Advantages of roller out feed table for table saws

[Bryan Cramer]

I am curious if any one uses a roller table like this (http://www.grizzly.com/products/G1317) or the like as out feed support for your table saw. Is their any significant benefits over a smooth surface? Any comments; thoughts?

Bryan

[Ira Matheny]

Yes, I use a roller out-feed table. Love It!
works for me, hope it works for you as well.
Ira

[joseph f merz]

i find that those little foldout roller outfeeds to be dangerous .but just the same why bother a waxed flat surface is slick and can serve as a staging area .If the rollers are out of line of the lumbers path away from the blade they will push the board jamming it against the blade .very unsafe .

[Rick Potter]

I'm the opposite of Ira. I got a saw with one attached, and took it off and sold it.

The good: you can fold it down when not using it, to save space. It's big. Wood rolls easily on it. It's sturdy.

The Bad: Wood rolls easily, but not always straight, as said above. If you leave it up, it takes up more space than most outfeed tables. An outfeed table is multi purpose, this isn't. If you are careless, you may find the wood rolling away from you after a cut.

The suggestion: Make an outfeed table/cabinet. It doesn't have to be huge, 2' wide and 3' long will do nicely, and you can use it for storage, assembly, clamping, etc. It does not need to be attached to the saw, so you can use it wherever you need it. It's cheap to build, unless you go fancy.

2cents worth,

Rick Potter

[David Kumm]

I think the Grizzly are the TC unit and if you shop you can find them for a good price. I have both the HTC and a regular outfeed that I use on various saws. I have to move my saws out from the wall to use so I like the roller table. Avoids the temptation to make a few cuts without bothering to set the table up. You do need to make sure the rollers are set right and I've found that some new saws have pretty flimsy bases so an extra piece of steel to reinforce the bottom attachment adds stability. If I could leave a saw in place permanently I would go with the shop made table. Dave

[Peter Quinn]

I find them obnoxious and dangerous, I've pulled them off a few saws and by consensus threw one out at work, or actually repurposed it for another stationary up cut saw. All those rollers add directionality, and its very difficult if not impossible IME to get them all headed the same direction and keep them there. You start ripping, the rollers start pushing the board you are ripping off the fence...real joy there. Then you finish the cut and as the board exits the saw it starts free flying, if the wheels pitch away from the saw your board heads for the floor....god help you if the floor is out of level, the saw is on a mobile base, and the wheels now pitch slightly back towards the blade....I've actually worked in a shop where that was the case. A few folding arms from a hardware catalogue and a 1/2 sheet of melamine is a far superior option IMO. In my work space if the board moves through the cut then no wheels should be in play, if the board is stationary during the cut, such as RAS, then wheel are fine for in and out feed. For stationary saws that cross cut these types of things are great, we have them at work between molders, up cuts and end matchers so boards travel effortlessly down the production line.

[scott vroom]

I decided against a roller outfeed when I realized it would be useless as an adjunct work table. Instead, I built a fold-down outfeed table using the FREE plans from this website, operated by one of our moderators, Jim Becker: http://sawsndust.com/p-outfeed.htm

Here's some pics of the project....lottsa additional work space with this design. The top folds down when additional floor space is needed (rarely for me).

I glued a formica skin to the top, making it easy to slide large sheet goods across it.

[George Bokros]

I decided against a roller outfeed when I realized it would be useless as an adjunct work table. Instead, I built a fold-down outfeed table using the FREE plans from this website, operated by one of our moderators, Jim Becker: http://sawsndust.com/p-outfeed.htm

Here's some pics of the project....lottsa additional work space with this design. The top folds down when additional floor space is needed (rarely for me).

I glued a formica skin to the top, making it easy to slide large sheet goods across it.

I like your design. The legs that go to the floor, do they fold up against the top when you fold the top down or do they detach? How are they attached when to the top?

Thanks

George

[Keith Hankins]

I would think they get small stuff stuck. Second, waste of space. I have my bench with adjustable legs but up to the back of the TS leveled. I've pushed 7' bed posts through my TS and had them output on the bench never an issue. JMTCW

[Dick Brown]

I have a stationary out feed table but do agree with the others that the rollers are bad for sending your work the wrong way. If you are doing a lot of sheet goods and feel you need wheels under your work, whether for in or out support, go for the ball transfers. They are non-directional. Your work goes where you push it. I bought a whole bunch of used ones fairly cheap. ($1.00 each) Still have about 100 that I will probably never use.


http://www.gilmorekramer.com/more_info/ball_transfers_stud_type/ball_transfers_stud_type.shtml

[scott vroom]

I like your design. The legs that go to the floor, do they fold up against the top when you fold the top down or do they detach? How are they attached when to the top?

Thanks

George


For the record, I didn't design it.....it's a Jim Becker design :)

The legs fold up using hardware purchased from Rockler: http://www.rockler.com/folding-leg-bracket

[Bryan Cramer]

Thanks for the replies! I have a few roller stands so I know what a PIA they can be if they are misaligned. So a flat surface is best for an out feed table. Great link Scott! That is an excellent plan.

