# out feed table



## croaker (Aug 11, 2012)

Going to make a out feed table for my table saw.
What is the best substrate to use particle board, mdf or plywood?
It is going to be covered in formica. All the countertops i see are
made out of particle board.
I was wondering if anything else was any better.


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## terryh (Nov 11, 2013)

I vote for MDF. I made mine out of 3/4" particle board and it's too soft. MDF is stable and flat, and with a laminate top will be great. That's what my next one will be.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Under laminate particle board would be better than MDF or plywood. Laminate seals the wood on one side so well MDF or plywood is prone to warp. Sometime look at formica countertops at the store. They are made out of particle board.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

croaker said:


> Going to make a out feed table for my table saw.
> What is the best substrate to use particle board, mdf or plywood?
> It is going to be covered in formica. All the countertops i see are
> made out of particle board.
> I was wondering if anything else was any better.


All three have the potential to cup and/or warp if you don't cover both the top and the bottom with the same material. The way to get around only covering the top, is to attach to a frame that will keep the sheet goods from warping/cupping.

So, use what material you have and make sure that your frame is sturdy enough to keep the sheet good flat. Or cover both top and bottom.

The first three (3) photos are of my latest outfeed table made with 3/4" plywood attached to an oak frame. The frame is 3/4" x 1-1/2" material. The complete table top and frame have two (2) coats of shellac on them. Notice that the frame was designed to be separate from the top. This allows me to replace the top in the future without replacing the frame. 

The last photo is from my previous Craftsman tablesaw. The outfeed table top and the extension table top are both made of 1/2" thick baltic birch plywood with laminate attached to both the top and bottom. The edges are sealed with some finish. The frame on the outfeed table top is 3/4" x 2-1/2" oak material. The frame on the extension table is 3/4" by 1-1/2" maple material. 

The two (2) sheets of 4' x 8' laminate and special glue cost over $180. I built the newest outfeed table for a lot less than the previous version.

The shellac surface scratches easier than the laminate, but the additional cost of the laminate, was a factor in only using shellac for the current outfeed table. 

Eric


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*another option is ...*

What about Melamine? It is covered on both sides and has particle board as the substrate. 

The issue I see is cutting dados for the miter bar to extend into the outfeed table. These need to be spot on and any error will cause binding. However you make them with a dado set in the table saw OR a router with a straight edge guide, they may be tricky, especially without an outfeed table on the tablesaw.. :surprise2: It's like you need a workbench to make a workbench.

On my sawzilla, I used two layers of 1/2" MDF. The bottom layer is supported on a angle attached to the rear of the table saw(s) and another attached to a 30" wide X 10 ft long torsion box. The outfeed is only about 18" wide. The top layer is made of individual pieces screwed down and spaced apart slightly more than the width of the miter bar. I just built it right to left inserting 3/4" wide strips in the existing miter slots , leaving a slight gap as I moved across.










Any dados cut in any substrate may have a potential for warpinp or sagging at the dados. A frame underneath will compensate for that as suggest above.
The laminate makes for a great looking surface. I also used shellac as suggested above. It's a great"renewable" surface and very smooth and slike for easy movement of workpieces.


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## Rebelwork (Jan 15, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> Under laminate particle board would be better than MDF or plywood. Laminate seals the wood on one side so well MDF or plywood is prone to warp. Sometime look at formica countertops at the store. They are made out of particle board.


Correct:thumbsup:


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## croaker (Aug 11, 2012)

Thanks
Looks like i will use particle board.
I got a bunch for free so i will use better stuff for the top and others for the bottom.


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## ORBlackFZ1 (Dec 25, 2013)

woodnthings said:


> Any dados cut in any substrate may have a potential for warpinp or sagging at the dados. A frame underneath will compensate for that as suggest above.


Notice in the second photo that I posted, the frame has two (2) inside members that are near the miter slots, just for the reason Woodnthings mentioned.



woodnthings said:


> The issue I see is cutting dados for the miter bar to extend into the outfeed table. These need to be spot on and any error will cause binding. However you make them with a dado set in the table saw OR a router with a straight edge guide, they may be tricky, especially without an outfeed table on the tablesaw.. It's like you need a workbench to make a workbench.


Hey Woodnthings: I guess I am not following your logic here. Help me understand why you want the miter bar slots to be "spot on". 

Here is my logic: As long as your miter slots on the table saw are precise, the miter slots in the outfeed table only need to be wide enough to let the miter slot slide through without binding. I made my slots an extra 1/8" on both sides and the outfeed table works fine with any jig that has a miter bar on it. The precision is built into the table not the outfeed table.

Yes, the slots need to be straight, so a simple straight edge and a handheld (plunge) router would do the job.

My outfeed table is easily removed. I have stops on it to make sure that it always gets installed in the same place each time for all three axis. It has a lip that sits on the table's rear angle iron (height), side stops that position from left to right and clamps that tighten it to the back of the angle iron for the proper depth. The miter slots line up perfectly with the table saw slots.

Did I miss something?

Eric


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*no, you didn't miss anything*

It's just that a too narrow slot or one that is mis-aligned one will cause a bind, where an oversized slot is fine. "Spot on" was probably misleading. :surprise2:


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## MT Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

My outfeed table is also a work table used for assembly and just about everything else that I work on. I bought a solid core door at the Habitat Restore place for under $10. I laminated Formica on top. I have been using it for the past few years with no issues. It is flat and heavy. In fact, it is not attached to the frame of the workbench. It just sits on top. Pieces of 1/2 inch mdf strips on all sides act like a saddle to keep it in place.

Here are a few pics. Note that I use it a lot for building face frames for cabinets.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

I always used either plywood or MDF. I personally think that particle board is a pretty poor product.
If you laminate the top, you should always treat the bottom in some way. the best and most cost effective is to use a backing sheet. Most laminate suppliers sell it. It is literally the backing behind the plastic laminate. Backing sheets are specifically used for the underside of the substrate where plastic laminate is used on the other side. Look underneath some commercial furniture tops and you will usually see a smooth brownish colored surface. THAT is the backing sheet. They are much more economical to use on the underside than another piece of laminate and serve the same purpose. 

As a side note, I have always designed my work benches, rolling work cabinets and carts to be the exact same height as my table saw. If you ever need an extension for either in-feed or out-feed, they come in real handy. 
If you have the space, make your outfeed table for the table saw at least a full 4 X 8. My out-feed table usually becomes my primary work space while dry fitting and assembling large pieces. It's obviously close to the table saw if you have to tweak a dimension and probably bigger than most work benches. 


For in-feed tables, I have used everything from the fork lift to shop made tilting tables. Another hand in-feed for heavy stuff is a hydraulic table from Harbor Freight. It will hold IIRC 1000 lbs. It will crank-up just a hair higher than a pick-up truck bed which makes it easy to slide things onto the truck bed and then lower it take things off the truck. On sale, they can be had for around $150. Great investment if you often work alone.


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