14" Bandsaw outfeed support--- attached folding table or separate stand?

[Dave Morris]

Looking for ideas on some additional support for the outfeed side of my Jet 14" band saw. Searched this forum and all over the net, only found one attached folding outfeed table designed for a larger steel-frame saw. Plenty of stuff out there for table saws, apparently not much info for band saws other than making a replacement table for a lager surface all around the blade. I don't need the extra width to the side of the blade, but an extra 3 feet behind the blade would really be nice. Problem is, I'm worried about stressing the saw's aluminum table trunions if I make a larger table supported solely by the saw's trunions.

Anybody make a custom outfeed table for their 14" BS, or do most of you folks simply use a separate stand for outfeed support? A separate stand seems lacking in stability.

The task at hand is resawing straight boards from about 100 curved staves from some large 70+ year-old redwood wine barrels. The pieces are about 6" wide, 2" to 3" thick, about 5 feet long, with a bow of about 1" along their length. Figure I'll need to make a sled to support this curved stock for the initial cut, but I'd like to have something supporting the weight at the end of the cut. Got a couple ideas of my own for a hinged outfeed table with folding legs, but figured somebody has made something like this for their 14" saw and I could learn from their experience.

Don't want to use my jointer to flatten the boards, they have a lot of crud built up from years of making wine and the (hard mineral?) deposits built up on the old redwood will trash the knives on the first board.

Thanks for any tips, pointers, or links to pics of other's solutions.


Dave

[Jim Becker]

"Attached", similar to the Aigner extensions would be my choice. That doesn't mean permanent, it means removable. In this way, you can move it around and use it for multiple tools. One adjustable height leg with a wide base will keep it stable. The other end fastens to the machine table with a rail.

[Thane Duncan]

Look at Laguna site at their metal side table then build your own. Single leg like Jim said.

TD

[Phil Pritchard]

The problem with attaching any auxilliary table, other than something like the Aigner or Felder hook on types, is that you immediately lose the ability to tilt the table without detaching everything. Personally I use some warehouse roller track on legs for my band saw run-off.

Phil

[Dave Morris]

Sometimes all it takes is a different point of view on an idea, and you find a solution from a different direction. I'd been fixated on a hinged table with some complicated mounting system permanently mounted to the saw, but Jim's suggestion makes perfect sense. A piece of U-channel bolted to the table, a piece of angle stock to catch it, couple spring clamps, an outfeed surface, an adjustable support leg, and bingo! I have a removable outfeed table that's good to go.

Thanks for the insight.

Dave

[Jim Becker]

Dave, I made my recommendation based on a lot of personal thought and investigation as well as seeing the Aigner system in action at Steve Jenkins' shop in TX. Being able to move the thing around to different positions makes a lot of sense to me...for the BS, that means not just infeed and outfeed support, but also lateral support if you want to cut a big circle as in making a round table. Being able to move it (or "them" ;) ) to other tools means great functionality without a lot of space, too. Consider material handling for a jointer on boards a little longer than you might normally process. One of my personal uses will be as infeed support when making conventional rip cuts using the fence with my slider...