So far, I've got two leads on Jet extensions, but shipping might be more than the item itself. Still following up, as that would be the preferred way to go.
I checked on the Excelsior at Rockler today - I had made a couple of templates of the mating surface of my Jet. The Excelsior matches the surface of the ways, the gap between the ways, and the thickness of the ways. That is about where the exact match ends, but:
- the end face of the extension is shorter than the milled surface of the Jet, meaning it will fit, but won't have a ledge to rest on. Is that a problem?
- the bolt holes are different, but far enough apart that I don't think it would be a structural issue to drill new holes in the extension, as long as drilling cast material works.
- the extension height is slightly higher, but the feet are most of it. I could take them off and shim it up with different feet or something to level it. It should work from that perspective.
I didn't buy it on the spot, but since it is a current item, I can pick it up if the rest of my options don't work.
Now, to find a Grizzly to check out. I'm not sure any of the local shops carry them, so I'm going to have to see if a local turner has one that I can examine. Or maybe a set of drawings on the net.
Thanks for the ideas and encouragement,
Ed