Bolt PVC Boards to Your Jobsite Table Saw as Infeed and Outfeed Support
The Problem
A jobsite table saw's table ends right where a long rip starts to need it. Stock droops on the infeed, dives off the outfeed, and you end up muscling the board level while also feeding it straight — the exact divided attention a table saw punishes.
The Technique
Build support wings from PVC trim board — slick, flat, weatherproof, and probably already in your scrap pile.
- Mark and cut the PVC boards to span the infeed and outfeed sides.
- Cut a rabbet along each board so it sits down onto the saw's rail — that shoulder is what gives the wing its rigidity — and notch around anything it would collide with (on this saw, a plastic housing on the infeed side).
- Drill the mounting holes (counterbore with a spade bit, through-drill at 5/16), and bolt the wings on with wingnuts and big washers, so they come off without tools.
- Round over the working edges so nothing catches — stock still glides, and you can still hook a tape on the table edge.
About 15 minutes of work; if you're buying the PVC instead of using scrap, call it $30. After plenty of rips, the builder's verdict: the biggest quality-of-life improvement his saw has had in years — supports everything, hinders nothing.
Pro tip: PVC is the right material choice here, not just the free one — it's dead flat, slippery enough that stock slides instead of dragging, and it doesn't care about rain in the truck bed. The wingnut mounting matters too: wings that come off in ten seconds actually get used, because the saw still packs down for transport.
Safety note: Anything added to a table saw must be solidly fixed before it's trusted — a support that shifts mid-rip is worse than none. Check that the wings sit flush with (or a hair below) the table surface so stock can't catch an edge, and keep them clear of the blade, fence travel, and guard.