The black pipe...(which is actually a hollow closet rod) slides under the extension table and touches the right side of the saw stand...that way it is out of knee range and still available for transport. And since this monster is so long, it is very stable when moving; hence only one handle instead of two. I tried both options and this single system works well. A radiator hose clamp on the inside prevents it from sliding out too far.
Attaching the extension rails...the trick is not to assemble the rails until you have the vertical 2x4 rails coming up from the floor on the far right. The rails actually sit on top of these 2x4 legs, and when you connect both front and rear legs with a 2x6, it is notched to reach up and touch the underside of the table also. Then, extend the transport handle and rest just the handle up on a stationary object (picnic table bench) which allows the horizontal 2x4 braces to be under load while the extension rails are added. The concern here is to prevent the rails from flexing any more after the added weight of the extension table top. Cutting those vertical legs on the right to exactly the correct height and resting the extension rails on top reminded me of the SMT adjustment, because you also have to take into account the fence clearance and how it rides across the whole extension table. Just cut the legs, test the straightness of the extension rails, and try again until you get it right.
Here are some dimensions:
Total rail length |
82 1/8" |
Blade to left end rail |
26" |
Blade to right rail end (with extension rail) |
56 1/8" |
Vertical height of 2x4 legs under extension rails |
34 1/4" |
Black pipe transport handle |
36 " |
3/4 " plywood table top (front to rear) |
22 1/4" |
3/4 " plywood table top length |
48 1/2" |
I put several coats of sanding sealer on the table top to help avoid moisture absorption. I have not yet coated it with polyurethane - that's next week's project!
Original PDF Document:
exttable.pdf