# Fold "UP" outfeed table



## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

Usually I see outfeed tables that fold down when not in use.
Since I have to park the car in the garage in front of the table saw, I'd like the outfeed table to be able to fold up and over the top of the TS top. In the folded up position, it would serve as a nice assembly/glue up table (keeping glue off the TS). Has anyone ever seen/heard/read about such an outfeed table?


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

Hi Sarit;

How about one that you can remove from the saw in a matter of seconds, and hang on the wall?

www.ezee-feed.com

Lee


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

That's just it, I'm getting annoyed with having to run across the garage to get the outfeed stand that I currently have hanging on the wall. Right now wall space is at a premium so if I can get rid of both the outfeed and the sheets of cardboard to keep glue off the TS, then I can kill 2 birds w/ one stone.


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## CaptainSkully (Aug 28, 2008)

Wow, I never thought about one that folds UP. That would also work with my Uni-Guard.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

Might work, but I can see a couple of possible problems. First, your configuration makes the saw inaccessible for any use unless your table is down. Second is the possibility of rust on your saw table while the table is up. Recently, I left a board on my cast iron saw table over a weekend. When I moved it Monday morning, there was a faint discoloration where it had been laying. I would probably have had a neat rectangle of rust if it had sat there for much longer.


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## mikedrums (Feb 1, 2010)

Maybe not a fold over, but a lift and set. The saw-side of the table could drop onto pins or a slot or something, and the far end could have legs. Lift the table off the connection and set it on top on the saw. If it were some sort of box frame, it would have an air space underneath so moisture wouldn't accumulate.


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## Padre (Nov 5, 2008)

I built a fold down that could be changed to a fold-up. Look at my projects and I give a link to a site with directions.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

I never thought about the rust issue. I wonder if using plastic laminate or melamine would prevent moisture from being absorbed and then released back onto the cast iron. I keep it waxed pretty well anyways. I don't mind having to unfold the outfeed everytime, since even my cross cut sled needs support at the back.

I also don't have an over-arm guard so that doesn't concern me either.

Like many of us garage sharing jocks, table top space is also a premium so we really can't afford to not use it for other tasks like assembly or glueups.

Thanks Padre, I wonder if there is a hinge I could use that would not protrude the surface if placed at the top.


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## Padre (Nov 5, 2008)

I think you could probably recess a piano hinge or two into the top and then cover the whole top with melamine, thereby covering the table side of the hinge as well.


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## Vincent (Mar 10, 2009)

If you have access to a copy of the 2009 issue of America's Best Home Workshops from Wood magazine you will see an example of an outfeed table that folds back over the saw (see page 39-47). On page 44 there is a measured drawing of the outfeed table. Might be the starting point for a design.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

Is this what you're talking about? Looks close to what I had in mind. That double hinge thing looks interesting, but seems a little weak.


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## Vincent (Mar 10, 2009)

yes. that is the one.


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## jrm123 (Dec 7, 2012)

two tables in one


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Looks like a winner.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Now for something a little different. I first cooked up this idea and used it on a Ryobi BT 3100. Worked great. After I replaced that saw with a used Unisaw, I did the same thing on it. On each side of the cabinet I mount a 1 1/2" square steel tube on an angle or slant, the lower end being at the operator end of the saw. The other end has steel tabs welded on for fastening to the cabinet, because you want a 1 1/4" square tube to telescope into the larger one, and therefore can't use a through bolt. The upper end doesn't go to the top of the saw, but only about 2/3 or less up, and 3 or 4 inches beyond (I may have to take a picture of this, as it's hard to explain). The telescoping parts have a cross bar between them welded on a couple inches below the ends, and a roller is placed between them at the ends. When not in use, the roller apparatus can be slid down and out of the way (also means it doesn't interfere with the bar on the miter gauge. The table extensions on the cheap saws at the big box stores are pathetic-have to be notched for the miter bars, and of course sag inevitably). When I need the extension, I pull it up/out and have a latch on each side to fix it in place. This is a crude but effective barrel bolt, attached to a welded on piece of angle, the bolt sliding into a hole drilled in each extension tube. Takes seconds to deploy, and seconds to park out of the way. 
In placing the sloped tubes, you have to play around with an angle that will give you reasonable extension while leaving plenty of bearing to support the inner tubes when extended, and also to route them around various knobs and protrusions on the saw. Rollers, by the way, are very easy to make. I get hardware store light duty ball bearings, 1 1/2" o.d. with a 1/2" i.d. These easily press fit into round steel 1 1/2" tubing (not conduit, but what my hardware store markets as "weld steel.") The axle can be a 1/2" rod or 1/2" o.d. tubing. As long as the roller is perfectly parallel with the saw table, there is no problem with wood running off to one side or the other. But one could as easily use a flat instead, with a bit of ramp leading up so as not to let a floppy stick drop beneath the support. I've also made up these rollers to use for portable stock supports using a trailer tongue jack for the base (considerably modified, as you might surmise),. The rollers are cheap, easy to make, and can be as long as you need (depending on how long you can find the tubing).
A set up like this isn't for everybody, but it's nice where you have a small work space, as I do. I don't start thinking about an auxiliary support until I'm approaching 8 feet or longer.


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## TeamTurpin (Oct 3, 2012)

I just built an outfeed table as part of a recent TS rennovation/upgrade project. I too considered a fold up or fold down outfeed table. In the end, I opted for a removable table. My original plan was for a folding design that would rest atop the TS. But, after some thinking, I realized how often I run over to the saw for a quick cut. After a short time, I knew I'd be ripping that obstacle off there.

I can attach my new table in about 30 seconds. It just slides in place and is held with a couple of pins. When not in use, it hangs on the wall behind the saw and is never in the way. With my 'slide-in' design, the extension is perfectly flat with the TS top; I've heard that this is often a challenge with folding tables. This was the right decision for my small shop








.


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## jrm123 (Dec 7, 2012)

thats different a slide in table. do you any plans for that looking to build one. that sounds better then bolting it to the table saw


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## TeamTurpin (Oct 3, 2012)

Hi Jimmy. No plans. I just made it up as I went along. But, check out my link below and look for the Table Saw Upgrade section. Below are a few photos of how it connects. I'm thinking of adding a removeable brace for use when I'm working on heavy stock. But for plywood, it works great unbraced.


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## jrm123 (Dec 7, 2012)

thank you very much


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## Peteyb (May 28, 2011)

Check out my blog I built a folding outfeed table for my contractor saw http://lumberjocks.com/Peteyb/blog. I love how it works as you just lift up and ready to go without adjusting legs or anything.


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## Sarit (Oct 21, 2009)

That's a crazy awesome tablesaw/router station Peteyb. Thanks for sharing.

Turpin, that's a simple elegant solution. I'm pretty sure I would be bracing it in my case as I want to be ripping some 100+ lb slabs in the future.

Since my original post, I've been fortunate enough to move out of my tandem garage and into a regular 2 car garage which has made a free standing outfeed table more feasible. I ended up shortening my old melamine workbench by a few inches and just putting it behind the saw. I will eventually get around to building a dedicated outfeed once some garage renovations are finished.


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