manual,
which is, in this case, not only incomplete but also poorly written. Just
because I know how to use a tape measure does not release the
manufacturer's
responsibility of FULLY documenting the product.

I'm a technical writer. I'll be happy to write you a 200 page manual on how
properly fasten down your machine. ~ my services come very cheaply.

Curious wrote:
....
The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface. Is this screw
size a particularly standardized one? Any suggestion as to what that
diameter might be would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I used some 3" deck screws that happened to be laying on the bench when
I sat the saw down...figured I'd replace at some point but it's now been
5 years so don't guess it really needed anything more...

Geez!!!

Of course I did. You are missing my point. It is a user's responsibility to
RTFM before using an engineered equipment, but it is also the duty of the
manufacturer to produce accurate and complete documentation in the manual,
which is, in this case, not only incomplete but also poorly written. Just
because I know how to use a tape measure does not release the manufacturer's
responsibility of FULLY documenting the product.

the manufacturer of the saw did not manufacture the bench. therefore
they have no control over what hardware will be necessary to make the
connection. I mean, get real, dude. it's a bottom end chinese miter
saw. it's meant to either languish unused in a hobbyist's shop or be
consumed as a disposable on jobsites where abuse and/or theft are
uncontrollable. you're lucky they even gave you mounting holes.

The manual did not spell out what size of wood screws or metal bolts
should
be used to mount the saw to a wooden or metal work surface.

I presume this is a troll. Good job!

When I built my first boat, I was stumped as to what size the screws should
be to hold the planking to the frames. I called the designer; he woke me up
when he told me that I was going to have to use common sense over and over
in building the boat and now would be a good time to get started in that
direction. Enough said!

"Dave W" wrote in message
When I built my first boat, I was stumped as to what size the screws
should
be to hold the planking to the frames. I called the designer; he woke me
up
when he told me that I was going to have to use common sense over and over
in building the boat and now would be a good time to get started in that
direction. Enough said!

LOL ...now trying to figure out how/why/where my Dad, a geophysicist, was
designing boats??

Both my daughters will also tell you that they have heard that more than a
few times themselves.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 5/14/05

"bridger" wrote in message
oups.com...

Of course I did. You are missing my point. It is a user's responsibility
to
RTFM before using an engineered equipment, but it is also the duty of
the
manufacturer to produce accurate and complete documentation in the
manual,
which is, in this case, not only incomplete but also poorly written.
Just
because I know how to use a tape measure does not release the
manufacturer's
responsibility of FULLY documenting the product.

the manufacturer of the saw did not manufacture the bench. therefore
they have no control over what hardware will be necessary to make the
connection. I mean, get real, dude. it's a bottom end chinese miter
saw. it's meant to either languish unused in a hobbyist's shop or be
consumed as a disposable on jobsites where abuse and/or theft are
uncontrollable. you're lucky they even gave you mounting holes.


I have to disagree. The manufacturer of the saw made the mounting holes, and
every mounting hole has a fixed diameter. In terms of safety considerations,
it would have been a badly engineered product if they hadn't provided
mounting holes to fasten the saw on to a workbench. The manufacturer of the
saw DID provide the mounting holes, so why not the documentation of the
diameter of the hole?

I'm pretty sure that the mechanical engineering team who designed the
product has an exact number for the diameter of the mounting holes (or every
screw for that matter). The CAD/CAM draftsman or operator would need that
number. Somehow, someone along the way thinks that it is not important
enough to document it or someone thinks that it is in their best interest
not to document it.

If it is just an example of "familiarity (through standardization) breeds
contempt", I would accept it as an acceptable explanation to this newbie to
the world of carpentry. That is the reason why I asked in my original post
whether saw manufacturers have standardized on the diameters of these
mounting hole or not.

Sorry I asked this question in a carpentry forum. Perhaps a better forum to
ask is a mechanical engineering forum.

Curious wrote:
....
I have to disagree. The manufacturer of the saw made the mounting holes, and
every mounting hole has a fixed diameter. ...The manufacturer of the
saw DID provide the mounting holes, so why not the documentation of the
diameter of the hole?

