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I recently scavenged a broken Ryobi cheap table saw from the curb (somehow the motor had been broken off at the arbor end!) Got a much better fence than the broken plastic one on my cheap import table saw and a decent blade, for free, plus parts like the table below.

Anyway I noticed that this one had these large holes on the wings of the table, as does mine. Do these serve any actual purpose? I thought about maybe it's someplace to clamp a router to make an auxilary router table, but there's nothing under the table to make that work.

Table saw table

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    The BTS10 manual shows these in all the line drawings, but makes no mention of what they are for, if anything. Neither does the exploded parts diagram from Sears.
    – jdv
    Oct 4 '21 at 20:29
  • @jdv, nice one for checking that. My first thought was that these were going to be, just because, but they sure do look like they're deliberate and should have some sort of function...... I'll be v interested to see if they turn out to have no purpose.
    – Graphus
    Oct 4 '21 at 23:11
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    @jdv how did you divine from that picture & text that this is a Ryobi model BTS10? we're not worthy. we're not worthy!
    – FreeMan
    Oct 5 '21 at 12:28
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    Heh. Ryobi is a venerable enough brand that image searches using what we know from the description eventually showed the exact table in the first page results. One or two of those x-ref to the model number and then searches were rotten with manuals and exploded parts lists for the model through the entire run (which was a long time, actually -- this model had a long and fruitful life, apparently). I will admit my search-fu is pretty good.
    – jdv
    Oct 5 '21 at 13:28
  • As a data point, later manuals for this model did away with the top with voids in it in favour of a very simple top. My gest guess at this point was that this was either a borrowed design initially, or it was to assist with manufacturing, given that this table and saw was used in a bunch of rebranded store items over the decades. But there appears to be no jig or accessory that uses those holes. Not an answer because this is just internet sleuthing.
    – jdv
    Oct 5 '21 at 13:30

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