Bandsaw outfeed table

[Jamie Buxton]

Most bandsaws have a very short outfeed distance. For instance, on my Laguna LT16HD, there’s about 10” from the blade to the back of the table. If the workpiece is longer than three feet, it really wants to fall off the back of the table. At the end of the cut, you spend way too much energy and attention holding the workpiece from falling – instead of steering it through the cut, and keeping your fingers out of the blade.

I tried various methods for supporting the workpiece. Those stands don’t work well for me. They often fall over instead of catching the workpiece, and it seems like they’re always at the wrong height. (My bandsaw is mobile, and my shop floor is not flat, so the correct stand height depends on where the saw happens to be.)

I finally built a bandsaw-mounted outfeed table. It is shown in the photos below. It increases the outfeed length to almost three feet, so I can easily handle much longer workpieces than with a stock saw. It flips up and down easily, so I'm encouraged to use it even on marginal situtations. (Safety devices which are difficult to use generally don't get used.)

The outfeed table is hinged so that it stores compactly. Putting the hinge as low as it is serves several purposes. First, it allows access to the bolt which secures the cast-iron table on its trunnions, and it allows that table to tilt without making the workpiece collide with the outfeed table. Second, the L-shape allows the outfeed table to kinda bend around the motor in the stowed position (see the pic of the back view). Adding this outfeed table increases the footprint of the stowed saw by only a couple inches.

The table is built from ¾ ply – whatever I had around. It is bolted on to the saw with holes which I drilled and tapped. The hinges are ones intended for exterior doors; they have a beefy hinge pin, and use substantial screws.

Another issue with bandsaws of this class is that the base is fairly narrow. On my saw, there is only about 6” from the center of gravity to the back edge of the base. To fix this, I added a short outrigger to the base. You can see it best in the front view when the table is up. The outrigger is only about 6” long, but that much extension doubles the resistance to overturning. I can now rest almost all my weight on the tip of the outfeed table before the saw begins to tilt over. I figure that if I’m resawing timbers which weigh as much as I do, I probably need an assistant. :)

Many saws in this class are darn near identical to mine. I'll bet my approach could be easily adapted to any of them.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Jamie, Nice job on that table; I'll have to copy that. Alan in Md.

[Jamie Buxton]

There's a couple other useful modifications to the saw which you can see in the pix.

* High on the saw, on the face away from the operator, you can see a beige block about 4" cubed. It is a transformer to make 115 VAC from the 230 VAC which feeds the saw. I plug a magnetic-based lamp into it to get good light right at the front of the blade. (While one can buy 230-volt bulbs, they are few and far between, and they are expensive. This transformer allows me to use standard bulbs and lamps.) The transformer is connected on the motor side of the saw's power switch, so the light turns on only when the saw is running.

* At the base, you can see my version of mobility. At the left side of the saw (from the point of view of the operator), you can see two black wheels. They're plastic, and cost $4 or so at the local hardware store. (When I put these on the saw, I told myself I'd buy steel wheels from McMaster-Carr, but I've never gotten around to it, and these wheels have worked just fine for several years now.) The wheels are mounted on a steel rod which goes through holes I bored in the base. At the right side of the saw, beside the foot-brake, you can see a thick block of plywood bolted to the saw. It has a hole bored up in the bottom. That is the pick point for a Johnson bar. (A Johnson bar is a really simple device. It looks somewhat like a beefy hockey stick with wheels mounted at the elbow. You wheel it up to a machine with a pick point, push down on the end of the bar, and lever the machine off the floor. The weight of the machine is borne by the wheels on the Johnson bar. To move the machine, you use the handle of the Johnson bar just like the handle on a wagon.) I now use a steel Johnson bar which came with my jointer/planer, but in a previous life I used one made from oak.

When the saw is sawing, its weight rests on the two wheels at the left, and the steel base at the right. (Don't worry, it doesn't move. 400 pounds of saw doesn't move unless you really work at moving it!) When the saw is getting moved around, its weight rests on the two wheels, and the wheels on the elbow of the Johnson bar.

[Jim Becker]

Great idea on the outfeed table, Jamie! And it doesn't interfer with normal operation nor reduce height capacity either.

[Steve Stube]

This is a photo of a Fairbanks (Johnson Bar).

http://nitorig.net/osCommerce/images/JohnsonBar.JPG

The fact that you bored a hole in the ply block has me thinking that your bar has mating male pin on the toe of it to engage and swivel in the hole plus keep it hooked together for transport.

