Adjustable roller-stand recommendations?

[Bruce Page]

I have a pair of Record roller stands similar to the picture that have never liked. They wobble, there’s not a square weld on them so every time I adjust the height the roller also has to be readjusted.

So, what are ya’ll using that you are happy with?
I like the looks of the multi-roller, expandable, scissor type stands but they’re too big for my small shop.

[Richard Wolf]

Those type of rollers tend to make the wood track off to one side. Take a look at the roller ball type which will be a little more forgiving.

Richard

[James Phillips]

I have used several and do not like any of them. Build a fold down outfeed table (if for the table saw). It is much better than a roller stand and it is always there when you need it

[Sam Blanchard]

I agree that a dedicated outfeed table may be the best choice, but if you need an adjustable, non-permanent stand (like I do in the shop that used to be the garage) I would recommend the ones from Lee Valley. They have 2 different fine adjust knobs in addition to the main gross height adjustment. Real easy to sneak up on just the right setting. The legs do take up a bit of room, but give superior stability. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
My .02

[Nate Folco]

I have one of these (http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/1274496.html) from home depot and I like it.
It catches the board if it dips and won't push it in any direction like single a roller might.

I couldn't find them on the HD website, but my local store has a large stack of them. About $30
http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/tb_rigid_suppport_lg.jpg

[Mark Carlson]

I just ordered a couple of Triton work stands from Amazon. I read some good reviews. video show its uses: http://www.triton.com.au/documents/download.php?id=118

[Art Mann]

I ownthe same one that Nate owns from Ridgid and I like it better than the roller kind. I would recommend it.

[Don Taylor]

Ditto on the Ridgid work stand

DT

[Dan Larson]

Bruce,
This one is great:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=50231&cat=1,240,41060&ap=1
Very thoughtfully designed... pretty much what you'd expect from LV!
Dan

[Loren Hedahl]

I have four cheapo roller stands that I use for handling sheet materials off the truck. Used to use one as an outfeed roller but no more.

The HD unit pictured in a post above is the stand of choice for the TS, band saw, planer, etc.

[Gary Curtis]

Look at these from Highland Hardware at $35. Made in Germany. Pretty solid stuff.

www.highlandwoodworking.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=3516

[Bob Feeser]

Some of the new style stands that are posted here, are pretty impressive. I have a couple of stands that are the single roller type. They create so many problems, I relegated the whole idea to the junk category.

I tried the single roller type, and as others have mentioned, they track the wood in a different direction. With the roller off by only 1 degree, that is all it takes. You are cutting a piece of wood, when you shift your hands off of it, the 1 degree redirecter called a stand, immediately steers your piece, causing an off cut.

The problem is compounded by the fact that with different types of woods, of varying lengths, and thicknesses, it is also impossible to know how high to set the stand, notwithstanding, you may need to adjust it for every cut. Even with an on ramp, principle, you can still run into trouble. How long is the piece? How far away do you set the stand? How much lower than the true plane do you place it? The list goes on...

It is almost comical to be in the middle of a cut on the table saw, and you just spent, what seemed like forever to get the single roller square to the saw, and at the right height, only to have a piece of stock, with its own memory, dipping way lower than usual, watching as you are making the pass, the darn board hitting the roller dead square in the center, and knowing that you have to keep going with the cut, and as you continue to finish your pass, the roller stand is going to bite the floor. So you either adjust it so low, that you are losing part of the benefit of having an outfeed stand, or you try to get it closer, and risk pushing the stand over. I can see how the ramp designs would help alleviate that. If you are pressed for space, a collapsible/folding outfeed table is still a better option.

I thought the universal ball rollers would solve the tracking problem, but I am still not convinced that you can get the height set properly. With an on ramp is the reistance sufficent to not still tilt the stand? I see one of the models gives you a large base. I would have to use one, and see it first hand to even think about believing a roller stand isn't a waste of time. They don't even double as a work horse, the work piece rolls right off.

