Combination table saw outfeed, planer and miter saw station

[Derek Gilmer]

My shop for now is limited to one half of a 2 car garage. Roughly 22' x 11'. I've watched a few podcasts about workshop space usage and looked at some shop pictures here to get ideas on making the most of it. I think I've come up with a set of tables to serve numerous uses. Including table saw out feed, miter saw support, planer out feed, jointer support and router table extensions. I wanted to get some feed back from SMC to see if anyone has done similar or can help refine my ideas.

The system is for 2 tables that can combine to fill all the roles listed above. The first table is the simplest. It is simply a 3.5' long 2' wide and 34.75" tall to match height of my router table and table saw.

The second table has one section the full 34.75" inches tall that is 1' long and 2' wide and another section that is 2' wide, 30.25" inches tall and 25" long. My miter saw's bed is 4.5" tall and 24" wide. When it is in the lower section the 1' wing, table saw and first table form extensions for cutting long lumber. I'm going to make 1 insert that is 2.25" tall to fit in the lower area. When it is in place (has screw clamps to hold it in place) my planer can sit on top of it and have the bed of the planer even with the height of everything else. That lets them serve as infeed/outfeed tables for the planer. Finally I'll build a 4.5" tall insert that can fit in to make the entire table the same height, depth and width as the first table. That way it can serve as outfeed/infeed for my router, jointer and table saw. All the edges of the tables and inserts that have wood moving over them will be rounded over to prevent lumber from getting caught. And all surfaces will have laminate on them to help material slide easily.

Here are sketchup views of the different configurations.

Serving as a long outfeed table for ripping lumber:
139060

Wide outfeed for cutting sheet goods
139061

Working as a miter saw station
139062

Working as a planer setup (the 1' section should be pointed the other way to allow more infeed room)
139063

Router table configuration
139064

And a general over view of the shop
139065

With the way my work are is, from the center of the saw blade there is 10ft on each side to cut down long lumber and 8 feet of room on the input side of the planer when it is setup for planing. 99% of the lumber I work with is under that size when I start finishing it out so that shouldn't be a problem. Right now my jointer is a sad little delta benchtop. But I'll be upgrading to a stand based jointer soon. All the models in my wish list have tables that are less than 34" tall so I can make a mobile base to raise them up to be even with all the rest to support jointing long boards.

Any input at all is welcome. I'd like to build these once and do it right. That way I don't get it all put together then have a "Oh if only I'd built this in" moment. So the experience with workshop setup here at SMC is invaluable to me.

[Shawn Christ]

Derek, I really like this concept and can think of no ways to improve it. I suspect this will draw a great deal of interest.

There is one thing I am not clear on -- how exactly do the miter saw and planer stands convert from outfeed tables to benchtops for the equipment?

[David DeCristoforo]

Generally looks good. But you are going to be driven nuts with shimming (or adjusting) if your floor is not dead flat. Also, I think you will be too far from the infeed side of the planer unless you have unusually long arms...

[John Sanford]

Insure that you have a miter gauge run-off slot in whichever table is intended to be immediately behind the TS. Doing so will allow you to use a crosscut sled without rearranging everything. (DAMHIKT)
Wheels. Double locking casters on one end of each unit.
Insure that you have at least 12" of support to each side of the blade in the TS outfeed.
Install some sort of latching system that will lock the units together. You could even conjure a means of locking them to the TS. IF you do, make sure that you can shift the units one way or the other behind the blade.
Three face flip unit for the Planer & CMS, the third face being blank and providing a "flush" surface. Swapping the Planer and CMS out will get old in a hurry otherwise. Plus, doing it this way frees the other table up permanently for storage.
Consider incorporating T-track and a pair of tape measures in order to greatly simplify the use of the CMS. See the Kreg Precision Measuring System (IIRC) for a sense of what I'm discussing.
Dust collection. You'll definitely want some for the planer. Give some thought to how you're going to route and/or suspend the DC hose.


I've been considering building a rolling assembly cart/outfeed combination, and your concept has introduced some new ideas. I look forward to seeing what you ultimately cook up.

[Derek Gilmer]

Shawn, the table that has a indentation was planned to have inserts that fit into the 2'x2' area that can raise the height as needed for the planer and to make it even with the other tables. Maybe that clears it up?

Hadn't thought about the shimming.. I may have to get adjustable feet like on grizzly's mobile bases that are easy to screw down and adjust the height. Still a bit of a hassle but faster than shims hopefully. Also, with the planer infeed I figured I could slide the infeed table back some so I can stand right in front of the planer if needed.

John thanks for all the points it has definitely sparked some thoughts I had missed. Here are my thoughts on them.


Miter gauage slot is a great idea I'll add in.
For wheels I was thinking of mounting them on the sides of the legs just off the ground, so I can tip the table up and wheel it around.
The tables are each 2' wide so they should have 12" or very close to off support when setup to handle long material and up to 2 feet on each side for wide items.
For attaching the tables two one another I was thinking lag bolts through the legs so they can attach to either end of one another as needed
The flip face, I'm a big confused on this one. You mean something like a rotating piece to adjust the height of the lower section, and have only one insert to raise the height to be flush with the table for outfeed work?
T-track and a tape measure. Brilliant! I'll add that in.
Dust collection should not be bad. I'm going to run 4" pipe up to the ceiling and put a drop in directly above this setup. I'm still planing it and will most likely use a flexible duct. That way I can move it from the planer/miter saw to the table saw for overhead dust collection.

Thanks for all the input guys, these are the kind of invaluable insights I was hoping for.

