BT3100 Outfeed tables

[Indywar2]

Hi Everyone,

I have had my BT3100 for a number of years and have been very pleased with it. The biggest challenge I have had is with an outfeed table. I am currently using a Ryobi outfeed stand which works but is not ideal.

I have tried searching the BT3x00 forum here, but a lot of the pictures and links refer back to the old BT3central site that no longer works.

Does anyone have pictures/descriptions of an outfeed table they like? I am in a garage and everything is on casters due to space constraints, so ideally something attached to the back of the saw and foldable would be ideal.

Thanks,
Rob

[cwsmith]

I had the same challenge when I had my shop in the basement. Two small rooms and so everything but the drill press and RAS was on casters. To use the BT, I'd roll it out to middle of one room where I had marked the floor to take indicate exactly where I should most efficiently position the saw; then, I'd use a roller stand. Okay, but not great, for a longer piece, but anything shorter than six foot would just fall on the floor unless I could grab it quickly.

So, we were throwing out an old refrigerator and I decided to make some use of one of the grill-like shelves. I posted it here, but can't find it at present. I did find the pictures in my photo archives though. Note that is is just a quick set-up and is easily removed.



Now that I've moved the shop out to my newer 12 x 20 shed, I no longer use this, and now have positioned an HF 46" mobile cabinet to act as an outfeed platform.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

CWS

[twistsol]

Try the following:

Shopmade Outfeed Cabinet

Folding Outfeed Table for BT3000

Send any posts you find with bad links in them to twistsol via a pm and I'll try to fix them. Generally, if the link is to the BT3Central.com domain they will redirect automatically, but there have been a couple of instances in years gone by that pictures were lost or could be hosted on another site.

[mpc]

There was a similar question long ago; the thread and most pictures still work: BT3 outfeed table ideas

That thread shows some metal brackets I made that fit into the bottom of the BT3 rails; they in turn support hinges to allow the tables to hang straight down when the saw is stored and flip up to sit on top of the rails when in use. When in use, they could block the fence but tipping the offending table half-way down makes enough clearance for the fence to pass. I wanted both infeed and outfeed support to make it easier to cut large sheet goods. So my setup has 4 tables: 2 outfeeds and 2 infeeds. I can lift sheet goods onto the infeed tables and let them rest there while I turn the saw ON; they then support all of the workpiece weight so I can concentrate on controlling the work and keeping it against the fence. Most of the time though I use a sawboard to cut large sheet goods into more manageable sizes.

mpc

[LCHIEN]

Indywar2,, this is the old BT3central forum and website. It had a name change a while back

I suggest you do a search using the advanced search tool, it works pretty well.

My BT3000 is equipped with a folding out feed table that was an original optional BT3000 accessory. I haven't folded it in years.

[Jim Frye]

Not to brag, but the folding out feed table I designed, is still in use 18 years later. When I designed it, my shop was 12’x12’ basement room. My new basement shop is 12’x22’ (about the size of a single car garage). I also have a 30”x48”;table top that can sit on two folding sawhorses to create an assembly table or serve as an extension outfeed table for the BT3K.

[capncarl]

Photo of my outfeed table immediately after construction. Note the trailer tongue jack legs with casters. The table is designed to be able to fit behind the table saw, planer or whatever and be able to adjust the height to fit the too. ( all of my large power tools are on rolling cabinets and are built to be the same height.... but this never ever works out perfect, requiring the outfeed table to be somewhat adjustable. ) Note in the photo that the table casters are not touching the floor, it is setting on top of the table saw and both can be wheeled into the next room at the same time for storage in this configuration. When I designed the outfeed table I intended to be able to move the outfeed table over the table saw, lower the outfeed table down and connect to the table saw and pick the saw up with the tables jack legs for moving. The outfeed table parked nicely sitting on the tablesaw so I didn’t carry through with the plans and just move both with the table saws casters. By being able to move this large saw and table saw into the adjoining shop room I can drive automobiles, lawnmowers etc into the shop for repair or maintenance ..... like i originally intended.

