Jeff Qualmann
11-25-2009, 6:04 PM
As I’m building up my new shop work areas I’d like to make a permanent bench area that I can “dock” my miter saw into and enjoy the benefit of a long fence and dust collection for in-shop use. But rather than have to have two different saws, one for shop use and one for the occasional field project, or have to dismantle the dialed-in shop saw, I’d like to just grab my premounted saw platform out of the pocket in the bench and then be able to drop it back in when I’m done using it for say, an outdoor deck project.
What I remember I’d describe it as a mini-torsion box platform maybe 2’ deep x 3’ wide x 2” tall made out of layered plywood that the saw was bolted to. It incorporated telescoping support wings on either side using electrical conduit and sliding wooden supports that nested inside the plywood platform. I’m thinking I can just collapse the support wings inside the torsion box to make it compact again and drop the assembly, saw and all, right into the permanent home in the shop bench, bolt it in with a couple of carefully located long bolts and star knobs, double check the fence alignment and I’d be good to go.
You guys and gals seem to collectively have a lot better memory than I do, so I’m hoping that one of you might remember where I saw plans for a “grab ‘n go” miter saw station in the last couple of years. If I had to guess it would have been ShopNotes, but I can’t seem to locate it my unorganized “library”, so it might have been a different magazine. Unless the wife decided to clean house on me, I’ve got it around here somewhere – but heck if I can find it.
Here’s a cartoon of what the permanent shop miter saw bench is going to look like, but I’m hoping to not have to reinvent the wheel on the plug-in saw platform if I can locate the plans. Or if any of you actually built this thing before, how did it work out for you? Would you go that route again for a “field saw” or was it more trouble than it was worth?
What I remember I’d describe it as a mini-torsion box platform maybe 2’ deep x 3’ wide x 2” tall made out of layered plywood that the saw was bolted to. It incorporated telescoping support wings on either side using electrical conduit and sliding wooden supports that nested inside the plywood platform. I’m thinking I can just collapse the support wings inside the torsion box to make it compact again and drop the assembly, saw and all, right into the permanent home in the shop bench, bolt it in with a couple of carefully located long bolts and star knobs, double check the fence alignment and I’d be good to go.
You guys and gals seem to collectively have a lot better memory than I do, so I’m hoping that one of you might remember where I saw plans for a “grab ‘n go” miter saw station in the last couple of years. If I had to guess it would have been ShopNotes, but I can’t seem to locate it my unorganized “library”, so it might have been a different magazine. Unless the wife decided to clean house on me, I’ve got it around here somewhere – but heck if I can find it.
Here’s a cartoon of what the permanent shop miter saw bench is going to look like, but I’m hoping to not have to reinvent the wheel on the plug-in saw platform if I can locate the plans. Or if any of you actually built this thing before, how did it work out for you? Would you go that route again for a “field saw” or was it more trouble than it was worth?