Adding wings to your tablesaw

Go beyond what's covered in your owner's manual for easy assembly and spot-on accuracy.

Clamp two straight boards about 3' long to one of the cast-iron extension wings. Extend the boards over the main tabletop.

Holding the wing loosely aligned front to back with the table edges, clamp the boards tightly to the main tabletop.

Perfect the edge alignment by tapping the wing laterally with a rubber mallet until the mounting holes align.

Insert the mounting bolts and hand-tighten them. If you need to raise the wing slightly, use a scrap board on your leg for leverage.

Clamping securely across the seam holds the tops flush. Tighten the bolts when the wing aligns perfectly flush with the main table.

To remove sagging, changing a clamp to spreader mode lets you microadjust the wing height. Parallel-jaw clamps work great for this.

To save bending down, assemble the extension table, support legs, and frame on your saw's tabletop.

Align the mating table surfaces by clamping directly on the seam or using a board with a straightedge and clamps. Bolt them together. Some extension tables bolt only to the fence rails, not the extension wing. For those, install the fence rails first, and then mount the extension table.

Finally, using a long straightedge that reaches from the extension table corners to the cast-iron top, raise or lower the adjustable feet to level the table surface. Tighten the table-mounting nuts when the two surfaces are level.

Use two adjustable-height work supports to hold a rail in position while you insert bolts and set the correct height using the template that came with the saw.

If you don't have adjustable work supports, simply let one rail end rest on the floor while you loosely secure the other with a bolt; then do the other end.