Replies

1. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jul 03, 2006 06:19pm | #1

   You will have to build and attach the table to the saw first, Soultrain. Once you have attached the table, you can then use the original miter slot to determine where you cut the one on the attachment.

   You might consider taking a look at Highland Hardware or Eagle America. They sell an aluminum insert already sized for a standard 3/4" miter bar. You dado the hole larger to accommodate the outer width of that insert. Once installed, the slot has much less friction than if you left it as open grain of the material you used to build the top.

   Once I do get the table attached and the slot for the insert cut.. I drop about 3 coats of poly on it, sanding with 0000 between coats letting it dry properly between coats. If you don't seal it, your going to get some movement from changing moisture conditions. Here in Atlanta in summer, that could constitute sending out a search party to find where it moved too.  ha.. ha...

   Good luck...

   SARGE..g47

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 03, 2006 08:08pm | #2

   By the time the miter guage, or sliding cutoff box has reached the outfeed table it no longer needs precision guiding.  Therefore the better choice is to make the slots in the outfeed table generous so a small misalignment doesn't screw things up.  Your standard table saw miter slot is 3/4 x 3/8, plus you should add width if you have a T slot in your saw and a little for slop.    (You would definately want to be able to just lift the miter guage from the outfeed table.) 

3. 
   cadiddlehopper | Jul 03, 2006 08:09pm | #3

   The slots in my extension are oversized. By the time my miter gauge enters the slot, its function as a guide has ended. It must not bind up, however. If using wood, that is always a danger 150 miles west of Atlanta, too, where I live. LOL!

   Cadiddlehopper

4. 
   JeffHeath | Jul 03, 2006 08:14pm | #4

   Absolutely no need to continue the miter slot past the end of your saw.  You can make dados that are oversized to just allow your miter guage or slide to get through without binding up.

   Jeff

5. 
   hammer1 | Jul 03, 2006 08:42pm | #5

   With most miter gauges, on full size saws, the bar only projects past the table a couple of inches by the time the work is cut through. Shop built fixtures may require more room but even a huge sled should still be supported adequately with the slots on the saw. Your outfeed table does not have to be flush with the top of the saw and the slots do not have to fit the bar tightly. I'd much rather have a table that was an inch low than one that was 1/64" high or tight as the seasons change. Since I've rarely seen a level floor in a shop, building a table that fits exact in one spot, may cause troubles if you move. I also don't like to attach directly to the saw. Not only do I need to move things for room but clean up and maintenance are easier. At times I may want the table to the side for long crosscuts
   or I may move it to another area in the shop. If you want your table top closer to the saw top, you can just cut a couple of extra wide slots so the bar clears and won't be restricted. Getting hung up on a cut is something to avoid. A flush table can add extra friction, particularly as you complete the cut. I used to build mine to fit perfectly but they always caused issues, now I go lower and have the control I want right there at the blade and saw top.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   Soultrain | Jul 03, 2006 09:52pm | #6

   Thanks everyone!!