Is this a bad idea?

Ronald Coates

Member
Messages
27
Location
Fresno, CA
Ok So my extension table was damaged in shipping and Grizzly said February for a replacement.

My first goal was to build a work bench, but I'm waiting for some books to arrive. I don't want to stand back and wish I'd done it differently. That brings me to this post...

I decided to build an extension table for the new saw. The idea I had was to use construction grade materials and build it in a work bench style. So, I bought 4x4 Doug fir for the leg(s) and 2x3 KD Doug fir studs for the top. Doug fir is all that is sold around here by the borgs. the 2x3 studs I will place on edge and face glue them together to make a 27" wide table.

The idea was to build it with one foot/leg set on the end and then attach it to the rails as the original item was designed to be.

The question is, with it bolted to the rails, will expansion and contraction cause me problems? I don't know if you can see in the photos, but it looks as though "most" of the movement will be up and down but some will occur side to side. Look at the grain and see what you think.

I could always just build it with two feet and leg sets as a stand alone unit, but then I would lose some storage space underneath.

To thank you all for taking the time to read this... I included a little tool porn at the end. Cheers!
 

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Ronald, I will give you my two cents, more to bump this thread, then to express my opinion. No, I do not think you will have a problem.

By the way, nice shot of the Lee Vally saws. Did you get them as gift recently?
 
Nice li'l saws! :) :) :)

If you butcherblock it with the grain running to & from the saw, it'll give you fits as it moves & spreads & pinches the rails. You could butcherblock it the OTHER way, so the grain runs from rail to rail, but then you'd have to accomodate movement along the rails.

Best bet would be to build it 26-1/2" deep, grain running parallel to the rails, then bolt it tight to the front rail and bolt it very loosely to the back rail so it can move in that space. Or... use your lumber to build crossmembers between the rails (wood moves very little along its grain, so it should be fine that way) and top it with MDF or plywood.
 
Ron,

Take a look at my extension table build. This was one of the 1st projects I did.

I now use 3" strips of 3/4" plywood ( Sandeply from HD ) for frames like this.

Link to Album. Just click on the first picture for a slide show with comments.

This is my new website so look around, you may find other things of interest.

Here is what the finished project looked like.

Pic43.jpg
 
Thnx for the comments guys. The saws are new. Just part of trying to outfit my shop again.

Nice pictorial Bartee.

I gave this some thought today while working and my gut says I'm headed for trouble if I build it with the grain running parallel to the rails. Aesthetics will be questionable to me if I run the grain perpendicular to the rails. I'm going to just bite the bullet and build it with two sets of legs/feet and deal with the resultant lose of storage space. That way I can just slide it into place and it will stand independent of the saw. I can loosely bolt it to the rails if that becomes a concern.

Thanks again.
 
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