I must admit the Rigid stand deserved a Wow the moment I saw it. It can double as a work horse, it avoids the steering problem, and seems to have the largest on ramp possibilities. Has anyone used one yet? Does it really solve the problems? Edit: I see that Nate is using the Rigid stand successfully. Seems like it is everyones top pick as well.

In the boating world, some sit by the launching ramp, and watch the comedy that unfolds, with some people, when they try to load their boats. I bet the same "Americas Funniest Videos" could be made right in the shop, watching someone insist on using roller stands. :eek:

Once I found out how inexpensive you can build an outfeed table, that solved all of the problems, and doubled as a flat assembly table, I never looked back. I like the ramp approach for the outfeed table, instead of dropping it 1/8" like Norm does at the NYW.
http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/3236/2981647220100733997S600x600Q85.jpg
Know anybody who wants to buy a couple of roller stands real cheap? :)

[Dave Sweeney]

Ditto the ditto of the ditto of the Ridgid stand.

[Doug Shepard]

Bruce
If this is mostly for TS use, there's another option. Despite some installation annoyances, this fold-down setup from HTC has been one of the best things I've ever bought for the shop.
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=18250

You never have to worry about relevelling the stand to the saw each time you pull the saw out. Dont think I've used my small fold-up roller stand since buying this. It doesn't really add much depth to the saw when folded down. I think the back of the fence sticks out about the same length anyway.

[Bruce Page]

Wow, there are a lot of choices! I have a fixed, folding outfeed on my Unisaw, I need the portable type for my drum sander, jointer & 15” planner. I roll these out into the shop for use, it would be impracticable to make tables for each machine.
I would like to get away from the single roller style for the reasons that Bob mentions. The Lee Valley, Triton and Ridgid that Nate has all look good. I found a couple of good reviews on the Ridgid but didn’t find anyone selling it. Even the website listed in the Ridgid review appears to be dead (www.ridgidwoodworking.com).
Thanks for the great responses!

[Craig D Peltier]

How about this, one day I will get one, good to cathc sheets coming off saw also. http://www.grizzly.com/products/h6395

[Bruce Page]

How about this, one day I will get one, good to cathc sheets coming off saw also. http://www.grizzly.com/products/h6395

Craig, those are nice but too big for my crowded shop. They're pretty pricey and I'd need two of them..

[Bill Huber]

I just ordered a couple of Triton work stands from Amazon. I read some good reviews. video show its uses: http://www.triton.com.au/documents/download.php?id=118


Mark those look really great, let us know when you get them what you think of them, I think I could good for a pair of them myself.

[Don Bullock]

Bob, is that a picture of your outfeed table in your post? If it is, I'd love to see the rest of it.

[Bob Feeser]

Wow, there are a lot of choices! I have a fixed, folding outfeed on my Unisaw, I need the portable type for my drum sander, jointer & 15” planner. I roll these out into the shop for use, it would be impracticable to make tables for each machine.
I would like to get away from the single roller style for the reasons that Bob mentions. The Lee Valley, Triton and Ridgid that Nate has all look good. I found a couple of good reviews on the Ridgid but didn’t find anyone selling it. Even the website listed in the Ridgid review appears to be dead (www.ridgidwoodworking.com) (http://www.ridgidwoodworking.com)).
Thanks for the great responses!

