Outfeed Table Design

[tim walker]

Here is my design. The top is approx 47" x 84". There is an overhang to accommodate the rear exit dust ports on my SawStop. The casters are 5" tall. I have added a piece of 2x4 to lower frame for the casters to secure to. That leaves the table legs at approximately 1/2" off the floor (very uneven garage floor (concrete)). There is approximately a 3" overhang on each side. Will add 20mm parf holes to the top and there will most likely be drawers installed in bottom.

Skeleton.jpg Finished.jpg end view.jpg Skeleton 2.jpg Skeleton 3.jpg Side View 2.jpg

Any feedback is appreciated.

[Bruce King]

Anything works but need a way to fine tune the height and level. I have big lag bolt heads on the floor, going into plywood beams then built up from there. Just reach in with a wrench on the floor to turn the bolts.

[tim walker]

I like the lag screw idea, here is what I was previously thinking.
Leveler.jpg

[ChrisA Edwards]

I made mine from this design. Mine is on casters, so I can rotate it 90 degrees for longer outfeed support.

[Ryan Yeaglin]

From your drawings, I pose a question? Is this being built from plywood, hence the double thickness for everything? Also it looks like your top is of torsion box design, Why do you have so many cross members? THe bottom could be built with stretchers and 2-3 cross members the same goes for the top of the frame, the box designed top will hold all the weight, cross members of the frame just keep it "in shape" side to side. All of the weight will be transferred down via the frame from the top box. The frame could easily be fashioned from construction lumber and the top box from plywood or MDF (but would be very heavy). As to the levelers, think about how heavy the table will be, I see that allen key striping out.. i found these which are a little better and I wouldn't use the stamped steel wrench that is supplied.

[tim walker]

From your drawings, I pose a question? Is this being built from plywood, hence the double thickness for everything? Also it looks like your top is of torsion box design, Why do you have so many cross members? THe bottom could be built with stretchers and 2-3 cross members the same goes for the top of the frame, the box designed top will hold all the weight, cross members of the frame just keep it "in shape" side to side. All of the weight will be transferred down via the frame from the top box. The frame could easily be fashioned from construction lumber and the top box from plywood or MDF (but would be very heavy). As to the levelers, think about how heavy the table will be, I see that allen key striping out.. i found these which are a little better and I wouldn't use the stamped steel wrench that is supplied.

I am an engineer, thus the belts and suspenders with the cross members. May I ask your source for these leveling feet?

[tim walker]

From your drawings, I pose a question? Is this being built from plywood, hence the double thickness for everything? Also it looks like your top is of torsion box design, Why do you have so many cross members? THe bottom could be built with stretchers and 2-3 cross members the same goes for the top of the frame, the box designed top will hold all the weight, cross members of the frame just keep it "in shape" side to side. All of the weight will be transferred down via the frame from the top box. The frame could easily be fashioned from construction lumber and the top box from plywood or MDF (but would be very heavy). As to the levelers, think about how heavy the table will be, I see that allen key striping out.. i found these which are a little better and I wouldn't use the stamped steel wrench that is supplied.

I looked at these but the info says they only support 80# each or 320# for all four. My table will weigh a lot more thn that so I found some that support 1000# each Way overkill but hey.

[Brian Backner]

For my heavy machines I build mobile bases starting with 2 parallel 4x4s topped with a deck for the machine made out of 2x stock. Finally, on top are 4 perimeter 4x4s to capture the base of the machine. The whole thing is lag screwed together. In the 4 ends of the two bottom 4x4s, I first drill a 0.75" vertical through hole and then, from the bottom side, a 1.125" diameter hole 2.25" deep centered on the 3/4" one. I then press in a 2-1/4" long 3/4"-10 threaded rod coupler until it seats (I used to epoxy these in place, but found it wasn't necessary). Then I thread into these 3/4"-10 x 4" carriage bolts. Against the floor, I use hockey pucks with a centered 1.25" diameter x 1/4" deep recess (Forstner bit) to hold the heads of the carriage bolts and keep them from scoring the floor when you adjust everything to level. Oh, how do I move whatever this beast is holding? A pallet jack - it slips easily between the bottom pair of 4x4s. If you have machines (or a table) narrower than the 27" width of the a standard pallet jack, they do come in narrower widths (15" is relatively common). I can (with effort) move my Crescent P24 planer (4,000#) this way.

