I am ready to add an outfeeed table and side extension to the left of my table contractors saw. Any preferance out their as to what is best : Melamine, plain MDF, baltic burch etc. I purchased the Rockler Table Saw Outfield Table Support but hardware only. Comes with heavy steel L brackets that bolt to back of frame between saw table and back fence support. Will require two legs, wood or steel? Plan is to cut large panels at times but more so for smaller CC sled and ripping, joinery projects.
Thanks for reading
Replies
home depot in canada carries a maple veneered 3/4 plywood, paint grade and not very good quality, but fine for shop cabinets and work tables if well supported
my router tables are made with the stuff as well and i laminated the tops with formica laminte
How difficult is to laminate the formica? Do you use heat from an iron like with the repair edging kits?
laminating the formica is easy, make your top to the final size, cut the laminate an inch or so too big, spread contact cement(i prefer the latex based stuff) with a paint roller on both surfaces(2 on the more porous ply) and stick them together after the glue is dry, trim the edges with a flush cutter in a router
my router tables match my bathroom vanity!!
I'll second the Formica (Or Wilson Art or other quality laminate.)
For one, it does exactly what one wants in creating a stable, slick, durable, flat surface. The big advantage is that it lasts and lasts and lasts.
I also guarantee that at some time you are going to be using that outfeed or side table to stage a glue up or two. No need to put down protective paper. The glue just pops off formica.
I did my side and outfeed tables in 1993 with formica. Still going strong.
Where did you obtain the formica or wilson sheets? Home depot or we have Lowe's here also they both sell counter tops pre fab never looked for the sheets though.
I have obtained it from a commercial supplier in the past here in NJ (Fabricator's Supply) and also from Home Depot and Lowes.
Check again, it's usually in that same cabinet/counter section where you saw the prefab laminated countertops. Though it has been several years since I've bought any.
Try this http://www.countertop.com/ to find a Wilsonart dealer
Or this http://www.formica.com/publish/site/na/us/en/index/applications/distributor_search.html to find a Formica Dealer.
In case these links don't work right, both Wilsonart and Formica websites can help you with a dealer locator.
OK I lucked out. There was a 4 foot section of counter top with wilson art formica that was damaged on one end the mngr gave it to me for 15 bucks. I am wondering if the particle board it is laminated to is OK for the outfeed table. Looks like it is a full 1 inch thick. perhaaps the bullnose front section will be nice for the back end anyway. I was able to the backsplash off with ease and have 24 inches depth to work with.
That bull nose on formed counter tops has a slight rise in front of it. you may have to cut it off.
Where can I get formica sheets?
home depot in canada carries about 8 different colours, check them
pick a smooth finish laminate though, my first top had a pebbly finish that marked the work pieces slightly!!
Something to consider - what about slots for your crosscut sled(s)? I found them to be a royal pain in the patoot. Junk always getting in them, boards tripping in them, etc.
My outfeed table is seperate from the TS so it floats on a frame, sitting just below the bottom of the miter slots. Sleds slide across the outfeed table - no slots required. 3/8" shims raise the outfeed table when I want it flush with the TS top. Life is good.
Your outfeed table frame attaches to the back of your TS so this kind of setup may not work for you. However you might be able to use your Rockler kit for a router table in one of your extension sides on the TS if you might be thinking of doing that instead.
Just another way to skin that cat I suppose.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
slippery is best. Less chance of the piece twisting on you.
As in formica or laminate toped slippery? I read where a guy used a silicone spray finnish on MDF but wouldn't sawdust stick and bind on it?
That's not a bad perspective, actually was thinking of trying to dado the slots and insert Kreig miter bars. Line up is the issue I would assume. I saw a fellow do that and he then placed wood pieces, runners I guess into the slots and this created a flat surface when sled not in use. I am also going that route with the router table. I like being able to use the fence I have, a Rigid with it's multiple grooves on sides and top for clamps. Router fence clamping to saw rip fence. I then would also have the fence capable of angled cuts when the rip fence was disengaged. In a deam world, the cast iron tables would be awesome but that world doesn't exist at 4-5 bills a table!!
Thanks for taking the time to write
Edited 5/10/2009 10:55 pm ET by bowmkr
You DO NOT want to have miter gauge guides in the outfeed table. What you want is clearance slots for the gauge bars. If you try to put guides in the outfeed table, you will forever be fiddling with alignment.
-Steve
JUstbought Paul Anthony's book on the Table Saw which is excellent, at least from where I sit and you are right on here, he says same you wil never keep any type of allignment. Thanks for that, saved me the cost and time of the original plan. It's like everybody has been saying, "outfeed support table" not "outfeed miter guide table extension!"
Can I get the shims from the local ACE hardware, are they washers or something different? thx
I'm assuming you mean the shims I use to raise the outfeed table.
They are simply two strips of drawer side material, 3/8" thick. There are runnners that the table frames sit in, actually rabbets in the base frame. I'll get a pic for ye, it's really simple but difficult to describe.
The shims are tethered to the base frame, so I don't use them for something else. The old dog has a habit of losing thangs. They simply slide into the rabbets and the table is raised.