Because anyone w/ an eye could tell the size simply by looking at them,
and if not, it would take about 15 seconds (30 at most) to measure them
to see...

.....

Sorry I asked this question in a carpentry forum. Perhaps a better forum to
ask is a mechanical engineering forum.


Actually, this is such a trivial issue it wasn't worth asking to begin
with...no one here could see your particular saw and you could have
measured them 10-times over in the time it took to post the original
message and you could have been to the store, bought the bolts and put
them in in the subsequent time wasted...

"Curious" wrote in message
mounting holes to fasten the saw on to a workbench. The manufacturer of
the
saw DID provide the mounting holes, so why not the documentation of the
diameter of the hole?

Last comment on what I'd consider to be an inane discussion. As far as I'm
concerned, if one needs documentation to provide hole size data for properly
fastening down the saw, then I'd consider that individual too inexperienced
to be using the saw anyway.

What you're asking about is documentation that takes hand-holding to the
extreme.

"Curious" wrote in message

I have to disagree. The manufacturer of the saw made the mounting holes,
and
every mounting hole has a fixed diameter. In terms of safety
considerations,
it would have been a badly engineered product if they hadn't provided
mounting holes to fasten the saw on to a workbench. The manufacturer of
the
saw DID provide the mounting holes, so why not the documentation of the
diameter of the hole?

I'm pretty sure that the mechanical engineering team who designed the
product has an exact number for the diameter of the mounting holes (or
every
screw for that matter).

Sure, they know the hole size. So what? That has nothing to do with the
engineering of the mounting system. They poke a hole using standard sized
tooling so that hole will fit a variety of fasteners, best determined by the
owner and user according to what it is mounted to. I'm sure that if it is a
metal table that 1/8" or 3/8" or M6 bolts will suffice in 99.9% of the
situations. If mounted on wood, any screw long enough will work. I
happened to have dome drywall screws handy at the time so I used them. I
probably have a half dozen others that would work too. Or even none at all
as I have for a long time to maintain portability.

In spite of you comments about safety considerations, tens of thousands of
saws are used on job sites every day with no mounting They sit on a table
top, planks, picnic tables, truck tailgates, front steps of the house, etc.
My DeWalt has two holes in each foot so you can easily use whatever fastener
is readily available. Just nail it down and start working.

Agreed.

"Upscale" wrote in message
...
"Curious" wrote in message
mounting holes to fasten the saw on to a workbench. The manufacturer of
the
saw DID provide the mounting holes, so why not the documentation of the
diameter of the hole?

Last comment on what I'd consider to be an inane discussion. As far as I'm
concerned, if one needs documentation to provide hole size data for
properly
fastening down the saw, then I'd consider that individual too
inexperienced
to be using the saw anyway.

What you're asking about is documentation that takes hand-holding to the
extreme.

"Dave W" wrote in message
...
When I built my first boat, I was stumped as to what size the screws
should
be to hold the planking to the frames. I called the designer; he woke me
up
when he told me that I was going to have to use common sense over and over
in building the boat and now would be a good time to get started in that
direction. Enough said!


Scotty (to new cadet trainee mechanic): This bloody Heisenberg induction
coil unit is rattling. Hand me a washer to steady it, will you?
Cadet: What size do you need, Sir?
Scotty: 3/8 of an inch. You'd better have that memorized before you graduate
from the academy.
Cadet: Eh, what's an "inch", Sir?
Scotty: Laddie, laddie! It's 4.76 micro-kellicams.
Cadet: Oh, about...eh, 9.5 mm.
Scotty: Yes.
Cadet: I'll get right on it, Sir. [And off he went.]
Scotty [turning to the science officer]: Cadets these days don't have any
bloody common sense.
Mr. Science Officer: It's actually closer to 9.53mm, Mr. Scott.

