Hangin' onto your heavy metal???

[Greg Muller]

No, I don't mean "are you keeping your machines?"... That would be a very dumb question for this group and would probably end up with a mob visiting me with torches and pitchforks in the middle of the night for even asking...

I mean, how much stuff do you have attached to your cabinet saw/machines?

As woodworkers, space is at a premium and we are always looking for convenient storage... I've seen outfeed tables that weigh in excess of 50# attached with no other support...I've seen wood shelving bolted onto the metal cabinets of jointers, planer, etc... I've seen bolt-on panels that hold dozens of blades, accessories and jigs that had to weigh over 100#...

How much do YOU have hangin' from your machines? How many holes have you drilled into your cabinets (not the cast iron)??? How much is TOO much???

Personally, I haven't attached anything yet, but I want to see the limits that have been tested by others first.

I wanna see some pics!!!!!

Greg

[Jim Becker]

I am thinking that you can "hang" a lot on any of the machines with no ill effects. Iron and steel are quite strong. That said, whatever you "hang" does need to be properly supported as cast iron WILL bend. This particularly applies to your saws cast iron wings that are attached at one edge and are unsupported at the outside. (That's why the fence rails and legs are used to help hold up a right-side extension table)

[David Duke]

........... That said, whatever you "hang" does need to be properly supported as cast iron WILL bend. This particularly applies to your saws cast iron wings that are attached at one edge and are unsupported at the outside. (That's why the fence rails and legs are used to help hold up a right-side extension table)

Jim, you had it all right but one tiny but important thing, cast iron won't bend it BREAKS when overload with no support. It may slightly deflect to a very minor degree but because it is so brittle it will break very easily.

[Mike Cutler]

I have nothing hanging off of any machines. All auxillary tables and such can support their own weight. CI is deceptively weak.
The only machine I modified was my 14" Jet bandsaw. I put a nice big table on top of the existing table that required 4 holes to be drilled into the cast iron top.

[Steve Clardy]

I too have nothing hanging off of any machines

[Jim Becker]

Jim, you had it all right but one tiny but important thing, cast iron won't bend it BREAKS when overload with no support. It may slightly deflect to a very minor degree but because it is so brittle it will break very easily.

Deflection is probably the better word, but ductile iron does it...and you don't want that relative to tool accuracy.