Table Saw Enhancement – Attaching Extra Cast-Iron Extension Wing.

SawStop Industrial Cabinet Saw with an extra cast iron wing.


This is a continuation of Table Saw Enhancement – Attaching Sliding Crosscut Table Without Cutting Down the Rails.

Now that I’d removed my existing router table, I needed to relocate it to the right edge of my table saw. Since I use a miter slot on my router table and I wanted to avoid cutting notches in my front and rear fence rails, I decided to add an additional cast-iron extension wing to the right of my main saw table.

Installing an extra cast iron wing.

I had to remove the wooden extension table in order to attach the new cast-iron wing.  As a result, I needed access to the bolts in the rear rail so I took off my outfeed table.  This is giving me a good opportunity to clean some neglected areas of my saw as well.

Removed the outfeed table so I could access the rear bolts.
Removed the outfeed table so I could access the rear bolts.

I then removed my wooden extension table.

Removed the wooden extension table.
Removed the wooden extension table.

I used some magnetic tool holders and attached them to the inside of the front and rear rails.  These will help hold up the cast iron extension wing while I get it bolted to the table.

Magnetic tool holders help to support the new cast-iron wing.
Magnetic tool holders help to support the new cast-iron wing.

I temporarily attached the new wing to the existing wing using three bolts along with washers and lock nuts.  I was very careful to get the seam between the two cast iron wings nice and flush.  There wasn’t anything holding the new wing to the front and rear rails yet.  That was my next step.  I marked the holes in the new wing on the inside of the rails using a silver Sharpie.  Then I took this new wing back off.

Temporarily attaching the new wing to the existing wing.
Temporarily attaching the new wing to the existing wing.

I used a small drill bit (somewhere in the neighborhood of 1/8″ in diameter) to drill a starter hole.  You will want to take your time and use plenty of cutting oil when drilling through powder-coated steel.

Drilling the ~1/8" starter hole.
Drilling the ~1/8″ starter hole.

I then moved up to a step bit once the starter hole was drilled.  I believe I drilled this to be 3/8″ in diameter.  Again, take your time.

Expanding the hole with a step bit.
Expanding the hole with a step bit.

I added a countersink to the front of the hole once the hole was the correct diameter.  The bolts that are used for attaching the cast-iron wing to the rails are countersunk allen bolts.

Adding a countersink to the front of the hole.
Adding a countersink to the front of the hole.

This took a long time to do.  The steel on the SawStop rails is pretty tough stuff and I wanted to avoid having the powder-coating start to chip off.

Take your time with this so you don't chip the powder-coating.
Take your time with this so you don’t chip the powder-coating.

It took a while but finally the countersink was deep enough so the bolts didn’t stick out at all.  This is important so they don’t interfere with moving the fence back and forth.

Took a while but I'm done.
Took a while but I’m done.

I loosely  reattached the wing and started tightening up the bolts.  The holes in the cast iron wing are over-sized and not threaded so I had a little bit of wiggle room to help with alignment.

Loosely attaching the bolts.
Loosely attaching the bolts.

I got the wing all tightened up and aligned properly.

Tightened and aligned.
Tightened and aligned.

The additional cast-iron has been nice to work on. Drilling through the powder-coating wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. I’ll most likely add one or two more cast-iron wings in the future. I know that there is a limit to how much I can add before the saw starts to tip when I try to move it but the sliding crosscut table may help offset the weight of all the cast iron.

If this has been helpful or if you have any questions that I failed to answer, please leave a comment below.

Up next, I’m adding a router table to the right end of my table saw extension table.

3 thoughts on “Table Saw Enhancement – Attaching Extra Cast-Iron Extension Wing.”

  1. Pingback: Table Saw Enhancement – Attaching Sliding Crosscut Table Without Cutting Down the Rails. – TrentDavis.net

  2. Pingback: Table Saw Enhancement – Converting Extension Table Into Router Table. – TrentDavis.net

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