Agazzani B-24 - extension table mounting?

[ian maybury]

I posted before asking about your experience with Hammer/Felder type extension tables, and the work is under way to fit them on my Hammer machines.

The plan is to build the tables using top and bottom skins of 18mm phenolic birch ply sandwiched over strips of 24mm - with the phenolic milled off on the glue lines as the stuff doesn't stick very well. Side plates milled from 12mm bright steel flat strip will enable them to hook over DIY mounting bars along the lines of Hammer/Felder, and in the case of the short ones to cantilever off this. The longer ones will have an adjustable height support leg.

It'd be nice to be able to buy the Hammer units, but it quickly builds into a lot of money.

I'm wondering if any of you guys have mounted extension tables on what you know as an Agazzani B-24. (my saw is very similar - actually a UK spec NRA 600) The situation is complicated by the fact that I want to use exactly the same mounting format as on the Hammer machines so the extension tables are interchangeable. This places the bolts fixing the table mounting bars to the side face/flange of the table on a line 55mm below the top surface of the table. Unlike the Felder 600 band saw it (in one way luckily) does not come with mounting bars fitted.

The problem is that this locates them just below the lower edge of the side face of the table casting. Two questions follow:

1. Is there a proven method of doing this, or better still a mounting kit available? (long shot, just asking...)

2. How useful is an infeed table extension (there will be one on the outfeed as well) for ripping and re-sawing long material etc? (you don't often see them, but it sounds like one could be worthwhile to me)

I figure (1) can be done by bolting an 8x50mm (5/16in thick) steel strip bracket to the inside face of the table flange using a countersunk screw through the side of the table and the bracket.

A bend in the bracket will compensate for the relief angle on the casting to leave the face of the bracket vertical.

(2) is possible as well, but quite a bit more awkward since the mounting has to clear the stock fence locking assembly and knob.

Has anybody any views as to whether this is worthwhile, or on how it might be done?

Thanks

ian

PS Sorry - wrong section. maybe this can be moved to the general section.

[Wes Grass]

I don't know what the dimensions of the Hammer tables are, but the Felder is a 10mm thick rail set 11mm down from the top of the table. There's a 10mm deep step for the table to hook over. I don't see why you'd need to put the bolts any lower than 35mm from the table top, and that would leave room for some pretty big spacers. In fact, that's exactly where I put the holes for the rails I made for my Laguna. The FB-600 are in the same general area.

[ian maybury]

It would certainly simplify the situation Wes, but the pre-drilled and spot faced holes on the Hammer tables (all my other machines - an A3 410, K3 and F3) are centred 55mm below the top surface of the table. I've a suspicion this may be because the Hammer extension tables are aluminium, and that a 10mm thick leg hooking over the rail would not be strong enough.

The Felder rails are set higher, but I think the extension tables are cast iron....

ian

[Wes Grass]

Some of the Felder tables are aluminum, including the meter long unit with outrigger leg. The short wide tables are a quite beefy extrusion however.

Looking at pictures it appears the rails are extrusions as well. I'm guessing they slide over the heads of bolts to attach them? It also looks to me as though there's no way the table on a Hammer bandsaw has tall enough flanges to put holes that far down. And since you're making your own rails as well as the tables, I'd think you could put the holes about anywhere you like. Or else I'm missing some detail, and/or simply can't read and understand anything anymore ;-)

[ian maybury]

I can put the holes on the side of the band saw table where I want, but the holes in the Hammer tables are pre-drilled at 55mm below the surface. If I mix the heights then the extensions would not be interchangeable between the band saw and the Hammer machines as planned.

Which could be done, but would require building some extra extension tables. Might be easier just to step down the mounting on the band saw a little as above.

ian