In the last issue of the Carba-Tec® Focus magazine we featured a brief overview, and for some, an introduction to the Triton Router and Router Table System. In this issue we are stepping back in time to see where it all began. A time when a Melbourne based journalist and amateur inventor saw the possibility of using his existing power tools as the backbone for an entire woodworking workshop system.

The Series 2000 Triton Workcentre is the culmination of years of development and re-design - starting in 1976 with the very basic Mk1 Triton Saw Bench - going through five major upgrades to finally arrive at the current Series 2000 Workcentre you see today.

The major driving factor behind the design of both the Workcentre, and the Router table, was to allow the owner to make use of power tools that they already had, and re-use them in an entirely different, and quite possibly safer way. The router table achieved this by mounting the Router upside down, allowing for work to be performed above the table, pushing the timber through the tool, rather than the tool through the work. The Triton 2000 Workcentre does the same thing, with a handheld power saw, mounting the saw upside down with the blade through the tabletop, making it a safe means of trimming and sizing both large sheet timber products, and accurately working smaller timber. Again, pushing the work through tool, not the tool through the work.

The Triton Workcentre has the ability to safely and securely mount any handheld power saw, from 7-1/4” up to 9-1/4”, accurately aligning the blade to a sliding fence system not unlike that on any dedicated workshop table saw. The bonus being that the mounting of the saw is not permanent, giving the user the ability to quickly remove the saw so it can be used for traditional handheld sawing. The saw can just as easily be returned to the Series 2000 Workcentres saw chassis, ready for use as a table saw, without the need for re-alignment.

One of the most important things to look for on any table saw are the safety features. The Triton Workcentre has several that are supplied standard with the unit. These include an excellent clear blade guard that is adjustable in height and inbuilt anti-kickback fingers that provide ample support for the timber.

The handy sliding push stick has a track on the back of the fence assembly that it is mounted to, this allows you to push the rear of your work piece through and past the blade. Very handy when you have thin boards that would normally require you to get you fingers just a little closer to the blade than you my be comfortable doing.

The Series 2000 Workcentre forms the backbone of the Triton workshop system, with a great range of optional accessories that allow the owner to add various components as and when the needs arise, allowing you to build the system over time. That being said, the stock standard Triton Series 2000 Workcentre (when coupled with your own power saw) is a very capable workhorse.

The included protractor acts like any regular mitre gauge, and slides on either side of the blade it’s used to perform cross cutting operations of various angles. A nifty feature on the protractor is the opposing 45-degree faces, which allows you to cut perfect 90-degree mitre joints with ease and accuracy. Mounted on the protractor is a side pressure finger which when positioned just in front of the blade, and the normally sliding protractor is locked in position, will help keep your fingers away from the blade when ripping smaller boards.

The cutting capacity is very healthy, with a full 620mm ripping width, which is comparable to many of our dedicated table saws. Basic bevel ripping (at 45 degrees) can be carried out utilising the reverse side of the fence assembly. Other angles, between 15 to 90 degrees can be achieved even more easily with the optional Triton Bevel Ripping Guide.

One of the most popular accessories is the height winder kit. Without the kit, blade height adjustment is carried out below the table, using your saws inbuilt adjustment. With the kit fitted, all adjustments are made above the table with the supplied winder handle. Accurate blade adjustment is far easier when you can comfortably see both the saw blade tips, and the thickness of you work piece, if you can avoid bending down with your head under the table, it’s worth every dollar.

The need to increase the cutting capacity of the standard Series 2000 Workcentre is going to depend entirely on what work you hope to achieve. You may well find the already generous 620mm ripping width is plenty for your needs. If you ever need to work with any sheet type products, you will quite possibly want both a wider rip width, and more support for the sheet. Triton offers two options for increasing this capacity in their Mini and Maxi Extension Tables. These tables mount off the side of your workcentre, and increase ripping width from 620mm, to 1040mm and 1220mm respectively. Both tables easily disconnect from the Workcentre for knock down and storage when not being used.

A simple yet important addition is the Triton Series 2000 Workcentre Dustbag. The Dustbag is a fabric enclosure that surrounds the saw chassis and saw, and forms a funnel to direct the vast majority of sawdust down below the table and into the detachable collector bag. The Dustbag has a unique ‘sock’ that allows the motor of the saw to be sealed outside the bag so that it gets fresh, clean air. Add on a Triton Dust Bucket, which when coupled with your shop vac or household vacuum cleaner, will connect to the blade guard on your Workcentre and collect the vast majority of dust.

Another standard feature of the Series 2000 Workcentre is its Crosscut Mode. Removing the table top, and inverting the saw chassis assembly so that the saw is now above the workcentre, and now replacing the table top beneath the saw, means that you have a safe and successful way of moving the blade, through the timber (or moving the tool through the work) in a similar way that a mitre saw works. This crosscut mode allows quick and accurate cuts of smaller sizes of timber (regardless of timber), and with a little practice, you can successfully cut very thick pieces of timber, perform compound mitre cuts (two angles at the same time), and even learn the art of ‘kerfing’ (or bending) timber.

For added mobility in your workshop, add a set of easy to fit, knock down wheels. If space is an issue, or if you need to move you Workcentre from one location to another, the entire unit fold down to only half its height.

I hope you can now understand how the Triton Series 2000 Workcentre can form the basis of a very comprehensive, workshop system. The standard features of the workcentre allow for a full range of both basic and complex cuts, and adding accessories simply expands the ability and capacities. For all the standard accessories and safety items, the Triton provides handy hooks, hangers and clever spots to store them so they’re always close to hand. If you can put your hands on them, you’ll probably use them, and then hopefully, you’ll put them back.

The Triton Router Table (from the last edition) was originally designed as another great accessory for the workcentre. It has of course now grown into a system of its own. The Router Table (without its optional stand), locks into the top of the Workcentre after you have removed the tabletop and saw chassis. You now have a Routing Centre, with the ability to add many other great Triton accessories.

If you’re new to woodworking and looking to start with well designed tools, or if you’re looking for a safe, accurate and low cost way to utilise your existing power tools, I encourage you to have a closer look at the Triton Workshop System features. Drop in to one of our stores and talk to our always-helpful staff. Discuss with them what you hope to ‘do’ and what you would like to achieve. They always happy to help you find the right tool for the job.