Shop Project: Sanding Station

I'm suddenly actually using my "stationary" sanders these days with the CNC stuff I'm producing so I got tired of having to pull a tool out and take up workstation space just to use it. A long time ago, I made a very nice mobile cabinet to support a Performax 22-44 drum sander that I owned for awhile, but after selling that little-used tool, the cabinet, minus the heavy top has been living under the right side extension of my slider and used for storage. This week, I decided to "bring it out into the open" and once again be used for sanding. This time, however, it's for my combo sander and my OSS.

Two tools he says? Yup. The big heavy combo unit up on top and the OSS on a pull out/up "appliance" lift. That way, I keep space utilization efficient as I just don't have a lot of extra available in the shop anymore with the CNC in place. I still have a little work to do with creating a way to collect dust from the 12" disc sander on the combo, but...that's going to be a nice CNC project. :D

Here are a few photos of how this got put together. The lift is from Revo and can handle up to 60 lbs supposedly. Other than the lift, everything else was available in the shop. BTW, the weight of the combo sander is required to balance the whole thing when the OSS is pulled out and up. Without the heavy cast iron unit up there, the cabinet can and will tip forward with the weight of the OSS hanging out front.

The starting point....
Attachment 398110

After using some scrap plywood to build out the sides so the mechanism would clear the face frame, I attached the lift, actually following the directions. :)
Attachment 398111 Attachment 398112

The surface for the OSS is a repurposed Ikea cabinet end trim panel reinforced with some scrap poplar
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And the end result...
Attachment 398115 Attachment 398116

Since this unit is on high quality 4" double locking casters, I can easily reposition it anywhere to accommodate however I need to use shop space "in the moment". I'll update this thread when I get the dust extraction figured out for the whacko port on the bottom of the 12" disc. :)

I like the use of that lift to allow the tool to store, but then be easy accessible when needed.....(looks like I may have actually given something back to those that help me.:) )

Great idea using the appliance lift.

That's a very nice setup. I have a 6' table on casters that I got for $3 at an auction a few years ago that I use in a similar way, but without the appliance lift. I have a 1x30 belt sander, a small router table, a Craftsman OSS and a scroll saw that all live on the bottom shelf except when any of them is wanted, when I manually lift them up onto the top. They're all plugged into a power strip under the top, so they stay plugged in all the time. When I don't need any of them I use the table top for assembly or other random jobs.
Zach

'Following up with the dust collection accommodation for the 12" disk sander portion of the combo sander...it has a whacko oval port that's not quite 1.25" off the table and pointing down. Again using my new penchant of applying the old adage, "to a hammer, everything is a nail" to my newfound love of my CNC machine, I quickly drew out a solution that would use the table for support and provide for a "standard" 2.25" port for my shop vac which is what I typically use with these sanders at the present time. Here are a few photos that show what I did and the end result.

The parts...
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The base of the solution was purposefully made a hair thicker than required so I could "sneak up on it" and not have to do any major sealing. A few passes across the jointer to shave off a few proverbial hairs worth of stock got the snug fit I wanted
Attachment 398203

Once the cap was attached and cleaned up, I added the angled port for the hose connection. I cut it for a slip fit of the hose end.
Attachment 398204

To keep the whole unit in place, it's simply screwed to the table through the port
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And the final connection. In retrospect, I may in the future re-make this and change the entry of the hose to either the front or back of the cabinet direction, but for now, it's just fine. I don't use the combo sander much and when I do it's more often the belt portion which has an OEM port that is actually accessible.
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Lastly...I really, really like this setup for the sanders and started using it actively this afternoon when I was cutting some CNC produced boxes for my ETSY sales which always need their edges cleaned up prior to final hand sanding. After a period of time, I'll determine where this unit will sit most of the time and get a port on the main DC system setup so I can use it rather than the loud shop vac...not that the noise matters as much when I have something cutting on the CNC and have hearing protection on. But the cyclone has better filtration.
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Hi Jim - The setup looks great. In the sincerest form of flattery, I plan to shamelessly steal your idea of using an appliance lift for my OSS and reclaim the lost space under my combo sander. If I may, a question. I have Googled but cannot seem to find the revo lift you used. Can you tell me where you bought it? Thanks.

Here you go James. Rockler sells them. $89.00
https://www.rockler.com/rev-a-shelf-...UaAhzbEALw_wcB

Thank you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by James Cheever

Hi Jim - The setup looks great. In the sincerest form of flattery, I plan to shamelessly steal your idea of using an appliance lift for my OSS and reclaim the lost space under my combo sander. If I may, a question. I have Googled but cannot seem to find the revo lift you used. Can you tell me where you bought it? Thanks.

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I bought it from Amazon for $86. Home Depot and Lowes for $85 (not stocked...order online and ship to store)

You're only about 40 miles away if you want to check out the setup.

Thanks Jim for posting this, I have been looking for a lift for a while and I did not think of it being a mixer lift.
I have also been kicking around the idea of a pull down shelf from above.

Great solution Jim. I lust after one of those vertical belt sanders even though I have a few other power sanding machines. I find an spindle sander to be a handy beast but, could certainly swing it into use position and return it easily enough given the frequency of use. My mind is now reeling with a way to use this idea to my advantage in my own shop. Thanks for posting that.

For folks interested in doing something like this, be sure you consider the weight involved...the really "inexpensive" lifts cannot handle much weight. The one I used can, however, go to 60lbs (although it has a slight sag by it's nature) and is a pretty good value at about $86. There are others available for a little more money, too.