Flip top tool cart question...

[David Hostetler]

Recent flare ups of old back injuries have got me thinking, a LOT about alternatives to my tool stacking system for my benchtop tools, and I have been giving the flip top stand that I see so many using some serious thought. However I have a problem...

My 2 most difficult to pick up and move tools are the lunchbox planer, which I frequently see on those flip top stands, and the bench top jointer, which I have never seen on one of those stands...

So minimize my impact on floor space, while maximizing the benefit of not having to lift a tool into place, I am considering 2 of these stands. One fitted with my Ryobi planer, and Sunhill jointer. The second will house my Ridgid sander, and SCMS. (HF 12" cheapie).

Does anyone here have a similar setup, particularly, does anyone have a bench top jointer mounted up on one of these things? If so, what were the gotchas you had to pay attention to? I am concerned that the beds will hit when rotating, but I am not sure...

[Bruce Wrenn]

The length of the beds on the jointer will determine the width of your cabinet. I have a Delta 22-540, 12" planer and a Delta 4" disk / 4 X 36" belt sander mounted on one, and stand is 24" between the uprights. I fixing to build another and put a DeWalt 12" CMS (DW 705) on one side, and a Delta Sanding Boss on the other side. Only problem is the accessories for the sander can't be stored "on board," but have to be kept in a separate box / tray. Also planing to add fold down wings to the side of the stand for the CMS. I will probably do the same for the stand with the planer. My pivot axle is a piece of 1/2" A-2 rod, supported by a couple of bronze bushings.

[glenn bradley]

Your jointer length may dictate the width of your table if it will rotate on the long axis or the height of your pivot point if it will rotate on the narrow axis. How long is your jointer?

[Derek Stockley]

I built a flip top last year, and I was also concerned about the tool or the top hitting the cross-brace as I flipped the table, so what I did was I took some graph paper and a compass. I drew a scale diagram of the tool's key dimensions in the side view (for your jointer, this is likely the length of the beds and their elevation of the base), and then I figured out the thickness of the top I was going to build. I divided the thickness of the top in half for the axle location. Then I plotted these points in scale on my graph paper, and used the compass to draw a circle just outside of it centred on the axle.

From there, planning the rest of the stand was just a matter of not putting anything in a position that would interfere with that circle.

The larger the scale of the diagram you do, the better.

[Myk Rian]

I put my Ridgid OSS and DeWalt 735 planer on a stand. The only gotcha is leaving room for the tall parts of the machines to rotate. I had to be careful with the OSS spindle and the Wixey on the planer.
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