[Dave Gaul]

Really good ideas Derek... I think you are definitely on to something that will work great for you... I have been planning something similar, making mobile bases for a miter saw and router table that double as infeed/outfeed tables for table saw... my shop is only 8' wide (between studs) so bit more of a challenge with the rails of my R4511 TS!
If you want some more ideas, I saw a book at one of the BORG book stores on USA's best workshops... that had all different types and sizes.. might go pick a copy up myself for ideas!

[Salem Ganzhorn]

I have my tools in less than 1/2" of a 2 car garage so I am in a similar situation. One thought on this layout is you will probably have to pull the jointer off the wall to use it. One thing I did was turn the table saw the other way. Such that when facing the saw I am standing where my wife parks. This is nice because you essentially "use" the space where you park your car as the room you need for infeed.
Also I find that I only really use the miter saw when processing rough lumber. So you may not want to have to swap your miter saw for your planer.

Good luck!
Salem

[Brian Tymchak]

Derek,

I really like your plans. You've put a lot of thought into it. I may have to rethink how I will do my MS bench and planer stand now. And I really like the Sketchup drawing. I'm going to have to break down and learn that tool.

Maybe someone already mentioned this and I missed it as I read through the responses. One thought I had is that it is pretty useful to have a longer fence for the MS at least on one side, with a stop of some sort. If you are right handed, you will be holding material on the left side of the saw. I don't have any quick solutions to offer on that though.

Brian

[brian c miller]

this thing look really similar to the "ultimate tool stand"... you may want to check that out:

http://christophermerrill.net/ww/plans/UTS/Tool_Stand_1.html

http://home.comcast.net/~chicowoodnut/ToolBench.html

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/25570

http://www.suiteronline.com/woodworking/UTS.aspx

[Tri Hoang]

When I am in the shop, convenience trumps flexibility. If I need to make one cut and the miter saw requires some set up, I'll probably skip the miter saw for something else. If you have the space, try making things accessible with minimal set up. If not, prioritize the tools that you most often use. Otherwise, you might find that set up time for tools getting old real fast. Also, the set up time might not as short as you plane it to be when you are in the middle of a project: tools, clamps, and other stuffs just get in the way.

Also, don't spend too much time trying to to optimize your set up for rarely encounter scenarios. In doing so you might inadvertently make it less comfortable for the more common ones.

[glenn bradley]

I like the overall concept. I would make the stands into flip-tops so I didn't have to heft the tools "out from under" every time. Even with my fliptop I sometimes use another method rather than flip the current tool for the other. If I had to pick it up, place it and fasten it, it would never get used. Speaking of never getting used; I haven't used my CMS in well over a year so I would consider that tool-choice/space-use carefully. I think you are really onto something that could work for you.

[Marty Belleville]

My God, that's brilliant. Would you be able to share the files you made for your various shop tables? What program did you use for drawing these up? It looks like my Sketchup program a bit.

[Matt Day]

Marty, that is Sketchup. The tools were imported from the google model warehouse.

I would have have to agree about making it easy to interchange the tools like the CMS. The easier you make it to do so the more likely you are to do it. Maybe put a plywood bottom on the tools with holes in each corner that correspond to bolts on the stand or something, so all you have to do is drop it in place. Or make each section a flip top table with only one machine per table so you can use the empty side for outfield as planned. You'd just have to be careful flipping it since there would be no counter weight.

The problem with the CMS is it requires a lot of wall space, so I think you should keep it in this arrangement.

I really like like the general idea though.

[Chris Parks]

I have a problem with flat surfaces like you propose, the more I have the more junk gets in the way of working on something. If I had all that flat area it would be a disaster and over the years I have cut my bench space in half as I found it was not needed. It looks good but why do you need benches as outfeed from machines when a temporary stand or trestle will do the same job and be removable if it is in the way. Having limited area the last thing i would do is build permanent or unmoveable benches just for outfeed. You need a bench to work on and that is all.

[Nathan Callender]

I thought about this a bunch and I decided that it wasn't for me after a while. The problem is that I like my outfeed table to be a bit shorter than the table saw. Like 1/8 or 1/4. The reason is that when rearranging things it's next to impossible to get everything level enough to be a true outfeed support without fiddling with shims or leveling casters on my floor. Just my two cents, but each shop is different. I'd start with a quickly built outfeed table and build some projects and then decide what you really want.

[Daniel Morgan]

Derek, I have to say you have given me a bunch to think about. The multi-purpose setup you've designed is very smart indeed. I am one of the many who have a "multi purposed garage" that requires things to be somewhat mobile. Your ideas have inspired me and I would suggest you copy your post over to the workshop forum.

Peace

Dan

[Dave Anthony]

I built the "ultimate tool stand" which is a similar idea. A few thoughts, most echoing what others have said:

1. Lunch box planers are heavy, if you want to incorporate this I'd definitely recommend some type of flip top.
2. I rarely use my CMS, a sliding table or sled on the table saw produces a much better cut.
3. In a limited space, locking swivel castors are a good idea. Hving said that, try to minimize moving/rearranging.
4. I also have a router table in the extension wing of the table saw, you might want to consider building another one into a stand. Having two router tables can be very handy at times.
5. I'd recommend making the table ~ 1/4" lower than the saw. This helps when using it as an out feed table and cutting thin material.
6. A vise is a very good thing to have, as is a sacrificial top for glue ups.
7. I use the UTS all the time, but the major uses are out feed table, glue ups, assembly table, router table, sanding station, chop saw stand, in that order.