Hi All, first post here after spending many enjoyable hours reading and learning from this site. Thought I'd share a couple of modifications I've made to my relatively new Ridgid tablesaw, in the hopes that others might find them useful.
I am a hobbyist with a small garage shop, and I have to park my tools against the walls when not in active use. So, having an outfeed table that takes up minimal space when stowed away was important to me. I came up with this design:
The toughest part was figuring out the angles for the folding leg, but when it was all said and done, the table is very sturdy. It's made from 3/4" melamine and edged with some 1×2 oak I had on hand. I did have to screw a short length of angle iron into the back of the saw, to support the leg when it's extended.
I took a similar approach for the router table insert, building the table from leftover outfeed table materials. Ordered the Benchdog insert and miter track from Rockler, and I was in business!
Again, being able to utilize the existing footprint of the TS was a big plus for me for this type of router table setup.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the post and I'll look forward to contributing more soon.
Hi John,welcome to LJ's and yes this is a great site…nice modifications you did there…i have the same saw and im looking forward to adding a router table insert also.thx for posting…
@jaydubya: yes, the outfeed table sits just low enough to provide clearance for the miter gauge. I don't use a crosscut sled (yet), but it would be east to modify the height of the table and add miter tracks down the road, if desired.
Yes, I used standard door hinges. You can see here where I had to drill two new holes in the hinges to mount them to the rear fence rail.
Here's another shot of the hinged leg. I've over-exposed the pic a bit so you can see where I mounted a short piece of angle iron to the TS base to act as a ledge for the bottom of the leg to rest in. The tricky part was figuring out the lengths of the leg segments and the angle of the cuts for the leg hinge, so that the outfeed table sat level.
The funny thing is, I almost never use the outfeed table anymore, as I built a mobile assembly table that I use for that task. Still, when the assembly table is occupied, I can always roll it out of the way and use the folding outfeed table. It's surprisingly strong.
I have some melamine myself I bought off the scrap cart at HD just for this purpose. The only concern I have is how the melamine reacts when routing for the router insert (whether it will chip etc.) Did you have any problems working with the melamine/particle board? Assuming you used particle coated with melamine.
James, check out my shop page in my profile, it shows a couple of shots with the mobile assembly table set up. As for the saw, I really do like it. I spent some time getting it really dialed in, and invested in a some better blades. I rip 8/4 hard maple with no problems. IMO, it's a very good saw for the money.
Tom, I had some very minor chip out when I routed the melamine. When I redo the router table, I'll probably use MDF and top it with Formica or something similar. It didn't turn out too badly, though.
David, the saw doesn't get moved much anymore… cars live in the driveway now. But the balance of the saw was not adversely impacted as far as I could tell. There's considerable mass in the saw to keep it from being tippy. I did always collapse the outfeed table before moving it, though.
Thanks for the info. Yes I couldn't tell from the picture, to me it looks pretty clean. I'm not sure if I'll go the MDF and laminate route, if I can source a good price on laminate then yes. The router table extension does look good though. I have the same saw myself. Thanks again.
Awesome job John. I too have limited work space in my cellar and have been thinking of doing the same, you just inspired me more. Thanks again.
Also like your cordless tool cabinet. I see you have many drills, as I do. My wife can't understand why I need so many drills. I try to explain, but she just doesn't get it
That looks awesome. For some reason your insert looks a lot bigger than mine. Did you fit it in the standard "hole" that was there, or is it modified at all?
Joe, yeah I think the perspective of the picture is creating an optical illusion there…
jmaichel, thanks! I do still have the stock fence and have indeed added a sacrificial fence to the TS side and a split fence to the router table side. The stock fence is not great, but through some tedious adjustments I was able to get it to lock down square in a reasonably repeatable manner. I also like the t-slots built into the fence, makes it easy to attach jigs and such. All that said-if I was going to make one upgrade to the saw at this point, it would be a new fence. More likely though, I will keep it as is until I upgrade the saw at some point.
Old post I know, but this has really inspired me to make an outfeed for my new r4512. A few questions:
1. What lumber did you use to frame the underside of the melamine (oak?) And I see a small block close to the table side on your second picture, does this have a purpose?
2. How did you secure the framing to the melamine? I don't see screws so I assume glue and finish nails. I ask because in the past i had to worry about putting nails or screws through a material into a melamine coated piece for fear of a dent or puncture on the surface.
Aaron-I think I just used SPF 1×4 scraps on the underside of the table. The edges are trimmed in red oak. Heh… you're the first to comment on the "extra" block under the table. That was a rookie mistake that I never bothered to correct. Framing was glued with PL construction adhesive. I used brads on the oak trim but not on the framing underneath, if i recall correctly. Hope that helps.
Jonah, I'll check to see if I have any better pics of the router table and if I do, I'll post them here.
Thanks for the comments, guys. Been a while since I looked at this thread (my first ever to LJs…)
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
LumberJocks Woodworking Forum
2.5M posts
96K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to professional woodworkers and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about shop safety, wood, carpentry, lumber, finishing, tools, machinery, woodworking related topics, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!