Torsion Box Outfeed Table

My version of the Torsion Box table. This torsion box outfeed table includes tracks for track clamps, a downdraft area with bench dog holes, and integrated drawers inside the torsion box grid system. If you need additional information, I do have plans that detail out all the dimensions as well as cust sheets!

Download plans here

Table Saw Track Saw (use a circular saw with a guide as an alternative)

Miter Saw (use a circular saw with a guide as an alternative)

Jig Saw : https://amzn.to/32KT2Gw

Power Drill/Driver Dovetail Bit : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

Glue : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

Bessey Steel Ratchet Clamps : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

Bessey Steel Table Clamps : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

Microjig Matchfit System : https://amzn.to/38BfW5N

20” Drawer Sliders : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

Nailer and Tank : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

Bora Foldable Stand : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

3/4” Forstner Bit : https://amzn.to/2TtDGRC

4 sheets 3/4” Plywood

2 sheets 1/2” plywood

Screws (Various Lengths) 1-1/2” to 3”

The first thing when working with sheet goods is to break it down into more manageable parts. I like to use a track saw for this, but if you don't have a track saw you can use a circular saw with a straight edge guide. Make sure to leave some extra materials so you can finish up the cut on the table saw. This will ensure that the piece is squared in the end.

Take the parts for the legs and glue them together. Once the glue dries, use the table saw to clean up the edges and cut the legs down to the final length and width.

Take the stretcher pieces and cut them down to the right length. Give the stretcher and legs a good sanding with 120 grit sandpaper. To assemble the base, glue and pin the stretchers to the legs and then screw them into place. Use a square to keep everything aligned. The backside of the base will consist of two long stretcher pieces while the front side will only have a single long stretcher piece at the bottom to support the storage cabinets. Connect both sides of the base with two short stretcher pieces using glue and screws.

The spacing of the cabinet supports will vary depending on how you arrange your storage units. I made sure to have 2 supports under each storage cabinet box. To secure this, I used pin nails to hold it in place and then screwed them in to fully secure the supports.

The arrangement of my storage boxes might differ from your setup. I created three individual boxes each with different storage options.

I first assembled the bottom and sides. The top of the box is made of two strips of plywood secured into place with glue and screw. The back panel is secured with glue and pin nails.

Once the boxes are assembled, I attached them directly into the base with screws into the legs as well as the bottom supports. I also secured each box together using screws into the side panels.

To level the base since my garage isn't flat, I'm using level feet installed on all 4 legs. When leveling the base, use the longest level you can find. I would say a minimum of 3' would be good, but a longer level will give you a better reading. Once the base is leveled, secure the level feet bolt into place so they don't move.

Secure the bottom torsion box skin into the base. With the bottom layer secured, use glue and brad nails to secure the side panels into place. You can use corner clamps to keep everything squared. After the side panels are secured, located the centerline for the long interior grid piece and secure that in place with glue and nails.

To install the remaining grid system, I used a scrap piece of blocking to evenly space out the grid. There isn't one way to do this. You can stagger the grid like I did or you can stack them in a line.

Lastly, the area for your drawers located inside the torsion box will vary depending on your need. Also, you can opt for additional storage drawers to replace the downdraft area. You would just need to add more grids in that area.

This is step is optional. Additional drawers and grids can be installed in place of a downdraft area.

I mark the location of the hole needed for the dust port and used a drill bit to drill out a few holes to make the cut with jigsaw much easier. Before installing the baffles, I'll caulk all the seams inside of the downdraft area. Once the caulking dries, the baffle can be installed. Two blocking is placed behind the baffles as support and to allow for pin nails to secure the baffles in place. Finally, additional caulking is placed to seal off the remaining seams.

When making drawers, try to make them all at one time. It helps with keeping the box dimensions accurate and it saves a lot of time. These boxes aren't special, I just used glue and pin nails.

If you opt to install the downdraft table, one of the drawer boxes needs to accommodate space for the dust collection hose. Refer to the plans to for exact dimensions.

With the grid in place and drawer boxes made, the slides can be installed. The slides for the smaller drawers located inside the outfeed table grid system will be made from 1/4" plywood to maximize the storage space of these units. I attached the slide by first attaching the bottom guide. I used a spacer to raise up the guide by 1/4" and then glue and tacked it in place with a pin nailer. Next, I used the actual runner with a sheet of paper to ensure that there is just enough space for the runner to slide back and forth and pined the top guide in place. The runner is then installed onto the drawer box.

For the lower storage boxes, I used traditional metal soft closed sliders. These are pretty simple to install with a jig. But if you don't have a jig, I like to use a spacer block to ensure that the location for each side is leveled. once the sliders are installed onto the cabinet base, the sliders then can be secured into the drawers.

before securing the top onto the torsion box, I marked out the location for the downdraft area to be cut out with a track saw. If you are not adding the downdraft table, then this can be skipped.

Once I have the downdraft piece cut out, the top can be secured onto the grid. I ensured that there were enough screws throughout to hold the top in place.

With the top in place, the layout lines for the tracks can be drawn out. This can vary depending on your arrangement and needs. The good thing about this track design, you can add additional tracks in the future if needed. Once I had the lines laid out to my needs, I use a track saw to score the lines. This will help with the routing process later so that the router won't bog down from removing too much material at once.

I'm using a 30-degree angle dovetail bit to create the tracks. This will provide the right angle for the clamps to be secured in place when in use and freely slide. Microjig has their Match Fit system which you can also use in place of the 30-degree bit. Using a straight guide and a router, the slots can be routed out. Finally, a quick sanding is done to remove all the burrs.

The downdraft holes are made with a 3/4" forstner bit. The location of these holes can vary based on your needs and where you ultimately located the tracks. Keep in mind, the more holes you make, the more likely you will have to cover these holes when the downdraft is on to ensure that there is enough suction. The dust port can be connected to the dust collection system or shop vac with a reducer.

The final part is to install the drawer fronts and pulls. The front for the smaller drawers are made from 1/2" plywood. I didn't install handles because I didn't want the handles to catch on anything as I would work around the table. Instead, I integrated the pulls by created a bevel at the bottom of the fronts to give a place for my fingers to register onto to pull the drawers out.

The drawer fronts are installed with glue and pin nails.

The lower storage will receive a shop-made handle to act as a pull. These were made by creating a beveled edge on a few strips of plywood. finally, they were installed with glue and pin nails. I used a small level to make sure everything was installed perfectly.

And with that, the outfeed table is done. The storage drawers can be used for many things. I use them to store my screws in the smaller drawers and a few commonly used items in the larger drawers.

I hope you enjoyed this build! I usually post daily on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/baoloi_designcraft/) and check out my other projects on YouTube! (https://www.youtube.com/c/DesignCraftWorkshop)