The table, like most shaking tables, consists of a riffled deck with a gentle tilt on a stable support to counteract the tables oscillation. A motor, usually mounted to the side, drives a small arm that shakes the table along its length. The riffles are typically less than  high and cover more than half the tables surface. Varied riffle designs are available for specific applications. The riffles run longitudinally, parallel to the long dimension of the table. The table's shaking motion is parallel to the riffle pattern.
Deck construction varies from wood to hard-wearing fiberglass where the riffles are formed as part of the mold. The decks are lined with high coefficient-of-friction materials (linoleum, rubber or plastic), which assists in the mineral recovery process.
During operation, a slurry of <  sample material consisting of about 25% solids by weight is fed with wash water along the top of the table, perpendicular to the direction of table motion. The table is shaken longitudinally, using a slow forward stroke and a rapid return strike that causes particles to migrate or crawl along the deck parallel to the direction of motion. Particles move diagonally across the deck from the feed end and separate on the table according to size and density. Water flow rate, table tilt angle and intensity of the shaking motion must be properly adjusted for effective mineral recovery.
The riffles cause mineral particles to stratify in the protected inter-riffle regions. The finest and heaviest particles are forced to the bottom and the coarsest and lightest particles remain at the top. Particle layers migrate across the riffles with addition of new slurry feed and continued water wash. The riffles are tapered and flatten (disappear) towards the concentrate end of the table. The taper of the riffles causes migrating particles of progressively finer size and higher density to be brought into contact with the flowing film of water that tops the riffles; lighter material is washed away as tailings and middlings. Final concentration takes place in the unriffled region at the end of the deck where the layer of material at this stage is usually only a few particles deep.