Outfeed table ideas for contractor saw?

[Michael Yadfar]

Early in my shop building, I bought a Ridgid portable contractor saw. If I were to buy a table saw now, I would have gone down a completely different path. At the time someone recommended it, and when I was at Home Depot I saw it was 30% off, so I jumped right on it. It's not a bad saw; it stores well in my small shop, the blade stays square, the fence isn't bad, it's portable so I can easily use it for jobs outside the shop, and it's got enough power to at least do what I want it to do. The drawbacks are basic things like small table size, lower quality, ok fence, having to double check to make sure everything's accurate, not having a cast iron table, and not having some capabilities of a cabinet saw like attachable outfeed tables. The first day I got the saw, stupid me, I cut a full sheet of 3/4" plywood myself with no extra support. I still have all ten fingers, but it was not a pleasurable experience. I guess I got too used to the previous saw I learned a lot of woodworking on, a really nice and big SawStop table saw.

The biggest issue, as mentioned, is me not having capabilities for an outfeed table and there's none on the market obviously for this saw. I guess on the job site they use a few guys? Toying with the idea, I've came across very few results from the internet on a DIY outfeed table for this saw. The only one I really came across the guy didn't have much detail on how to build, so I don't know how it attached to the saw. The thing I was thinking about doing was just building a table perfect height to the saw unattached. I don't know if this poses a safety hazard or not

[Doug Garson]

The problem with a separate outfield table is unless your floor is dead flat the outfield table height won't always match your saw table height. Better to support the outfield table off the saw so wherever you move the saw the table will still match. Have a look at the following link http://www.asimpledesignofocala.com/ and adapt the design to your saw. If you make the pins in the hinges between the saw and outfield table removable then you can separate the table for storage or to move them around.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Your outfield table doesn't need to be in the same place as your TS.

It can be a touch lower. Especially if you move your TS around your shop.

My concrete floor is a disaster. Built the outfield table folds up over on swing out gate-type legs.

The outfield table's top is a touch lower than the bottom of my mitre slots. And never ever had a problem.

Whatever I'm cutting just plops onto the outfield table as soon as it passes the trailing edge of the TS.

Howard

[Greg Hines, MD]

That is a cool idea. I am going to build one for my saw sometime. Not sure if I will use the sliding leg, or use a roller stand for it.

Doc

[Art Mann]

I built an outfeed table in the form of a cabinet with locking casters on it. The cabinet is 32 inches wide and 60 inches long and I can rotate it either way depending on the shape of the material I am cutting. The table has a Formica top on it and also serves as an auxiliary work and assembly table. I didn't bother cutting miter grooves in it corresponding to those on the table saw because I can just roll the table back several inches as needed when I use a miter gauge or sled. The height is 1/4 inch shorter than the table saw top by design and that has never been an issue.

[Shawn Pixley]

I have a SS contractor saw and shamelessly stole Jim Becker's outfeed table. It works great. Here is the link:

http://sawsndust.com/p-outfeed.htm