[Charles Coolidge]

I have the large HTC roller folding out feed table on my 12" Grizzly table saw and love it. Like the other poster above I move my machines around due to limited space and the HTC unit fits my mobility needs perfectly. I posted an in depth review for anyone who is interested, PM me for a link. I have previously used single/triple roller stands and that accordion roller unit that stretches out 6 feet long or something and they were a giant pain. The HTC deploys in 2 second at the proper height ready to go and folds back up just as fast. Word to the wise though, with this product its ALL about how much time you are willing to take with the installation and adjustment. I spent a lot of time dialing this thing in, had I not I can see how one of these out of alignment would be quite frustrating.

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[Dennis McDonaugh]

I'm the opposite of Ira. I got a saw with one attached, and took it off and sold it.

The good: you can fold it down when not using it, to save space. It's big. Wood rolls easily on it. It's sturdy.

The Bad: Wood rolls easily, but not always straight, as said above. If you leave it up, it takes up more space than most outfeed tables. An outfeed table is multi purpose, this isn't. If you are careless, you may find the wood rolling away from you after a cut.

The suggestion: Make an outfeed table/cabinet. It doesn't have to be huge, 2' wide and 3' long will do nicely, and you can use it for storage, assembly, clamping, etc. It does not need to be attached to the saw, so you can use it wherever you need it. It's cheap to build, unless you go fancy.

2cents worth,

Rick Potter

I agree with Rick's points 100 percent. I have one on my table saw because I needed to move my saw to the side of the garage when it wasn't in use. The outfeed table was a PITA to move with the saw. The rollers made it easy. Having said that, I no longer need the table saw to move, but kept the rollers because I'm used to using it now. One more drawback is the inability to put miter slots in the roller outfeed table. My other table had miter slots in it and the crosscut sled would slide right into it. I had to put a 45 degree angle on the runners on the sled so it will ride up on top of the rollers.

[Chris Fournier]

I avoid rollers like the plague, if not prefectly set up they allow the material to choose a path of its own. I found that rollers made it all too easy to pull stock back onto the saw. I believe what Charles says and it certainly looks like he has done a great job of his set up. Personally I like a solid surface outfeed covered with arborite. I roll my assembly table up behind my saw when I need to.

[Charles Coolidge]

PS: I came across a thread while researching the HTC and one guy who bought one removed the rollers and installed a solid sheet on the stand. I figured if the rollers give me any grief I may do the same.

[johnny means]

I've been in shops that bought them. They always ended up in a corner after being replaced by a laminate outfeed table. Rollers make sense when your trying to move material through a factory. They don't have much to add when all you need is an extra 2 ft of support. They could be downright dangerous w when cutting laminate, veneer our any other thin material that wanted to curl down in between the rollers.




N L

[Brian W Smith]

Most,as issued are more of a liability.We use Mathews conveyor system rollers and they are a joy to set and use.They can be set to move material against fence just the right amt.I started using them when working in commercial shops where any flat surface was seen as "fair game" to passer-bys to lay their "stuff" on.Used to drive me up the wall.Turn your back,or run a pce on another machine and come back to find somebody's stuff.

So,if you're in a one man shop with space issues,where you need to use a solid top as assembly,great.But get into a shop with a bunch of neanderthals and you'll learn to make very good use of conveyor systems.I also learned in these shops,and have study'd this phenom in countless shops over the last 40 years.............never put a TS or assembly table as the first "thing" in a "working" shop.IOW's...you really need to steer workers and visitors twds inventory when first entering shop.It's exactly like an island in kitchen design.Given the chance,everyone is going to drop their "stuff" on the very first flat surface they come to.

So,make that surface a conveyor and they'll walk all the way to the other side of shop rather than,risking their precious pkg end up on the floor.

[glenn bradley]

I have used many outfeed support options and prefer a solid surface for the tablesaw.

[Jim Neeley]

I have the large HTC roller folding out feed table on my 12" Grizzly table saw and love it. Like the other poster above I move my machines around due to limited space and the HTC unit fits my mobility needs perfectly. I posted an in depth review for anyone who is interested, PM me for a link. I have previously used single/triple roller stands and that accordion roller unit that stretches out 6 feet long or something and they were a giant pain. The HTC deploys in 2 second at the proper height ready to go and folds back up just as fast. Word to the wise though, with this product its ALL about how much time you are willing to take with the installation and adjustment. I spent a lot of time dialing this thing in, had I not I can see how one of these out of alignment would be quite frustrating.

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I'm with Charles here. I have the HTC on my Uni and it works great. Yes, I took the time to align the rollers, just like I took the time to align the fence and table.

I too started with an accordian, which I now use only as a left-side table extension when I'm making small crosscuts on sheets of ply.

[Patrick McCarthy]

While I wish I had the dedicated space for a solid surface outfeed table that did not need to move, I do not. I have the HTC which I originally had on my prior saw, a pm66, and switched to the ICS SS. It is good overall. I had somewhat of a learning curve on the prior saw with the cut-offs rolling away, but I was MUCH more meticulous when dialing it in on the SawStop and don't seem to have the same issues. For my situation it works, and the wife is relieved to be "catching" much less often; happy wife, happy life.

[Kelly Craig]

I used a Jet Kick-down table and love it. My shop is big enough now days I don't kick it down anymore, but I'd replace it with another, if I had to.