"Curious" wrote in message
Scotty: 3/8 of an inch. You'd better have that memorized before you
graduate
from the academy.
Cadet: Eh, what's an "inch", Sir?
Scotty: Laddie, laddie! It's 4.76 micro-kellicams.
Cadet: Oh, about...eh, 9.5 mm.
Scotty: Yes.
Cadet: I'll get right on it, Sir. [And off he went.]
Scotty [turning to the science officer]: Cadets these days don't have any
bloody common sense.
Mr. Science Officer: It's actually closer to 9.53mm, Mr. Scott.

Interesting that you should make the point of what others told you. 3/8",
9.5 mm, 9.53 mm, 8 mm, does not matter. They all will get the job done. If
it fits through the hole, it will work.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

If
it fits through the hole, it will work.

Also applies to some other things as I rememberG.

Lew

On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 14:44:49 GMT, "Curious" wrote:

I have to disagree. The manufacturer of the saw made the mounting holes, and
every mounting hole has a fixed diameter. In terms of safety considerations,
it would have been a badly engineered product if they hadn't provided
mounting holes to fasten the saw on to a workbench.

mounting a chopsaw to a bench is optional. I have owned a half dozen
or so of them over the years and have never bolted one down, and doubt
I ever will.


The manufacturer of the
saw DID provide the mounting holes, so why not the documentation of the
diameter of the hole?

because the freakin' hole is right there in front of you. it is
assumed that if you are cutting pieces of wood with a power saw that
you have and can use a measuring device of some sort, and that you
have at least a bare minimum of common sense.




I'm pretty sure that the mechanical engineering team who designed the
product has an exact number for the diameter of the mounting holes (or every
screw for that matter). The CAD/CAM draftsman or operator would need that
number. Somehow, someone along the way thinks that it is not important
enough to document it or someone thinks that it is in their best interest
not to document it.

not important enough. frankly, you can use any fastener you like, as
long as it will fit through the hole. if the head is too small, put a
washer under it. a drywall screw with a fender washer is well more
than adequate.





If it is just an example of "familiarity (through standardization) breeds
contempt", I would accept it as an acceptable explanation to this newbie to
the world of carpentry. That is the reason why I asked in my original post
whether saw manufacturers have standardized on the diameters of these
mounting hole or not.

they have not. nor will they.




Sorry I asked this question in a carpentry forum. Perhaps a better forum to
ask is a mechanical engineering forum.

you'll get the same answers.

Lew Hodgett wrote:
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

If
it fits through the hole, it will work.

Also applies to some other things as I rememberG.

Lew


Yeah, but will the saw have a good time?

Dan

On Mon, 11 Jul 2005 20:09:49 -0500, the opaque Patriarch
clearly wrote:

wrote in
:

snip

Sorry I asked this question in a carpentry forum. Perhaps a better
forum to ask is a mechanical engineering forum.

you'll get the same answers.


A 'carpentry' forum?!? Should I feel offended? ;-)

I thought our stuff was better than that.

What? Decade-long threads about RBS and poly (if not politics)
didn't clue you in, Glenn? tsk tsk tsk


---------------------------------------------------
I drive way too fast to worry about my cholesterol.
---------------------------------------------------
http://www.diversify.com Refreshing Graphic Design

Larry Jaques wrote in
:

snip

A 'carpentry' forum?!? Should I feel offended? ;-)

I thought our stuff was better than that.

What? Decade-long threads about RBS and poly (if not politics)
didn't clue you in, Glenn? tsk tsk tsk


So I put RBS on the redwood fences, and poly on the door trim, and this
place is now alt.home.repair?

Patriarch

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 14:08:42 -0500, the opaque Patriarch
clearly wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote in
:

snip

A 'carpentry' forum?!? Should I feel offended? ;-)

I thought our stuff was better than that.

What? Decade-long threads about RBS and poly (if not politics)
didn't clue you in, Glenn? tsk tsk tsk

So I put RBS on the redwood fences, and poly on the door trim, and this
place is now alt.home.repair?

No, that's over on the alt.home.repair forum. We're still the Wreck,
but a lot of the same talk happens here. Always has. C'est la vie and
all that.


- Ever wonder what the speed of lightning would be if it didn't zigzag? -
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