Flip Top

[Eddie Kaden]

I just put the finishing touches on my flip top cabinet for my planer. I used a combination of birch plywood and hard maple. I wanted a cabinet that was completely enclosed when the planer is being stored below. In order to have the clearence to flip the top around I designed a door on one end with an end cap that is removeable. The removable endcap is solid maple. The top is 3 layers thick that is made up mostly of maple that is glued and screwed together for strength. For a pivot, the top has a 3/4" solid steel rod through the center. It rests on brass bushings and aluminum plates in the side walls of the cabinet. In order to keep the top stable, I have T-nuts on all for corners to screw in stopblocks. I am allways in need of extra work areas. When the planer is flipped inside the cabinet, the top is completely flat. Instead of through bolting my planer, I inset T-nuts inside the top for mounting bolts to keep the opposite work surface flat. I built a 4" wide rail around the outside edge for strength and for a clamping rail. The total height of the cabinet is the same as my table saw so I can use it as an extra run off table.

[Eddie Kaden]

Here's a few more photos.

[Eddie Kaden]

Here's a link to some photos I posted earlier of how I did my pivot for the top.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?p=1008260#poststop

[Dewey Torres]

Folks are getting better and better att building these and yours is no exception. I like the improvements.

Any thoughts on what my go on the other side or are you going to use it as a work top?

[Dave Verstraete]

I'm with Dewey. I think that is an open spot for the NEXT tool!!

[Eddie Kaden]

I am going to keep it as an extra work space. I don't have room in my garage to build a real work bench so I can allways use the extra space. I have another cart that has a little larger top than this one with a hinged extension table. I got the plans for it off of woodmagazine and I added several of my own personal touches. I added some t-nuts to a removeable top so I can mount my compound Mitre Saw when I'm using it. I also mount several other tools to plywood bases to mount in the same fashion like my Dovetail jig and my benchtop grinder. When you remove the top panel, underneath it is a downdraft sanding table that hooks up to my dust collector. The flip up extension also doubles as a run off table for my table saw. The 3 drawers on the end are as deep as the cabinet for maximum storage and have full extension sliders. Now that I have another workspace, I can finally put a couple of coats of poly on the top of this cart and it will be complete.

As far as additional tools to mount to the opposite side of the flip top, I don't have any on the radar screen that I feel like I need that would fit in that space. Everything on my wish list is floorstanding.

Thanks

[Ed Sallee]

That turned out very nice! It looks very solid and sturdy. Now to make some sawdust!!! :D

[Eddie Kaden]

Thanks. Yes it is very solid and very stable. I was worried that it might be top heavy since the planer is pretty heavy.