Bruce your making me ponder. That's good. I saw your post on the General sander. Way to go, that is something that I would love to have. As a matter of fact, my planer is a 12" Craftsman Contractor series, that ran about 750 when I bought it. Heavy duty for a hobby planer, but not an industrial grade machine by any means. It feeds itself properly, something the Rigid I had purchased at Home Depot didn't do, so it went back right away. I had a 6" jointer from Sears that I used for years, and finally upgraded to a PM 8" model 60B, which was a big help with the longer bed. So with all of that background, I have to tell you, that I never needed to use a roller stand on any one of them, even though I did ocassionally use one on the Sears Jointer. This is really funny, but when making a set of custom interior doors for a customer, running the heavy 1 1/2" thick, 5" wide, by 82" pieces of oak stiles through the Sears 6" with the short beds, I will never forget, the whole jointer wanted to tilt onto the floor while I was making the tail end of the pass. http://www.millcrafters.com/Img/doors%20II%20(Medium).JPG
Here I was 3/4's of the way through the pass, using my hip to hold the infeed end of the jointer down, to keep it from falling over, while using all my strength to hold the tail end of the board, so it wouldn't rise up at the end of the pass.:eek: I tried using a roller, but ran into all of the problems that were mentioned in this thread. Needless to say, the much longer bed on the PM 60B with its much heavier weight, solved that problem nicely.
Onto the planer. The Sears 12" contractor grade, has this peculiarity, in that if you do not ever so slightly raise the board up, while it is leaving the planer, it will snipe the last inch or so of the board. So I feed it in one end, to get it going, then when the board is about half way through, balanced so to speak, I jump over to the back end, guiding it through, with that gentle lift at the end. :)
I have to say, that after using the PM 66 5hp, and PM's hollow chisel mortising stand, stuff like this, brings a smile to my face. I can't take it seriously. All I can do is drool anything larger and more industrial, for example Powermatics 15, or 20" planer, with the independent, floating infeed rollers. Anyhow, back to the roller stands. So I don't use one on the jointer, but now have a longer bed to deal with. That and the additional weight, relieves me from having to use my hip to hold the machine from tipping over. :0 I"m laughing again. The planer demands some assistance from me, to keep the board from sniping, so I am my own roller stand on that one also. Unfortunately, I do not have a drum sander, so that adds up me not needing one for that as well.

[Bob Feeser]

Bob, is that a picture of your outfeed table in your post? If it is, I'd love to see the rest of it.

Your every wish is my command.
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/3064/2245655740100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

That is a picture I took of it, right after putting the last coat of finish on it, and before hooking it up to the saw. Actually, I replaced the saw at a later date, and reinvented the Sears saw set up, that you see in this picture. More about that later.

I'm really excited about this outfeed table. It solved a zillion problems for me, with 8 adjustable feet, one for each leg, creating a totally adjustable surface, thereby being able to fine tune the entire surface area, to be perfectly level with the saw table top, as well as the side table. I took a long straight edge, running it over the saw top, and side table surfaces, then adjusted the outfeed table to perfectly line up with it. Uneven concrete floor, what uneven concrete floor? :-) Not a problem.
http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/4489/2012407510100733997S600x600Q85.jpg
The ramp enabled me to keep it on the exact same plane, and not have to worry about boards bumping into it as they are exiting the saw top.
http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/5861/2149760690100733997S600x600Q85.jpg
The legs are 3 on each side, plus 2 that are stationed in the centers, a 1/3 of the way up from each end. More than just being able to keep it on the same plane, it also enabled me to fine tune to the top surface, so it doubles as a perfectly flat glue up, assembly table. (I put a plastic sheet over it when gluing up) Since it is so long at about 92", I am able to use the deep end for whatever, without it getting in the way of the saw area.
It is also 52" deep, measured from the back edge of the saw blade, to the rearmost edge of the outfeed table. That way, even an 8' sheet of ply will come to a rest after cutting it, without falling off of the back end of the table.
The underside has cross ribs running along to add strength to the melamine top material that I bought at Home Depot for about 25 dollars. All of the cross ribs, and all of the wood material I used was Oak; known for its ability to maintain stiffness across spans. The legs interlocked with the cross ribs, not the table top. The side outer pieces fore and aft, were a double thickness for additional strength.
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/3832/2089624110100733997S600x600Q85.jpg
All of the legs, braces, and surrounding supports were all kerfed 1/8" deep, so it was designed to be a perfect fit, when it came time to glue it up. So everything popped so to speak into place, no fumbling around with measurements, or trying to see pencil lines, with glue over them. Some of the surfaces were glued with urethane glues, and others were joined with urethane glues and screws.
The top was attached using pocket hole screws, which would allow it to breath a little. It didn't need much, since the large area of the top was made out of melamine/press board.
For those who wish to incorporate an Incra TS-III fence, the deep end, that you can barely see, has a cut out, that enables you to access the locking knobs, necessary to change the fence depth, for up to 52" wide cuts. That was another reason why I used the ramping edge, to allow for the gap from the back of the saw top, to the beginning of the outfeed edge. Something that is a unique need with the Incra, because they have rails fore and aft, creating a space between the saw and outfeed surface. The ramp works great.

