John D. Williams

Bandsaw Table Extension

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Here is a picture of an extension table that I made for my bandsaw in order to cut big pieces of wood.
The reasons for making and using this table are:
  1. The supplied supports for the bandsaw table are made from white metal and are prone to break when large wood is put on the table.
  2. The supplied table is too small for large pieces of wood.
  3. The surface of the table needs to be slippery to allow easy sliding
  4. The table must not reduce the cutting capacity of the bandsaw (It does, but only by 5/8 inch)

This table addresses the problems in the following ways:
  1. I attached legs to the floor on the attached table.
  2. The attached table is large. (Could have been larger but this was in my scraps )
  3. I used melamine covered chipboard which allows wood pieces to move with little frictional resistance.
Here is what the underside of the table looks like. The wood around the edges is 3/4 X 3/4 inch and the small circle piece fits inside the bandsaw table blade hole.
The legs are attached with hinges.
The table measures about 18 inches by 36 inches.
The table folds up for storage. There is a small cut that allows the table to be placed or removed by sliding around the blade.
Here is a 60 lb white oak slab ready for cutting into a circle. Pieces this big are cumbersome to handle by one person without the use of the attached table as the heavy overhanging side to the right of the blade must be supported while feeding the piece into the bandsaw.
This attached table supports the wood nicely and allows easy feeding with its slippery surface.
I use a bucket lid as a guide to cut the circle.
Here is a picture of the table with partly cut blank.