Jet/Performax outfeed table ideas and gloat!

[Russell Tribby]

I picked this up at our local Rockler sale for about $1100 a couple of weeks ago. They're moving the store a few hundred feet and had a 20% off everything in the store event. I've already used it on my current plantation shutter project. It's worked great and I think it'll pay for itself this Christmas season when I make my cutting boards. I added the Wixey gauge today (thanks again to Barry Wixey for the mounting ideas) and am looking forward to putting that to use. I bought the infeed/outfeed tables off of Amazon but didn't want to attach them permanently because of the small amount of space that I have. I decided to mount them to a couple of pieces of oak and used a piano hinge to make them foldable. I don't know what I'm going to do about legs or a brace for the tables yet. As I have it right now they will not stay up. Any ideas out there? I'm all ears.

[Jim Becker]

Russell, anything you can do to make the infeed and outfeed tables foldable will be a good thing. I sold my 22-44 Plus last week due to very little use based on my projects, but liked the machine in every respect outside of the space that the OEM infeed and outfeed tables took up.

[Russell Tribby]

Jim, I remember you mentioning your dislike of the OEM tables. I think I've solved the space problem with the way that I've mounted them. I now have to come up with a way to support them. I haven't really thought about that yet. I thought I'd throw it out here first to see if anyone had some ideas.

[Jason Beam]

Russell, it looks like from the pictures that there's a little room behind the folded table (between it's arms, behind the sliding surface). My first thought was another piece of wood hinged off the space like a kick-out leg thing - picture just a piece of wood vertically mounted on a piano hinge that allows it to lay flat when the table is lowered - then kicks out when raised to support the feed table. Kinda like some drop-leaf table setups - or even a gate-leg table.

[Russell Tribby]

Jason, I've thought about that. I wanted to avoid drilling into the actual cabinet but I may have to do that. If I took your suggestion do you think I'd need two, one for each side, or would one in the middle suffice?

[Brad Townsend]

Russell, Don't know if this could work. It's just my feeble brain grasping for ideas. I'm wondering about a couple of those tension rods they sell in houseware departments used for support legs under the tables. Those are the ones that have adjustable spring tension with a rubber foot on each end that you can use as a temporary clothes rod in a closet or doorway. (Not the small ones they use for curtains.) When needed, stick one under each table? When not in use, they can be easily stored away. Also, if there is any play in the hinge, you would have to figure out a way to limit the upward travel of the tables so the tension wouldn't push the table higher than you want it. Kind of clunky, but it might work.;)

[Jason Beam]

Jason, I've thought about that. I wanted to avoid drilling into the actual cabinet but I may have to do that. If I took your suggestion do you think I'd need two, one for each side, or would one in the middle suffice?



Boy I dunno ... one seems a little slim for 22" (or more) wide panels goin through there ... it may not be solid enough for heavy work. I'd probably overbuild and put two each in, myself.

Another thought came to me, but I'm not sure it's practical in this application. Some drop-leaf tables I've seen have a board that slides out and supports the leaf - but I'm not sure that you have anywhere to retract a board like this on there.


Brad's idea reminded me of something, though... On big blanket chests and tool boxes, i've seen "lid supports" that when opened click into place to support the lid and prevent it falling closed. I wonder if there wasn't something similar out there that could work.

[Russell Tribby]

I'm not real worried about the upward movement of the tables since all of the pressure will be pushing them down. I even thought about just putting two pieces of wood angled between the edge of the table and the bottom lip of the cabinet. The tables are adjustable so once I had the wood wedged in there I could adjust the height at the table. That would avoid having to drill into the cabinet and attaching anything permanently.

[jason lambert]

Great Idea!!! I also love my 22-44 but with the tables on it does take alot of room but they are so nice to have on I keep pulling them off and on. Foldable like you are working on is the key.

[Russell Tribby]

Jason, any ideas for supporting the tables in the upright position?