For your outfeed table, I would drill the holes in the bottoms of the four legs and just make sure the lowest shelf is within about three inches of the floor so a PJ can get under and then lift it (most PJs can slip into a space 2.5-3" high and can lift to 6-7").

[Joe Chritz]

Just curious as to what the idea for the miter bars is going to be. I am going to be rebuilding my torsion box outfeed soon and the current one has two layers of MDF with slots for the miter bars to fit. I have kicked around a couple ideas but would be interested in what others have done. I want to move to one with the dog holes as well so doubling up a top doesn't seem as easy as it was before.

Joe

[ChrisA Edwards]

Just curious as to what the idea for the miter bars is going to be. I am going to be rebuilding my torsion box outfeed soon and the current one has two layers of MDF with slots for the miter bars to fit. I have kicked around a couple ideas but would be interested in what others have done. I want to move to one with the dog holes as well so doubling up a top doesn't seem as easy as it was before.

Joe

If I'm understating you, your concern is where the miter slots will be in the outfeed top.

If so, when I built my outfeed table, as a torsion box, in the area where the miter slots would be, I doubled up the MDF. The rest is all a single thickness, 3/4" MDF. Had I decided to do the bench dog holes, I would have done the internal skeleton different.

The center front rectangle is where it's doubled up.


The top side

[Lee Schierer]

Anything works but need a way to fine tune the height and level. I have big lag bolt heads on the floor, going into plywood beams then built up from there. Just reach in with a wrench on the floor to turn the bolts.

I would use toggle clamps to raise the casters slightly off the floor so the table won't move.
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[Alan Lightstone]

This leads to an interesting question. At what height should the outfeed table be in relation to the table saw. I always thought it should be slightly lower (as I built mine), but how much is "slightly"?

I'll have to adjust mine in the near future, as I'll have to shim up my table saw by a small amount (don't ask...)

[Michael W. Clark]

This leads to an interesting question. At what height should the outfeed table be in relation to the table saw. I always thought it should be slightly lower (as I built mine), but how much is "slightly"?

I'll have to adjust mine in the near future, as I'll have to shim up my table saw by a small amount (don't ask...)

Hi Alan, I tried to put mine at least 1/16" or more below the tablesaw. I had some of the laminate come loose and hang on sheets I was cutting so put some tape on it (see photo). I think the main thing is not to have it above on the backside of the saw table. The extension table isa glorified catch in my opinion so I don't have to worry about supporting the entire workpiece through the cut. As you get away from the table, being equal or higher in height would probably not be noticed
IMG_0527.jpg.

[Alan Lightstone]

Thanks, Michael. I feel like mine is too low presently (I'll have to measure.)

The one episode of kickback I had, years ago, was caused by my outfeed table, unbeknownst to me, being slightly higher than the table saw, and catching on a piece of wood after it went through the blade.

Impressive power. I was wondering whether I was going to bleed out from my liver or spleen. Fortunately, neither.

I think Jim is referring to the thread I started about my assembly table / cabinet that is very big and was noticeably sagging in the middle. Putting two fixed legs of the appropriate size in the middle, then four casters on the corners fixed that wonderfully. Much to my chagrin, large angle iron which I have under the bottom wasn't sturdy enough, and didn't prevent the sag. There's a lot to be said about building a torsion box, which I didn't do, and would absolutely do again in retrospect. My $0.02

[Ole Anderson]

This leads to an interesting question. At what height should the outfeed table be in relation to the table saw. I always thought it should be slightly lower (as I built mine), but how much is "slightly"?

I would think just enough so that your boards won't catch in the edge as you push stock past your cast iron table. A round over on the leading edge would allow you to make them level. Mine is a much smaller fold-down table attached to the saw, so I don't need levelling legs.