Outfeed table material

[njohnston924]

My wife was gracious enough to let me purchase a new (to me) table saw - the Grizzly from the classifieds (thanks Micky!). This is a big step up from my jobsite saw. I plan to build an outfeed/assembly table for it with a couple shelves underneath that i will use for storing lumber. I'm debating on what material to use for the top (which will be ~4ft x 5ft). I've done some research and looking on other forums about pro's/con's of different materials. I'm trying to decide between using 1 sheet of melamine or gluing 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF and putting laminate on it. Another member here was kind enough to let me indefinitely borrow a couple sheets of laminate, but I'm also trying not to blow the budget when building this table.

I know this is one of those "preference" type questions, but could you give me your experiences with either one. If it makes a difference, i plan on adding a could T-tracks and toggle clamps to hold down pieces when sanding, etc. since i don't have a vise or anything (maybe add one later)

 

[Wyatt Co.]

MDF and laminate. Melamine will not like the T-tracks. And in general, melamine sucks.

 

[ntboardman]

I know this is one of those "preference" type questions, but could you give me your experiences with either one. If it makes a difference, i plan on adding a could T-tracks and toggle clamps to hold down pieces when sanding, etc. since i don't have a vise or anything (maybe add one later)

Personally, i've found that combining an outfeed table to include a dedicated work station for sanding really hurts my productivity. For example, I'll cut some parts, sand them and glue them up, but i'll leave the glue up on the table only to have to move them again when ready to use my saw. If you have the ability to make a small outfeed table and then a larger work table, it may make your life a bit easier. As far as material. I love a melamine top. Easy to take glue off of, but not the easiest to put tracks into.

 

[njohnston924]

I've run into the same problem about glue ups or other mess cluttering up the outfeed table. unfortunately, since I basically only have of a 2 car garage to work in, space is limited. hopefully someday i'll have a dedicated shop and enough room for both tables.

I'm not a big fan of particle board, but it does seem to be a little easier and cheaper than gluing MDF/laminate.

 

[SteveHall]

I'm trying to decide between using 1 sheet of melamine or gluing 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF and putting laminate on it.

My outfeed table is made out of some leftover (free) melamine-particle board material and is doing fine after 10+ years. But I built it with 1" oak corner edging for durability and you'll have to do similar because melamine corners are easily broken. Melamine has fine slipperiness with several coats of wax, but it would be a little "sticky" without. The fence slots routed into it are subtly rounding over the years. I could easily route them larger to embed oak or HDPE and re-groove, but they still work without issue.

I have an old style Biesemeyer fence and side table with plastic laminate faces and it has held up better (perfectly). Plastic laminate is better for machining crisp edges because it has higher impact resistance. When I built a router table I used plam since I knew I needed to precisely route the plate recess and fence slots. Be aware that there are vertical and horizontal grades/thickness of plastic laminate that make all the difference. Cheaper vertical thicknesses, such as for a backsplash or cabinet doors, are very thin and will chip when used for a countertop.

 

[JohnW]

I went with two 3/4"MDF sheets glued and screwed. But topped it off by screwing (no glue) a sheet of hard board on top. Hard board is slick enough to provide a good out feed table, and it's a good work surface. After many years of abuse, stains, paint, oils, I just replaced it last month. You might want to put a couple lockable casters on your table. Portability is handy in garage shops. And remember, the out feed table should be slightly lower than your table saw. I like mine about 1/8" lower, but no more.

 

[MarkE]

My outfeed table is also a router table and assembly table, with lots of drawers. The top is two layers of MDF with laminate on the top side. There is a miter/T-Track installed for the router and the entire top is edged with 1-1/2" square oak.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Mine is base cabinets w/ 3/4" MDF on top. Several coats of varnish. Been there 13 years.

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[tdukes]

I used a 2 x 4 sheet of 3/4 plywood topped with shellac and then waxed for my Jet Pro Shop. Since everything in my shop is on wheels, its detachable.

 

[junquecol]

Maybe Phil S could hook you up with a used solid core door. That's what I use for out feed table / assembly bench. Nice thing, due to low cost is I don't mind screwing a jig, or fixture to it.

 

[DSWalker]

My wife was gracious enough to let me purchase a new (to me) table saw - the Grizzly from the classifieds (thanks Micky!). This is a big step up from my jobsite saw. I plan to build an outfeed/assembly table for it with a couple shelves underneath that i will use for storing lumber. I'm debating on what material to use for the top (which will be ~4ft x 5ft).

I'm not much help on the outfeed table, but CONGRATS on the saw. I was watching/looking at that saw for over a week. Wanted it real bad, but just couldn't pull the trigger on it. I'm glad you got it. I saw the exact same saw on Raleigh CraigsList last week for $750, so it really was a nice deal!

 

[mbromley]

Excellent suggestions here as I'll be embarking on the same adventure in the next couple of months.

 

[cyclopentadiene]

I have a 48" wide x 32" deep laboratory cabinet (made of steel and powder coated with chemical resistant paint). The top is a 3/4 piece of MDF glued and screwed to a 3/4 inch sheet of oak plywood. The entire thing is edge banded with pine. It is finished with polyurethane. I have several 2' x 4' pieces of laminate that I lay on the table during glue up assembly. Every few months or so, I sand the top with 220 grit and add a coat or two of polyurethane. I also keep the surface waxed with johnsons paste wax. This makes the top slick so items slide easily and keeps any glue from sticking.

 

[JimD]

My auxiliary table is melamine and works great. It has a router setup that I hardly ever use in it. My outfeed table is also my assembly table. It is based upon Ron Paulk's workbench designs. I built it of 3/4 plywood, however. It is a two layer design so you can store frequently used tools on the lower level and keep the top cleaner. It is bored with 20mm holes on 4 inch centers. I use my track saw nearly as much as my table saw and this table works for both. The plywood top is finished with poly but I don't think it has to be overly slick. Unfinished plywood or MDF would work, it just would get stained more easily.

 

[mpholway]

Nate,
I have some dining room table tops that work great for outfeed tables. They are laminated MDF so they stay flat, are slick, take T-track, are and are FREE. Send me a PM if you are interested.
Regards,
Matt

 

[njohnston924]

Thanks for all the suggestions. And Matt, I appreciate it. I may take you up on that offer if I can find time to get over to Durham. I'm leaning more towards using MDF. I'm planning on building something similar to this:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Workbench-Table-Saw-Outfeed-Table/

I'll probably put some dividers on the lower shelves and use it for storing lumber since i have no where to put it currently

 

[SteveHall]

I'm planning on building something similar to this:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Workbench-Table-Saw-Outfeed-Table/

Just my opinion, but I've always found fixed storage shelves below counter height difficult to access, organize, and clean. Why not use rolling carts beneath, like in this famous 2004 article Roll-away Workshop.

 

[Floyd Hall]

I'm using 1 1/4i MDF and I'm putting plywood and whiteboard on top of that. I'm finding there is a slight hump in the MDF, so I had to create an offset with the stiles in the top frame. Hopefully, I can crank it down to perfectly flat and several coats of polyurethane or varnish will keep it flat.

Floyd

 

[Floyd Hall]

What are you using for a fence face?

 

[njohnston924]

the TS has the stock grizzly fence with the HDPE faces. I plan on adding a router table to the extension wing and making a new router fence. my current router fence is 3/4" MDF with a few coats of shellac and it's held up fine so far. I'll probably use laminate if i have some left over, but if not I might go that same route.