Outfeed Table Plan

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Construction ideas for an outfeed table with mounted router. March 14, 2004

Question
I'm finally biting the bullet and shutting down the shop for a few weeks to renovate. I need to build a new outfeed table with a spot for a router mounted underneath. Does anyone have plans, designs, or good ideas for a new table? We currently keep sheet goods under the one we have now. Size is to be at least 5'x12'.

Forum Responses
(Cabinetmaking Forum)
From contributor D:
I don't know what kind of saw you have or how much room you have, but consider putting your router in the extension to the right of the saw. I saw this done before and one of my helpers wants me to do it in the future. That way you can use the table saw fence with the router. It may come in handy for certain cuts.



From contributor J:
Quickest way I can think of is to use 2 4x8 sheets of MDF, one cut to depth of table saw to be placed to the left, one to be whole and turned to intersect so it lays in front of the saw.

Takes a few studs to build a quick leg setup, level the saw, shim the table, brace it and you're done.

If you want to store sheet goods under it, just 'T' the legs for strength and nail a 2x4 horizontally across to make a lumber rack, or set of lumber racks. They will need center supports, horizontal and lengthwise, to cut bowing to a minimum.

Although, with a 5x12 table, .75 material, and standard height around what... 34-36 inches, you'd be better off building a sheet rack behind the table 8 feet tall with 4-6 shelves, setting the table up with router, building a rack for bits and blades, putting shelves along the outside, storing a porty compressor or something underneath, etc.



From contributor R:
Don't put the router on your saw! You will always find that it is in the way, and your tablesaw is not a workbench. Build the table ext. for the saw - you do need this, and then build a nice bench for the router. There are many very good sets of plans out there.


From contributor W:
I have a jet with a 50" Bessy fence. I put a Jessem Router lift in some maple plywood in the extension to the right of the iron table. Works great and I made a sacrificial fence that fits over the top of my Biesemeyer fence so that I can cut raised panel doors. It works really nicely.

For the outfeed table, I made a 2.5' X 6' table that is on casters. I can attach it either width-wise or length-wise to the outfeed of the table. I use small c clamps to hold the outfeed table to the rear fence rail. I cut a couple grooves into the outfeed table for the miter gauge to slide into. The tablesaw keeps the outfeed table from moving around.

I like mine and use it as a worktable too, since it's big enough to cut most small projects without having to clean the top off for each cut.



From contributor S:
We have another saw for ripping solid woods and a slider for sheetgoods. This setup is for all other miscellaneous cutting and the router table. There are holes in saw fence and we screw the dust collector fence to it. There is a 2-1/2" hose that goes over the top and there is a 4" downdraft through box around router. Switch on router is in on position and is plugged into switched outlet below fence guide. I know the place is a wreck. Tomorrow it will be cleaned, I swear.

The whole set up is only 7'x 9'. If you only have one saw setup, I would agree with contributor R, and build it into something else. But this setup works great for us, since it's not our main saw.

The side of setup is used for shaper sled storage and blades.



From contributor R:
What a nice setup. Something to think about for the future.

I wish I could shut down for a couple of weeks. I save time on Saturdays to do refab work. Try to do one thing or another to improve setup times, work areas, etc. And sometimes just clean.



From contributor Y:
Here's my outfeed table plan.



From contributor M:
Please excuse my wonderful mess. My tabletop is 12ft by 8ft.

Contributor S, don't you find it to be a bit difficult to cut full sheets on that? Do you have a panel saw?



From contributor S:
We have 5 saws. One slider, one rip, one set up for back dadoes and these two for everything miscellaneous.