Product table lock for a food slicer

A food slicer, comprising:

• a support member having a base portion and an upstanding portion integrally formed with said base portion;
• a rotating cutting blade secured to said upstanding portion for slicing food product;
• at least one motor positioned within said upstanding portion for rotating said cutting blade;
• a food product table slidably secured to said base portion and movable across said cutting blade for holding product while being sliced by said cutting blade;
• an adjustable gage plate for determining the thickness of a food product to be sliced by said cutting blade;
• a gage plate adjustment mechanism for adjustment of said gage plate by an operator, said gage plate adjustment mechanism being rotatable about an axis;
• and
• a table interlock mechanism for preventing removal of said food product table from the food slicer unless said food product table is in a particular position relative to the cutting blade and said gage plate is in a particular position relative to the cutting blade, said interlock mechanism including at least one cable member in operable communication with said gage plate adjustment mechanism, a distal end of said cable member proximate said gage plate adjustment mechanism being lockable within a portion of said gage plate adjustment mechanism upon longitudinal movement of said cable member substantially parallel to said axis when both said food product table and said gage plate are positioned in said respective particular positions relative to the cutting blade, wherein said interlock mechanism includes a second cable member having a first end in operable communication with said product table and a second end in operable communication with said at least one cable member.