I tried adding a removable table extension to my Craftsman Contractor Saw (OUTFEED) with some success.
But I would like a removable extension.
Has anyone seen such an extension - home brew or store-bought? Better yet - any links to pictures or even better pictures & Plans?
The main problem to overcome with what you're trying to do is that the Craftsman saw uses a back rail as well as a front rail for securing the fence. Makes it difficult to attach something to the back of the saw.
However.
If I were to do it, I would find a channel with a U shaped cross section. Pull off your rear rail, install the U channel, then re-install your rear rail inside the channel. Obviously, the channel must be wide enough to accomodate both the rear rail and the catch from the fence without hitting anything. Now you can secure (temporarily or permanently) an outfeed table to the outside of the channel.
Clear as mud?
jc
I made an extension on mine. It isn't removable, but half of it is on hinges that I can drop down to save space when not needed. I also have back rails for my fence. Let me know if you like mine and I can take a few more pictures of it.
"Clear as Mud"
Yep, but I can picture it - now to find the appropriately-sized bit of steel or aluminum.
" hinges that I can drop down to save space when "
Very neat looking - good job. However, my saw employs a rear rail for the fence that precludes butting an extension "up against" the rear of the table.
Having said that, I would appreciate the opportunity to see a photo or two better showing the attachment point, etc. and suspect others would benefit as well.
Mine also has real rails. When I get a chance I will take a few pics of it and post it on my website.
That's rear rails. Not real rails (even though they are real) .
"give you good ideas"
Yep, you were right. Square tube is rather easy to cut, drill & weld and using the sides of the saw to fix brackets holding the adjusting rods for the extension works & looks simple enough.
My Sears Fence may need to bite the dust (sell or scrap metal) and let one of those fancy front locking fences replace it.
The gap the RipMate
Not necessarily. If you find the fence to be accurate and reliable, then keep it. The outfeed table does not need to butt directly to your saw. A gap of a couple of inches is not going to cause any issues for 99.99999% of your work. If you think about it, it would require a very, very thin slice of wood to be droopy enough to sag over that short of an expanse.
It would be easy enough to fab a manner of connecting the outfeed to the bottom of your table top such that it does not interfere with your fence.
Then there is this. I have this and it works great. It folds down directly under the first set of rollers closest to the table. If yours is a cabinet saw it bolts up to the cabinet. There are contractor saw varieties available. HTC makes these.
Correct, mine is about 7-8 inches from the table although I's say perhaps 99 of the time. ;~) See below.
If you think about it, it would require a very, very thin slice
No, actually all you need is a piece of 1/4" plywood that has a little bow and the piece bows up in the center when you have it setting on the saw.
That is exactly what I did although mine is permanently mounted. I have the style of saw with the webbed extensions. I simply bolted two lengths of wood to holes drilled in the webbing. These then stick out about a foot beyond the rear of the saw. I notched these supports for clearance of the rear rail and to fit up into the webbing. A small table is then mounted to these supports with a clearance slot for the miter gauge. As noted by the previous poster there is a gap between the rear of the saw and the added table but this has never caused a problem for me. I also used two separate tables - one mounted on each extension. This leaves a gap between them so the blade guard/spliiter can be mounted or unmounted. While this has not been an issue for me, it would mean that a narrow strip being ripped might not be supported unless a temporary piece is used to bridge the two tables. I have found that just this one extra foot behind the blade makes a big difference. If you need longer suport you would probably need more robust supports, such as angle iron, then I used. John
How do you like that. I would have thought that 1/4" would have had enough rigidity to span that gap ok. But then 7-8" is also more than I was envisioning. On my Craftsman Model 100 and an Align-A-Rip fence system I can get my outfeed closer than that, so I wasn't thinking in terms of bigger gaps.
So - how about a filler strip that is only a foot or a foot and a half long which is moveable along the back edge of the saw, that fits between the outfeed edge and the back of the table. Perhaps one that sits in a rabbet on the outfeed and is contoured to sit on the back rail for the fence system. Slide it along to fit against the fence so that you have uninterrupted support behind the blade. Remember, anything is possible with cutting torches. Just paint it to match afterwards.
1/4" is ridgid enough but if it has a bow with the bow being up in the middle of a sheet the end starts to turn down as soon as it goes off of the back edge of the table.
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