Here it is with the new saw attached, before I even put the motor cover on. The miter slot grooves were routed.
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/4251/2918871520100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

I could write a super long thread about this outfeed table. If you would like to see a lot more pictures of it, while it was being made, with descriptions, you can Google it by copying and pasting the following words " Full Size Custom Adjustable Outfeed Table " without the quotes. It made Googles top listing. Check it out, any other questions, you can post it here. Thanks for asking.

[Howard Acheson]

I have one of these (http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/1274496.html) from home depot and I like it.
It catches the board if it dips and won't push it in any direction like single a roller might.

I couldn't find them on the HD website, but my local store has a large stack of them. About $30
http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/tb_rigid_suppport_lg.jpg

Yup, those are the best I have found. I have two and use them with almost every project.

[Russell Tribby]

Bob,

Not to stray too far from the original thread but is that the panel hold down that is resting on your outfeed table? I was looking at one the other day at Rockler but I haven't heard much about it. Any thoughts?

[Larry Heflin]

Bought a second Rigid a couple of weeks ago.

[Bob Feeser]

.
I would like to add a little more about this. I took the Sears saw that was my Dads, and built a new stand for it, installing it on the PM mobile base, careful to take measurements so it would wind up being the same height as the large outfeed table, that is about 92" long. Then I was able to roll it over to the outfeed, at one end, so the outfeed table would be able to serve as an outfeed for both saws. Handy in a production environment, something I do not have. Here is the upgraded 50's saw, with the new base, and side extensions, which became router stations.
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/3896/2457906590100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb34.webshots.com/97/2093926870100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

The base is 3/4" cabinet grade oak ply, with solid oak top. I added oak cross bracing underneath the top to carry the weight of the saw without sagging.
A corner of the side extension table can be seen below.
http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/5033/2876155690100733997S600x600Q85.jpg

One of these days I am going to crop my photo, so I can upgrade my Avatar.
http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/4964/2817141510100733997S425x425Q85.jpg

[John Bush]

HiBruce,
I have the roller type and find they track the stock too easily. I have an old hospital bed tray that is height adjustable, on rollers, and has a small footprint. It was free too.

[Bob Feeser]

Bob,

Not to stray too far from the original thread but is that the panel hold down that is resting on your outfeed table? I was looking at one the other day at Rockler but I haven't heard much about it. Any thoughts?

Yes that is a panel hold down that was purchased from Bench Dog, the same people who made the metal router table extension on the Sears setup. It works great, for larger panels. I can't recommend it enough. If you would like to read my complete review of it, it was chosen by Amazon as their top featured spotlight review. (Boy does that sound like a major gloat :eek: ) You can see that at the following link. http://www.amazon.com/Bench-Dog-40-025-Safety-Accessory/dp/B00005RHP6/ref=sr_1_16/105-5170008-7644454?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1184738452&sr=1-16
I have been using it for routing, but not for the table saw. With routing you are dressing the edge of the panel, well inside the clearance of the hold down. For a table saw, with the blade going through the stock, out into the piece, it does require a large enough piece of stock to clear the width of the panel hold down. (Not neccessarily a frequent problem, unless when cutting a small piece of stock.) You also have to factor in enough clearance to be able to use a push stick outside the edge of the hold down, at least enough distance to clear the saw blade, whereas with a small piece, you could not as easily push the piece through the tunnel created by the hold down. So I think it would be safe to say, that it is unsafe to use it for pieces smaller than the width of the hold down, plus ample clearance for the push stick outside of it.
I haven't been using it for the saw, but routing on the other hand, requires all the feather board, hold downs you can muster. Russ, thanks for asking. Now back to the roller stands, outfeed line of thinking. :)

[Reg Mitchell]

Bruce
You could always make the Rigid type out feed
Reg

[Andrew Williams]

Or just make your own....