I can see this design working well for a smaller and lighter saw like the BT and requiring a much smaller table footprint. My saw is a Powermatic 64 with a cast iron top, router extension table and way heavy overbuilt cabinet. A table for a smaller saw could have storage cabinets built between the legs on each.

The reason that I stated immediately after construction........ as soon as any table is built it becomes a place to pile stuff.



capncarl

[Carlos]

My assembly and work bench is also my outfeed. I like this space savings. I used the Kreg bench leg kit and topped it with three sheets of 3/4" MDF. The top sheet is replaceable, the other two are glued together. Then a 1/8" white hardboard on top, also replaceable. So far I've replaced the white top twice, never needed to replace the top MDF sheet. I love the bench and the only thing I'd change is to put a larger lip around the edge for clamping. It's only 1" and that's not enough sometimes. I have a standard woodworking vise at the end which is often useful. There are Fastcap Blue Dogs near it to hold things if needed, and a Kreg front clamp holder along with a track for the Kreg automaxx clamps. This gives me several clamping options, and I love those clamps.

[Indywar2]

Thanks to each of you for a lot of really great ideas!

Thanks,
Rob

[os1kne]

Great ideas here. Really like the legs with the trailer tongue jacks!

[jabe]

My out feed table setup. Just need to add plywoods where the hinge attach to get it level to the saw top. Roofing felt was used as a buffer/gasket between metal hinge & Alum rail. Simple, made with scrap materials only cost were the hinges,screws & paint. Table was made with melamine faced plywood 17" x 24", arm is 1 x 3 scrap. Out feed table will always be level to your saw top no matter where you setup your saw and can be lowered down out of the way when you don't need it.

[Indywar2]

Hi everyone. I know this is an old post but somehow I got busy and distracted last year. Back to figure out the outfeed table ! I was looking at my rear rail to see if I could find a tee bolt or other standard bolt that would fit into the slot in the back of the rear rail.

Does anyone know what size tee bolt/standard bolt works best there?

Thanks,
Rob

[LCHIEN]

Its not cheap but would work really well.
Home Depot has some Husky adjustable height work tables

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-52...2BJ2/311742117

Available in Both white and black, $229. One crank moves all. Locking castors so it won't move away when you feed onto it,
And can be used as an assembly table when not used for outfeed.
Saw them at the store, looks quite nice.

From a practical aspect I find having a slightly adjustable height an advantage.
Large, heavy stiff rips I like to have the top of the outfeed table just a hair lower than the saw table so that you don't have to support the item from dropping onto the outfeed table.
For skinny, floppy rips I like the outfeed table to be half an inch or more below the saw top. The front edge of the workpiece will droop and depending on the gap the drooping edge may catch the outfeed table. so maybe a half an inch or more. And being flexible it will lay nicely onto the table as it passes on.
Mostly you are catching rips so the table short edge to your saw... but if you do large panels you may want to rotate the table long side to the saw.

[LCHIEN]

Hi everyone. I know this is an old post but somehow I got busy and distracted last year. Back to figure out the outfeed table ! I was looking at my rear rail to see if I could find a tee bolt or other standard bolt that would fit into the slot in the back of the rear rail.

Does anyone know what size tee bolt/standard bolt works best there?

Thanks,
Rob

You can make you own T-nuts. Like I did here:
https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...er-replacement
some cheap aluminum bar 3/4" wide 1/8" thick x 2 feet from Lowes or HD. 1/8" thick easily cut with a wood blade on a miter saw. I use the cheap blade that came with my saw instead of my nice fine finish crosscut blade.

A inexpensive tap and drill set. for the size you need, I would use #10-24 or maybe 1/4-20. You might have to cut the bolt to length.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-HANSO...Set/1003087512
or all in one
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwauke...4873/309634678

[ballard770]

I used square head battery clamp machine screws with 1/4-20 thread that I think I got from an auto parts store. I tried getting a picture to send but it didn’t work so I’ll try that later today.

additionally, you can try t-nuts.com. They have 4 sizes of t-nuts that are size to if the various slots in bt3k rails