tablesaw modifications - suggestions for technique...

[j.duprie]

Hi folks, I'm getting ready to extend the tables on my unisaw, and I was wondering....

I have the Beisemeyer fence system, and in order to extend the table behind the blade ("behind" the saw), I'll have to either remove the rear rail, or build the extension around it. The rear rail helps to keep the side extensions in the sameplane as the cst iron top, so I'm not sure that removing it would be all that good. Its just a piece of angle iron, so I was thinking of working it into the design of the outfeed table..

I know some of you guys have built outfeed tables, and was wondering how you dealt with the back rail. I was also thinking of switching one of my saws over to an excalibur fence system, but couldn't figure out how to deal with

*its* back rail (which is an integral part of the fence...)

any ideas or thoughts appreciated

thanks

--JD

[Charlie Self]

wondering....

Drill through the sucker and use it as the mount at the table saw. You have to adapt your "front" rail depth on the outfeed table to suit, but that's easy.

Don't forget to slot the new outfeed table for your miter gauge--if you ever use your miter gauge.

[Jeff]

wondering....

I have a Grizzly contractor style TS which has the same angle iron piece on the back, and just finished building a small outfeed table. I did the following:

1. Buy a piece of ~3 inch wide flat steel stock, however long you need.
2. Clamp into place under the existing angle iron piece on the back of the saw.
3. Drill holes through both pieces large enough diameter, and with a countersink on the top (top of the angle iron piece) to put an ~1/4" flat head machine thread screw into.
4. Put a washer and nut on the bottom, and I then had an extended angle iron piece basically.
5. The front edge of my table rests on the overhang of the ~3 inch wide flat steel stock, and is lag bolted from underneath. Just make the height of the outfeed table the same as from the top of the ~3 inch wide flat steel stock to the top of your TS table.

My current extension table is about one foot by 4 feet, with plans to hinge another 3 foot long section off of the back of the one foot table, so it will not be in the way so much. The one foot length gets me past the motor.

Two other angle iron pieces go from the bottom of the saw to support the rear of the extension table.

All that is left to do is to paint the two support pieces Grizzly green.

Let me know if I can clear any of that up more.

Jeff

[Upscale]

You're talking about an outfeed table. Is there any reason why you need it butted right up to the tablesaw? Why can't you have the outfeed table just beyond the rear rail? Normally, if you wanted a completely flat outfeed surface, you'd round of the initial edge of the table to prevent wood from catching on it.

Another thing you might consider is building an outfeed table using roller balls or a few roller brackets.

[LRod]

No one in their right mind would paint Unisaur parts green of any color, but particularly grizzly green.

[Wes Stewart]

Exactly what I did. I needed my table to fold for storage so I mounted a strip of wood directly to the top of the angle. It is attached by 1/4-20 bolts into holes drilled and tapped in the angle.

A piano hinge is attached to the wood strip and the tabletop. Some calculations and care in construction and I got the top *almost* flush with the saw top. My angle wasn't quite parallel with the saw top, so I got a bit of droop on one side of the extension table. This was easily tweaked with a few 1/4" flat washers between the wood strip and angle.

In an effort to not weaken the table, I didn't extend the miter slots clear across it but just enough to allow the face of the miter gauge to clear the blade. On reflection this may not have been a good idea, but so far, it's worked out.

Of course, I threw away the blade guard and use the Delta removable splitter thus avoiding the messiness of making a cutout for that mechanism.

[Jeff]

But that delta gray would not look so good next to the green machine either.:)

I almost had an older unisaw before I got the Grizzly, but it was in really bad shape for the money the guy wanted for it.

[Jeff]

Yea, I made the miter slots all the way across my one foot section, did not seem to weaken it much, but then again I might have gone overboard with doubled up 3/4" plywood for the frame of the ext. table.

I left a hole for the blade guard, and that has turned into a small pain to finish up, but I did not want to order yet another part for the workshop if I did not have to.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Do neither

One end of my outfeed table rests on that rail. I made a couple of blocks at the right height to support it, folding legs on the other side so it can be removed in less than one minute.

[Patriarch]

"Charlie Self" wrote in news:1115727698.358885.211220 @o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

What Charlie said, with this addition:

It isn't just your miter gauge that uses those slots. I didn't extend mine far enough to accomodate my big crosscut sled, and so, in order to use the sled, I have to fold down the table. A little annoyance, and evidently, insufficient to get me to fix it 18 months later.

If you do a folding table, you may want to consider using an inexpensive HD brand folding work support stand as your leg system. The hardware and headscratching time to build my own wasn't worth the $25 or so, and I already had the stand in the shop.

Patriarch

[Patrick Conroy]

Wes Stewart wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I went ahead and just glued up some strips and placed them under the miter slots to act as a little reinforcement. In effect, the wood is 2x the thickness under the slots.