My router table is basically made the same way but sans shims. If there is a need to get to the router it's simply lift up the top and flip it over if need be.
I haven't gotten around to laminating them yet, no big rush.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I use the phenolic (sp?) covered birch ply from Rockler. It was on sale for $19, and I used a coupon. Final price was $15.
Smooth, flat and slippery.
I will look it up take it I can get it in various sizes. Thanks, phenolic is the material I use for y bow tips, extremelly tough stuff. There was an article in FWW recently on that I believe.
Thanks
I am just now thinking about doing the same thing. I am planning on making a structure that attaches permanently to my saw. Therefore, I am trying to make mine weight efficient.
To that end, I am thinking about using hollow core door. I have a couple laying around from the house build that are just right. The up side is they are light and flat. All good.
So what I'll do is cut it to size. Fill the edges (cause it's just cardboard in there) and cut in hardwood fillers where the miter slots will go (those will be just clearance slots).
The I'll laminate the whole thing with formica or similar. Have to second the formica recommendation. Super durable, super slippery, super great for shop surface! Easy to apply as well and cheap to get at hd.
Then hinge it some how on the back fence rail and give it a couple angle braces that can be folded up.
Just an out feed table. Not a work bench to whack on.
Rob Kress
Hollow core doors work well for this, I've used them.
Another alternative (if a person doesn't have old doors around) is to glue a skin of formica or thin MDF to both sides of a 2" thick panel of polystyrene insulation. All the benefits of a torsion box without having to cut lattice work for the inside. They're strong, rigid and very light.
I have two, 2'x4' pieces like this, each 2" thick with 1/4" MDF skins. Great for quick infeed/outfeed tables, assembly tables, platens for gluing sheet goods together, etcetera. I find these a bit more robust that hollow core doors (I'm clumsy and cracked the door skins by dropping stuff on them).
Pete
Hot dog! What a great idea. I never thought to use foam insulation. I have used the blue stuff that is really rigid and can see that this would be perfect.I think I may just adjust and use insulation!Rob Kress
Glad you like the idea, hope it helps. Like I wrote, I've found having a couple of these around my small single car shop to be extremely helpful. 2" thick foam may be overkill, but they're still quite light.
You're probably already aware of this, but make sure to use water-based contact cement when you glue the skins on--the regular stuff will dissolve the styrofoam. If you need a hinge on one end, or have a edge that will always be supporting a load, I glued in a strip of 3/4" plywood. If it will be sitting on sawhorses this could be omitted.
Cheers,
Pete
I've successfully used the melamine coated particle board shelving material sold at big box stores for outfeed tables for my saws for years. It offers a lot of what you're looking for: it's flat and slippery. An even more important item for me is that it's also cheap.
If you do use this material, bear in mind that it pretty much has to be entirely supported from underneath. Otherwise it will sag. But it you can work with that (I built big outfeed table cabinets kind of like the one John White wrote about in his feature article in FWW a few months back) it works well.
I've never worn a piece of this material out. But if you ever wear through the melamine you could just flip it over. Or buy another sheet. It's inexpensive enough to do that...
I've noticed recently that it's being offered not only in the two foot wide shelving that I bought, but also as 4x8 sheets.
Zolton
If you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
thanks for replying! do you cut dados for the runners> I guess this might only really come into play if one uses sleds. If so could a very sharp dadao set like Freud work? Or could you make to cuts to depth and chisel out the rest. Whichever leaves the least chip out , right?
Here's another option for you to consider.
Make a base for the outfeed/countertop table that leaves the top of the countertop, when mounted/floating on the base, just a skosh shy of the bottom of the miter slots in your TS. You may need to make a frame under the countertop to rest on the base; can also keeo the top from sliding.
Make a shim 3/8" thick such that when inserted between the floating top and the base it raises the countertop just a skosh shy of being flush with your TS top.
No slots required.
Regards,
Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Edited 5/27/2009 8:14 pm ET by KiddervilleAcres
If you would like some pics, give me a holla and I'll post some for you.
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
I cut the one dado in my outfeed table with a router and a fence clamped down to keep the router from wandering. It would have been hard to manipulate the 2x6 foot pieces of particle board/melamine on the tablesaw over a dado blade, so I chose the easiest (and safest) way I could think of.
Again though, because the miter gauge isn't going to index off the slots you put into the outfeed table, they don't have to be very precise. I think I cut mine an inch wide, for instance, to give enough room for play if the outfeed table is misaligned a bit.
For the other dado "slot," I just spaced the two pieces of melamine an inch apart and screwed them down. That created an inch wide slot the length of the outfeed tables.
If I had it to do over again though, I'd look pretty closely at what Bob from Kidderville Acres has done. Simply making the top a little lower than the tablesaw top makes sense to me. He's able to install a seamless and dado-less top, which could come in handy some day for assembling something. Plus, it's simplicity personified. I've got several hours into making sloppy slots that catch dust and debris, and Bob's got a seamless outfeed tabletop in no time at all.
Zolton
ZoltonIf you see a possum running around in here, kill it. It's not a pet. - Jackie Moon
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled