Cabinet Saw Outfeed Bench

[John Hollaway]

The time has come to retire my HTC folding outfeed rollers and replace with an outfeed bench with drawers and a usable solid top. With the price of good plywood costing what it does, my remaining options for the top are either MDF or particle board melamine. Which would you choose? Thanks

[Patrick Varley]

The time has come to retire my HTC folding outfeed rollers and replace with an outfeed bench with drawers and a usable solid top. With the price of good plywood costing what it does, my remaining options for the top are either MDF or particle board melamine. Which would you choose? Thanks

I've been using 1.5" MDF (3/4" x 2), and then laminating a sheet of tempered hardboard on top.

[John Hollaway]

That sounds like a good idea, Pat. I'd forgotten that's exactly what I did probably 40 years ago on my first decent bench. Thanks for the reminder.

[Ken Krawford]

I used melamine on mine and it worked out great. The surface is just "slippery" enough to allow material to slide effortlessly and it fairly easy to keep clean. Invariably it ends up being my assembly table for appropriately sized projects and glue squeeze out is inevitable. My outfeed table is about 49" x 55"

[George Kasten]

I built mine with a laminated ply and mdf top that measures 60x40 inches. The sides and drawer faces are maple ply from a box store. Used some oak to cover the edges. I also added a section for dovetail clamping. Happy with it so far. On a previous table, I'd used melamine and I think it was too fragile and subject to nicks and scrapes. (This table is based on one built by Marc Spagnuolo. He has plans available.)
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[Jim Becker]

The Auroco Radiata Pine A/C plywood available at the home center is under $50 a sheet and is excellent to work with for projects like that. You could do your whole project with that and use laminate on the top for a durable, sliding surface.

[Tony Shea]

I took the opportunity to build a MFT style outfeed table to help deal with sheet goods. I purchased the Dash-Board tracksaw brackets and absolutely love them. Much better design over the Festool brackets. It serves as an outfeed table, assembly table, and MFT table. Plus adds a ton of extra storage. I absolutely love my outfeed table and recommend this design to everyone. I just looked at a bunch of different versions online and designed my own.
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[Mark Brewer]

I used 3/4 MDF, support structure beneath, my outfeed table is 55" wide and appx 43" deep
works great.

[Michael Burnside]

I took the opportunity to build a MFT style outfeed table to help deal with sheet goods. I purchased the Dash-Board tracksaw brackets and absolutely love them. Much better design over the Festool brackets. It serves as an outfeed table, assembly table, and MFT table. Plus adds a ton of extra storage. I absolutely love my outfeed table and recommend this design to everyone. I just looked at a bunch of different versions online and designed my own.
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Yea looks great and that 1545 extrusion is very useful. I use the Kreg Automaxx clamps for vertical or horizontal clamping and for the Dashboard adapter you have as well. I'd never have a bench without it.

[George Yetka]

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Its not ideal for an outfeed but I couldn't turn down this inherited diefenbach and there was nowehre else to put it. I had to build a platform for my TS to sit on to clear it.(it actually feels like a more convenient height for me now)

Right now baltic birch is expensive, the rest of sheet goods aren't more expensive then they have been since I started in my current shop 8 years ago. And 2x material isnt very high right now either.

With my style of woodworking I could use a nice combo assembly/outfeed table with vices

[Tony Shea]

Yea looks great and that 1545 extrusion is very useful. I use the Kreg Automaxx clamps for vertical or horizontal clamping and for the Dashboard adapter you have as well. I'd never have a bench without it.

I absolutely love aluminum extrusion 80/20. I purchased the 1545 for that outfeed table and was a bit sticker shocked at the time. But I don't regret the decision at all. I recently acquired at least 300ft. of 45 series Extrusion and have been building all sorts of tables with it. I highly recommend integrating this stuff when possible.

[John Hollaway]

Thanks for the help, everybody.

[Rick Potter]

When making small benches for outfeed, holding benchtop tools, etc., I look for a good sized pro type office desk at Habitat Restore for $15 or so. I take it apart and that gives me several particle board pieces from the sides, in addition to a 1" thick workbench size top, all covered with HD Formica.

Conference table tops make super oversize workbench tops too, and the whole table sometimes goes for $30. I formerly had a Formica topped router table made from a discarded kitchen counter for years.

I also have a sanding table 30 x 60", that is a commercial all metal desk. Add a piece of carpet on top, mount the whole thing on a plywood base with 5" wheels, and it is useful for moving plywood from the driveway to the shop also.
I plan to someday put a drawer unit under it. Cost me $10 or 15.

One of the best buys I ever got was about 20+ sheets of various Formica colors, including many 'Delta Machinery Grey' from a store going out of biz. Some had chips on the edges, and I paid $25 for the bunch. Still have a lifetime supply of them.