Is this better than a flip-top stand?

[Dan Friedrichs]

Yesterday, I built a flip-top stand to hold my miter saw and lunchbox planer. Basically the same flip-top that everyone has built: plywood box with top that pivots around a steel rod. I hate it. Even after spending a lot of time trying to set the tools such that the weight is balanced well, the planer weighs much more than the miter saw, so it's a real pain to flip between them. Also, the cords are hard to keep out of the way, the tables flop around, etc. I suppose those are problems I could overcome, but after using it for a few hours, I just find it really inconvenient.

When I thought about it, it seems like the attached picture might be a better configuration. The saw can be up high, and I don't mind bending down a little to use the planer. This way, I don't need to flip anything, I can leave DC hooked up all the time, etc.

Does anyone use something like this? Or does anyone see any downside to a "stacked" configuration like this?

[Russ Boyd]

At first, I thought....hey there's an idea I can use but then I realized it would be hard to get the height adjusted while in the cabinet (the planer). My adjustment is on top of the machine which would make it impractical. Good idea if that could be overcome. Russ

[Mark Godlesky]

You could put the planer on a slide out shelf to make it easier to make height adjustments and change the knives. You would have to make sure it wouldn't tip - maybe put some extra mass in the bottom or a pull out outrigger. Also, you would want to lock the shelf in place so it wouldn't move while in use.

[glenn bradley]

You'll want to build some low roller supports for long stock as well. I would tire vary rapidly from stooping to feed my planer. There is some small degree of technique in feeding and retrieving the stock as opposed to just letting it go as soon as the planer grabs it. My back would complain.

I had no problem flipping my top when I had my CMS and planer on it. The CMS is now replaced by a sanding station but the rotation is still very easy. My planer is 80 pounds vs. your 90 pound unit but has a higher center of gravity. I positioned the tools to set as close to balanced over the pivots as possible.

Is your pivot rod a small diameter? This may contribute to the resistance(?). I used 1" oak dowels for pivot pins and paraffin'd them up good before assembly. I also have a large washer between the sides and the top at each pivot point. I cut these out of an old coffee can lid. This unit has been flipped many times a week for years.

119567

As for stability, the method used to lock the top will vary that. Slide bolts and such do nothing to add to the rigidity of the unit in the locked position. I used eye-bolts and wing knobs. My top is 2-1/2" thick; 1" frame with two 3/4" skins. This creates a really solid structure once the four corners are locked. One skin is removable to make it easy to change t-nut positions if I change tools (which has already happened twice).

119568

[Jim Kountz]

Well if it works for you then its a great solution. My back would never allow me to use it so low but I do like the overall idea of two tools taking up the same real estate.

[Dale Lesak]

Dan, I have a Ryobi 16/32 drum sander and have my Planer on the shelf under it. has been that way for years. same Idea just another way of doing it. Dale :)

[harry strasil]

+1 on hard on the back, but you might need to change the center pivot point by adding some risers to the side, see on the left below.

Also I am very, very limited on space, so I made a square stand with tapered legs and used casters to make a lazy susan and put crossing sets of bars and mounted a beltsander/disc sander on one, an oscillating spindle sander across from it, and a 30 by 1 belt sander on the other with my worksharp 3000 across from it. its in a corner and I just spin which ever I need toward me, plug in to a short extensison cord and a shop vac hose and go to it. see on the right below.

[Craig T. Smith]

Dan, On your sketch , what if you made a frame, and made 2 drop-ins. You could mount your planer on 1 and your miter saw on the other.Put 1 machine on a shelf and drop it in the top then you could slide 1 in the shelf position then rotate as needed. You could make multiple drop-ins to use on multiple machines. Just a thought, Craig

[Anthony Whitesell]

A pull-out shelf with an outrigger atteched to the bottom of it that would "fall down" when pulled out sounds like a nice idea.

In my case, I mounted my planer to one side and left the other blank. The planer is the heaviest tool (by far) that I don't use on a regular basis. Lifting it up and carrying was getting real old real fast. With the opposite side blank/empty, it leaves an interchangeable tool "dock" or an extra 2 foot square work area.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

Your illustration is a workable idea as long as you don't have a lot to plane. As a couple others have said your back will not last long stooping to that height. If you still like the idea you could build an open framework with something like 2X4 legs. That way you could get in from the sides to adjust and clean the planer.

[John Schreiber]

I had two ideas looking at your plan.

1. If you could make it so that you could manually change places of the two pieces of equipment when necessary that would help. If you've just got one or two boards to run through the planer, bending down wouldn't be so bad, but if you are preparing all the stock for a project, that would be really hard on your back. Also, as above, you sometimes need some fine control to avoid snipe.

2. Others have had success with the flip tables. If you raise (move further from the pivot point) the lighter object, they will balance better. Think teeter totter. Also a more secure holding mechanism, perhaps wedges, will help.

[Dan Friedrichs]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies! What a great collection of ideas.

Glenn - thanks for posting more pictures of your stand. I had actually been looking at an older thread where you posted pictures of your stand as inspiration when building mine. It's nice to see more details.

Harry's idea of shifting the pivot away from the center to balance is also really interesting. I can see how that would make it flip much easier if you had unbalanced tools.

I think I probably could get the flip-top working satisfactorily, but after trying it, I just didn't like the concept. I think, personally, I'd much prefer the tools be fixed.

After taking all these great ideas into account, here's what I decided:
1) I'm young and don't mind bending over, so I'm not concerned about that.

2) I mostly buy S3S, so the planer doesn't see much use (certainly not days worth of stock prep or anything).

3) I'm OK with the miter saw being higher than most people put theirs, because it's usually only used to miter moulding, etc.

Thus, I built the attached stand. The top of the MS is 42" above ground, and there is 26" between the MS and the stand that the planer sits on. There is ample room to turn the height handle and change blades.

After using it a few hours last night, I think I like it. Not as convenient as separate stands, but it saves a lot of room, and I'm happy with it. I can also leave the power cords and DC hooked up and not juggle with flipping them, now.

Thanks for the ideas, all!