[Jamie Buxton]

This is a photo of a Fairbanks (Johnson Bar).

http://nitorig.net/osCommerce/images/JohnsonBar.JPG

The fact that you bored a hole in the ply block has me thinking that your bar has mating male pin on the toe of it to engage and swivel in the hole plus keep it hooked together for transport.

Yes. Here's a picture of my current one, propped against a wall. It is about three feet long. You can see the male pin; it is just the head of a socket-head cap screw. It does have two wheels, but you can barely see one of them. I use it on the bandsaw and the jointer/planer. Some day I'll get around to putting a pick point for it on the table saw.

[David Rose]

Jamie, thanks for the post and pics.

I built a larger (26x26") table for my Delta 14 as it is my primary saw. I lost an inch of resaw capability. :( It was time for a nice miter gauge so I picked up a Fast Track with a nice long track and stop. I soon found that even with a stand for outfeed, the infeed side was not deep enough and there was not enough side support.

Since space is very limited I built a 3 piece stand with legs and levelers for each leg that bolts to the table. The saw is stationary of course for this to work. This "needed" a nice sled of 2' x 4'. Once off the wall it is fairly quick to setup, but then I need to put it back up. That is it is fairly fast if I don't mishandle my adjustable fenced sled while taking it down or putting it up. :mad: Some glue will fix "that" some day. The contraption works very well, once set up. But most of the time it is just not worth taking it all down, screwing it together, and then putting it back up after a couple or four cuts. Your idea overcomes this for one of the three sides. The outside should work as well. Now to figure out the infeed side. :rolleyes:

David

[Tyler Howell]

Good Answer, Good answer.

Thanks for the ideas guys. This one goes to the top of the file.;)

[Jim Becker]

This one goes to the top of the file.
Understatement of the weekend! I must have spend a good half hour yesterday looking at, fondling and measuring things relative to my MM16 for this great idea! I'm only sorry I wasn't able to free up some time this week while I was on the left-coast to drop in on Jamie as Chris suggested to me...my last night I ended up at dinner with a coworker not far from Jamie's place, but it got too late to consider a visit.

[Mike Wilkins]

Great job Jamie. I also have a Laguna BS, the LT-18. I am in the process of
adding a similar mobile base to my own machine. The same rear wheel
arrangement but a welded angle iron support to the front; I plan to make a
Johnson bar out of metal also. A woodworker with a welder- is this a
dangerous combination???

I am curious-what kind of combo J/P do you have. This is high on the want
list at this time. Thanks.

[Jamie Buxton]

I am curious-what kind of combo J/P do you have. This is high on the want
list at this time. Thanks.

Mike --
It is a Hammer A3-31. It is a 12" jointer and a 12" planer. I bought it mostly for the wide jointer (I wanted to face-plane boards wider than 6"), and the planer kinda came for free. I think this kind of machine is very good for a compact shop (mine is about 500 square feet).

Jamie

[Chris Padilla]

Jamie,

I recall the BS and the "woodwork" you did to it but was the table a recent addition?

[Elliott Cameron]

I know I'm a year late on this and then some...but, that is slick Jamie. I'm going to have to borrow your idea. I too am fed up with non-dedicated outfeed tables. my wife and daughters are to. Since they usually have to fill in and be my outfeed tables too often.
Thnks for posting this .

Elliott FLA....USA

[Bart Leetch]

Looking good Jamie great idea. :D

Jim the proper order should have been visit Jamie then go to dinner. :D

Visiting Jamie & viewing his shop would have helped your cognitive powers for construction of your band-saw extension table & would have help work up an appetite. ;)

Besides that who knows what else Jamie has made improvements to that he hasn't told us about. :eek:

Sheesh boy did you miss out. :D

[Keith Burns]

I for one am glad someone out there is thinking. Great idea !

[Frank Pellow]

Jamie, this is a really good idea and and great implementation of that idea!

My ACM Star 400 bandsaw is almost the same saw as your Laguna, so it will be very easy for my to copy. And, I probably will copy it (as I have with many other shop projects from Saw Mill Creek members).

I am also wondering it I can come up with something similar for my drill press.

[egon reske]

Nice looking extension.

I made one for my Bandsaw but it sure doesn't look that nice. It has both infeed and outfeed folding tables attached to the saw.

Egon