Hi...Is there a trick to lining up the miter slots when making your own outfeed table? I really don't want to mess up! Thanks in advance!
Hi...Is there a trick to lining up the miter slots when making your own outfeed table? I really don't want to mess up! Thanks in advance!
Last edited by Bruce Page; 09-08-2011 at 5:37 PM.
Hi Lynn, Since the cut will be complete well before your miter gauge leaves the main table there's no reason to make the slots in the outfeed table tight. Make them a 1/4", or even 1/2" wider than they need to be, then just center them the best you can.
Mark
Mark R
They don't really have to line up ... they are just there for clearance of the miter bar ...as long as there is clearance beyond the saw's table, it's OK ... alignment is not critical ...
I set a 4' piece of t-track that happened to be 3/4" wide in the slot and let that extend out over the outfeed table. I then routed a 1" wide slot centered on that path. A ripped piece of 3/4" stock would work well enough.
"A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".
– Samuel Butler
I'm in the process of finishing mine...and I messed up the slot. One extra kerf exactly an inch away from where I wanted it. So I balanced things out by cutting another one exactly an inch from the other slot. I call it decoration. Needless to say, I'm probably not a good source of advice in that regard. Good luck--I'm sure you'll do better than I did.
I just made my outfeed lower than my table saw. the mitre gauge simply floats over the table.
Paul
You know, I worried about that and almost didnt post because of that. But it works fine. I do use grr-rippers for pushing.
Paul
Thanks you guys for the help. I should have know that the width of the slot didnt matter. Anyway...thanks!!
I primarily use a sled and not a miter gauge, so I wanted to make sure the sled would track accurately throughout the full range of motion (this may be more than needed). So I mounted my outfeed table to my saw. Then I lined up two pieces of MDF with the sides of the slot and used a router with a template bit to cut the slots in my outfeed table. So the slots in my outfeed table are exactly the same width as the slots in my table saw, and they are straight extensions of the slots.
Easy to do and if you ever need accurate slots, you have them.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
I can see where Mike's solution would be really nice, but depending on your fence rail system it may be more difficult. If you have rails front and back, things get more complicated...
Thanks for all your help! I have an idea of how Im going to do it now. It will be on a Grizzly 1023RL...which has a back rail. I think I can work around this...but if any of you have a quick solution it would be most appreciated. I am sorry for the misspelling in the subject line...I couldnt find a place to correct it.
Please help support the Creek.
"It's paradoxical that the idea of living a long life appeals to everyone, but the idea of getting old doesn't appeal to anyone."
Andy Rooney