diff --git a/pdal/PipelineExecutor.cpp b/pdal/PipelineExecutor.cpp
index ce96fa12a6..d9f84a930e 100644
--- a/pdal/PipelineExecutor.cpp
+++ b/pdal/PipelineExecutor.cpp
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ std::string PipelineExecutor::getSchema() const
         throw pdal_error("Pipeline has not been executed!");
 
     std::stringstream strm;
-    MetadataNode root = m_manager.pointTable().toMetadata().clone("schema");
+    MetadataNode root = m_manager.pointTable().layout()->toMetadata().clone("schema");
     pdal::Utils::toJSON(root, strm);
     return strm.str();
 }
diff --git a/pdal/PointLayout.cpp b/pdal/PointLayout.cpp
index d3da017461..8aa436fa8f 100644
--- a/pdal/PointLayout.cpp
+++ b/pdal/PointLayout.cpp
@@ -318,5 +318,24 @@ Dimension::Type PointLayout::resolveType(Dimension::Type t1,
     }
 }
 
+MetadataNode PointLayout::toMetadata() const
+{
+
+    MetadataNode root;
+
+    for (const auto& id : dims())
+    {
+        MetadataNode dim("dimensions");
+        dim.add("name", dimName(id));
+        Dimension::Type t = dimType(id);
+        dim.add("type", Dimension::toName(Dimension::base(t)));
+        dim.add("size", dimSize(id));
+        root.addList(dim);
+    }
+
+    return root;
+}
+
 } // namespace pdal
 
+
diff --git a/pdal/PointLayout.hpp b/pdal/PointLayout.hpp
index aa23eb5a28..0e6f34db01 100644
--- a/pdal/PointLayout.hpp
+++ b/pdal/PointLayout.hpp
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 
 #include <pdal/DimDetail.hpp>
 #include <pdal/DimType.hpp>
+#include <pdal/Metadata.hpp>
 
 namespace pdal
 {
@@ -225,6 +226,9 @@ class  PointLayout
     */
     PDAL_DLL const Dimension::Detail *dimDetail(Dimension::Id id) const;
 
+
+    PDAL_DLL MetadataNode toMetadata() const;
+
 private:
     PDAL_DLL virtual bool update(Dimension::Detail dd, const std::string& name);
 
diff --git a/pdal/PointTable.cpp b/pdal/PointTable.cpp
index 8b8a879ceb..556d601704 100644
--- a/pdal/PointTable.cpp
+++ b/pdal/PointTable.cpp
@@ -108,20 +108,7 @@ char *PointTable::getPoint(PointId idx)
 
 MetadataNode BasePointTable::toMetadata() const
 {
-    const PointLayoutPtr l(layout());
-    MetadataNode root;
-
-    for (const auto& id : l->dims())
-    {
-        MetadataNode dim("dimensions");
-        dim.add("name", l->dimName(id));
-        Dimension::Type t = l->dimType(id);
-        dim.add("type", Dimension::toName(Dimension::base(t)));
-        dim.add("size", l->dimSize(id));
-        root.addList(dim);
-    }
-
-    return root;
+    return layout()->toMetadata();
 }
 
 } // namespace pdal