Improving the SawStop Outfeed Table

[Alan Lightstone]

When you receive a SawStop Contractors Saw, the first thing you see is a warning not to lift the saw on the mobile base with the outfeed table attached. This is to prevent damaging the table whose only attachment points to the saw are on the rear fence end, with two legs carrying significant weight on the other end. When you lift up the base, the table droops down towards the legs due to the weight involved (23 lbs).

It struck me that if the legs were replaced by legs with gas springs with casters on the bottom, when you lifted the table, the legs would elongate and the legs would still be on the ground supporting the outfeed table's weight. Plus there would be two more rolling legs.

I'm going to build this, but don't know a good source for gas springs that can carry that weight. Any suggestions?

So basically, 23# weight, 0.75" travel, and my Sawstop could easily move with the outfeed table attached.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Good place to start:

http://www.gassprings.net/
.

[Alan Lightstone]

Looks like wholesale only, though they may refer me. Any easy to obtain retail outlets that sell gas springs?

[Mitchell Andrus]

Any easy to obtain retail outlets that sell gas springs?

My #1 source for everything:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#gas-springs/=73mv9s

You could also Google "gas springs retail" and click a few results.

Another option would be to specify the exact model you need and someone here could order some for you.
.

[Prashun Patel]

If I'm understanding correctly, the problem yr having is that the legs of the outfeed are not mobile. Why not just put them on casters and hinge the connection to the rear fence (bolt a 1x onto the rear rail, and then hinge mount it to the outfeed table. That way when you raise the saw, the rear table legs will remain grounded and will follow wherever you move it.

[Alan Lightstone]

If I'm understanding correctly, the problem yr having is that the legs of the outfeed are not mobile. Why not just put them on casters and hinge the connection to the rear fence (bolt a 1x onto the rear rail, and then hinge mount it to the outfeed table. That way when you raise the saw, the rear table legs will remain grounded and will follow wherever you move it.

That's an interesting approach. I was looking to have the outfeed table's legs elongate due to the gas spring when the mobile base is lifted, supporting the table safely. The leg / gas spring would retract to its normal position when the table was lowered. A caster on the bottom of the leg would facilitate movement.

I think an elegant solution, but I need the proper gas spring to make it work.

[ben grossman]

Alan, the gas struts are a pretty neat idea, but wouldn't the hinge be more "elegant" due to its relative simplicity? Gas struts tend to wear out and leak (though probably after far more use that what you are talking about). You would have to have limit stops (if I am envisioning this correctly) and so forth. The hing is just a hinge and a stop.

[Prashun Patel]

If your saw is really going to be mobile, then the most elegant is an outfeed table that's not supported on the floor with rear legs at all, but is supported by 45deg brackets that attach near the base of the saw.

Also people typically want a mobile saw so they can move it out of the way - in which case a folding or hinged o.f.t. (either leg or bracket supported) would be ideal so it can be folded down when not in use.

In the spirit of over-engineering, consider yet another approach: flip down casters on your o.f.t.'s legs. The table doesn't really need to be infinitely height adjustable (per struts) - just dual-height.

[Kent A Bathurst]

Good place to start:

http://www.gassprings.net/
.

Ya know what, Mitchell? You're a solid-gold treat. I have this blood-brother rule [with myself] that I won't read any more g****n SS threads, but I broke my rule just now. And what do I find from you? Not goats, but gas springs information.

One neighbor has a rear deck, with a 2-piece "hatch" to access the crawlspace. Heavy to lift. His version of SWMBO has been....a-hem..."suggesting" to him they needed a different access method, because she can't lift the hatch sections (riiiight - like SHE is going down there to get something!!). He wouldn't be considered "handy" if he had more arms than an octopus. So me and the OTHER neighbor - restores motorcycles, works for one of the top-line cycle manufacturers - said "how hard can this be?" I figured out to use some kinda struts, like an SUV cargo door, estimated the weight for the wood decked hatch rebuild, then he and I spent 2 hours and 3 beers each figuring out the angles, dimensions, etc, so he could get the parts.

And you show up with the gassprings thing. BTW - our calculations are within 1/2" of the ones shown in terms of pivot point locations/angularity for the weight and piston travel.

The way I see it - you owe us each three beers. Or - you can send him one goat.

Maybe I'll just search for your posts, and quit wasting time on other things.

[Alan Lightstone]

Alan, the gas struts are a pretty neat idea, but wouldn't the hinge be more "elegant" due to its relative simplicity? Gas struts tend to wear out and leak (though probably after far more use that what you are talking about). You would have to have limit stops (if I am envisioning this correctly) and so forth. The hing is just a hinge and a stop.

Certainly a reasonable analysis.

Sometimes I just like learning how to use new things. It's like building a BMW. They never pass up a chance to use 10 parts to do something that requires 2. Works great until you need to have them fix it. Ah, overengineering...

For real space efficiency, I'm now leaning more towards hinging an outfeed table from the wall to meet the fence on the outfeed size. I have about 30" of wall space above the level of the saw table, which is the same size as SawStop's outfeed table. A couple of good hinges, and I'm done.

But that gas strut solution did seem pretty cool...