[Michael Stanley]

I have one of these (http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/workshop/1274496.html) from home depot and I like it.
It catches the board if it dips and won't push it in any direction like single a roller might.

I couldn't find them on the HD website, but my local store has a large stack of them. About $30
http://media.popularmechanics.com/images/tb_rigid_suppport_lg.jpg


I have one these as well, Works great. In fact I haven't used my roller stand since I bought this one.

[Mike Cutler]

Bruce.

Apologies upfront for a slight hijack. I was actually going to recomend that you not get the ones I have, but it seems as if I am in the definite minority on them.

For the folks that have the Rigid Flip tops. How are you stopping yours from chattering as material passes over them?
I have two of them, and both dance around like jitterbugs, as the material passes over them. I don't even try to use them for infeed/ outfeed support any longer.
What am I doing wrong?

[Steve Milito]

How about this, one day I will get one, good to cathc sheets coming off saw also. http://www.grizzly.com/products/h6395

I have a similiar one that I got at Woodcraft. They fold up nice and fit under the extension table. The big problem is that they are hard to set up and level. It's rather heavy and you need to adjust all four wheel post to set the height.

[Bruce Page]

One of these days I am going to crop my photo, so I can upgrade my Avatar.
[/IMG]

Here ya go Bob

[Bob Feeser]

Here ya go Bob

Bruce,
Thank you for doing the avatar work for me, shrinking the size. I really appreciate it. I have been using Photodraw 2000, for a long time, but once I upgraded Office 07, Photodraw no longer allows you to save files. I'm fiddling with using Photodraw with a very old machine, a Pentium 100 running W95, and it works fine, now I have to create a convenient file transfer method. Installing a hard drive removable rack, I have laying around into the new machine will handle that for me.
Thanks again for the help. The file works great! :)
Bob

[Alan Tolchinsky]

I think Bob has said it all. Some of the roller stands can be so frustrating and IMHO can be dangerous. My garage floor is not level and that is constantly giving me trouble with the stand. I'm going with some outfeed table as mentioned as soon as I get a chance and some electricity. :) ( See my other post)

[Bruce Page]

Bruce.

Apologies upfront for a slight hijack. I was actually going to recomend that you not get the ones I have, but it seems as if I am in the definite minority on them.

For the folks that have the Rigid Flip tops. How are you stopping yours from chattering as material passes over them?
I have two of them, and both dance around like jitterbugs, as the material passes over them. I don't even try to use them for infeed/ outfeed support any longer.
What am I doing wrong?
Well this will never fly! I was almost set to go get the Ridgid tilt tops and Mike comes along with a huge monkey wrench and clobbers me in the head!
What say ye tilt top owners? Do you ever experience Mike’s Jitterbug symptoms?
Dancing stands don’t belong in the woodshop.. :eek:

[J D Thomas]

I bought two of those LV stands right when they first came out and the price was temporarily reduced. Greatest roller stand I've ever seen!! Kudos to LV for their design work. They're more expensive now, pushing nearly $100 per, but still worth every penny IMO.

[Lawrence See]

I have the Triton stands. They have something like UHDP, no rolling gadgets so material slides straight. Tops also clamp any 2x material and tilt 0-90, everything secures tightly and they are strong. Very versatile.

Regards, Larry

[Don Taylor]

The one Ridgid flip top stand I have has never bounced around???? It has always been very solid.

DT