Bandsaw Outfeed Table

When I first got a bandsaw, I thought I would use it mostly for cutting curves, and maybe once in a while for sawing small logs into boards. But pretty soon I figured out that it was every bit as useful as a ripping machine, especially with warped or twisted stock that would be just plain dangerous to cut on a table saw. So of course that meant I needed something to support longer boards as they came off the back of the bandsaw.

This is what I came up with. One end attaches firmly to the bandsaw table, while the other end sits on a single leg that's hinged so it will fold up for storage. A piece of clothesline rope keeps the leg from swinging out too far when the table is in use. I'm the first to admit that this arrangement looks pretty flimsy, but it is surprisingly stable when it's all set up.

To attach the outfeed table to the bandsaw, I started by bolting a piece of aluminum angle to the bandsaw table. The holes for the bolts were already drilled and tapped in the bandsaw table. The outfeed table then sits on the little shelf formed by the aluminum angle. It is held in place by two more bolts that go down from the top and through the angle.

When I made the outfeed table, I had to include a shim to bring its top surface up to the level of the bandsaw table. I also had to cut a couple of notches in the end of the outfeed table to clear the heads of the bolts that attach the angle to the bandsaw.

The length of the leg is adjustable to make it easy to level the outfeed table, regardless of how the floor slopes or doesn't slope. At one time I also used the outfeed table with a radial arm saw, and the adjustable leg accommodated the difference in height between the bandsaw table and that of the radial arm saw.

I have no idea what I was thinking when I made this hinge to attach the leg to the table. A metal one from the BORG would have been much, much simpler.