Infeed and outfeed tables

[earlmorton]

Hi!

I made these tables some time ago, and have been asked to post information on them here. I have tried to post pictures before without success, but have been asked again, so thought I'd give it another try. I have posted these photos at least once on the SSUsers Yahoo group, so you might have seen them there.

Feel free to copy or modify my design to suit your needs. If you'd like any more information, please contact me directly.

Earl

PS: Well it still won't let me attach the photos. Another forum member has offered to post them for me, so I'll send them to him and let him try.

[dusty]

Hi!

I made these tables some time ago, and have been asked to post information on them here. I have tried to post pictures before without success, but have been asked again, so thought I'd give it another try. I have posted these photos at least once on the SSUsers Yahoo group, so you might have seen them there.

Feel free to copy or modify my design to suit your needs. If you'd like any more information, please contact me directly.

Earl

PS: Well it still won't let me attach the photos. Another forum member has offered to post them for me, so I'll send them to him and let him try.

Ed in Tampa and I have communicated in the past with Earl regarding his amazing Infeed/Outfeed Table Design. He has asked me to post these photos for him so that the members of this forum can have access to them as well.

[dusty]

Ed in Tampa and I have communicated in the past with Earl regarding his amazing Infeed/Outfeed Table Design. He has asked me to post these photos for him so that the members of this forum can have access to them as well.

Three more Photos of Earl's Infeed/Outfeed Table.

Notice that Earl's Tables require no telescopic support legs and that the table height adjustment moves the Infeed/Outfeed Tables as well.

Truly a remarkable design Earl (earlmorton). I thank you for allowing me to post these here on the Shopsmith Forum.

[earlmorton]

Here is some general information about my infeed and outfeed tables.

The tables themselves are 3/4-inch melamine particle board (17-11/16 x 23-7/8)*, and they are supported on both sides by aluminum channel rails. The rails are 3 inches wide, with 1.5-in flanges, and 6'8" long. The "web" (top) of the rails is 1/8-in thick. The flanges are 3/16-in. The rails slip onto the tubes on the front and back of the 520 main table.

My design criteria were simple:
1. They had to slip on and off easily, without any fasteners, clamps, or
adjustments.
2. They had to be flush with the main table regardless of the table height and tilt.
3. I didn't want to modify the standard SS parts in any way: no holes drilled in the table or its supports, etc.

The rail brackets are made of 3/4-inch MDO plywood. The angled slots in them allow the rails to just slip on and off the SS table tubes easily, but prevent them from lifting off when weight is placed at either end (or anywhere in between).

The table brackets are mostly 3/4-inch MDO plywood. Small hardwood blocks sit directly under the tables. I chose hardwood for that so I could more precisely plane it to the correct thickness and keep the tables flush with the main table. Small aluminum pins in the table brackets fit into holes drilled along the sides of the tables.

Both the rail brackets and the table brackets are attached to the web of the aluminum channel with countersunk screws. I was advised by an engineer at work to not screw into the flanges so as to not weaken the rails.

I have a short video that shows how easily the tables come on and off. I can e-mail it to anyone who wants it. I have it in both low-resolution (720 KB) and medium resolution (7 MB) .wmv files. On the video the SS seems to wobble a little. I noticed after the taping that it was on an uneven spot on the driveway, and was only sitting on three legs. Oh well!

If I was more adept with metal working, I might have made both the rail
brackets and the table brackets out of aluminum plate or angles, and welded them onto the channels, rather than using the plywood. But that's well beyond my skill range.

I bought the aluminum channel at a local industrial supply store, and they cut it to length for me. I based the size choice on both the recommendations of the engineer I consulted at work and what was available at the store. I wanted them to be stiff enough to support them only on the 520 rails without them drooping at the ends, but thin enough to not limit the depth of cut any more than necessary. The left rail sits over the headstock and prevents lowering the table all the way, so the maximum depth of cut is reduced by about an inch. So far it hasn't been a problem for me.

If I'm working with fairly heavy work pieces, I put the SS telescoping legs on the table tubes just to provide a little more stability. There's a lot of leverage out at the ends of these tables, and I would hate to break the table carriage casting or something by putting too much weight on it.

I've also found that it's a lot easier to adjust the table height and tilt before mounting the infeed and outfeed tables.

By the way, the aluminum rails without the tables mounted provide a lot of
support and sometimes all that is needed for crosscutting wide stock. When using my panel sled, I only need one of them.

*I should have made the tables a little wider (19-3/4). As they are, the rip fence can't be moved as far to the side as it might be. And if the infeed table was 23 inches long, it wouldn't interfer with the rip fence lock levers. I'll trim it off someday.

[a1gutterman]

Wow! Ingenious.

[dusty]

Here is some general information about my infeed and outfeed tables.

The tables themselves are 3/4-inch melamine particle board (17-11/16 x 23-7/8)*, and they are supported on both sides by aluminum channel rails. The rails are 3 inches wide, with 1.5-in flanges, and 6'8" long. The "web" (top) of the rails is 1/8-in thick. The flanges are 3/16-in. The rails slip onto the tubes on the front and back of the 520 main table.

My design criteria were simple:
1. They had to slip on and off easily, without any fasteners, clamps, or
adjustments.
2. They had to be flush with the main table regardless of the table height and tilt.
3. I didn't want to modify the standard SS parts in any way: no holes drilled in the table or its supports, etc.

The rail brackets are made of 3/4-inch MDO plywood. The angled slots in them allow the rails to just slip on and off the SS table tubes easily, but prevent them from lifting off when weight is placed at either end (or anywhere in between).

The table brackets are mostly 3/4-inch MDO plywood. Small hardwood blocks sit directly under the tables. I chose hardwood for that so I could more precisely plane it to the correct thickness and keep the tables flush with the main table. Small aluminum pins in the table brackets fit into holes drilled along the sides of the tables.

Both the rail brackets and the table brackets are attached to the web of the aluminum channel with countersunk screws. I was advised by an engineer at work to not screw into the flanges so as to not weaken the rails.

I have a short video that shows how easily the tables come on and off. I can e-mail it to anyone who wants it. I have it in both low-resolution (720 KB) and medium resolution (7 MB) .wmv files. On the video the SS seems to wobble a little. I noticed after the taping that it was on an uneven spot on the driveway, and was only sitting on three legs. Oh well!

If I was more adept with metal working, I might have made both the rail
brackets and the table brackets out of aluminum plate or angles, and welded them onto the channels, rather than using the plywood. But that's well beyond my skill range.

I bought the aluminum channel at a local industrial supply store, and they cut it to length for me. I based the size choice on both the recommendations of the engineer I consulted at work and what was available at the store. I wanted them to be stiff enough to support them only on the 520 rails without them drooping at the ends, but thin enough to not limit the depth of cut any more than necessary. The left rail sits over the headstock and prevents lowering the table all the way, so the maximum depth of cut is reduced by about an inch. So far it hasn't been a problem for me.

If I'm working with fairly heavy work pieces, I put the SS telescoping legs on the table tubes just to provide a little more stability. There's a lot of leverage out at the ends of these tables, and I would hate to break the table carriage casting or something by putting too much weight on it.

I've also found that it's a lot easier to adjust the table height and tilt before mounting the infeed and outfeed tables.

By the way, the aluminum rails without the tables mounted provide a lot of
support and sometimes all that is needed for crosscutting wide stock. When using my panel sled, I only need one of them.

*I should have made the tables a little wider (19-3/4). As they are, the rip fence can't be moved as far to the side as it might be. And if the infeed table was 23 inches long, it wouldn't interfer with the rip fence lock levers. I'll trim it off someday.

Thank you, Earl, for the additional input and for allowing me to post your photos.

[robinson46176]

Beauty in its simplicity, function and quality of execution... Wow...

[Ed in Tampa]

Thanks Earl ever since I first saw these I have wanted them on this forum. Your idea is simple and brilliant!

I like the fact you added you often don't need the tables themselves that the rails suffice. In light of this I was thinking that instead of using 3/4 melamine for tables whether 1/4 ply might not work or even some aluminum cross members.

I know you had this engineered by friends but I tend to think it is probably stout enough to support an engine block. I would like to see if your brilliant idea could be engineered using more common stock and less huskier and therefore lighter material.

My thanks to Dusty also for following through with Earl on this and getting these pictures on the forum.

Again a big thinks to both EARL for this brilliant design and to DUSTY for posting the pictures. Oh by the way the video is great!!!!!!!


Here is a challenge to all that is thinking about this project. I was trying to think of a way to build a similar setup only using the five foot connector tubes SS sells. I realize the overall length would be effected but I'm guessing for most operations the length would be sufficient. I was even think of somehow incorporating the table fence rails (round tubes that mount to tables) that those of us have extra after doing a 510 to 520 upgrade. Mine already have studs welded to them that could be used to support a table or framing of some sort.

[tom_k/mo]

Earl, how about just posting the video on YouTube and providing a link to it?

[paul heller]

Seems to be I remember this setup, including a video, from a year or so ago. I was impressed then. Still am.

What about the weight? It seems like a lot of weight to put on the carriage assembly.

Paul