Bench for Planer, Router and Miter Saw

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I've got my planer, router table and miter saw aligned along a wall. The planer and router table are on wheels so I can roll them out to have room to run long stock through them. The miter saw is on a Dewalt miter saw stand and has plenty of room for most things I cut on it without moving it. My band saw sits on the far left end of those three tools and is also on a mobile base. Here's what it looks like. Those three tools currently occupy about 12' of floor space and I would like to cut that down to 8 by having them share the bench top.



I'm thinking of ditching the individual stands and bases and making a 8' long work surface with space for the planer, router insert and miter saw. It'd have to have openings of different levels so the deck of the planer and miter saw would line up with the router insert. I'd make it 37" high so its the same height as the band saw and I could literally slide a piece of wood all the way from the band saw to the miter saw.

Has anyone done that? What pratfalls do you see? The 13" planer limits me to that width piece of wood, for all three tools, but the band saw only has a 16" capacity and the miter saw cuts 8" so I don't think that is going to be an issue. I can line up the miter saw fence with the back edge of the opening of the planer. The router fence will have to move some front to back but only the width of a my largest router bit so I don't think that is a problem.

[Andy D Jones]

If you want to use the combined bench top as an outfeed table for the band saw, I would put the planer at the opposite end from the bandsaw. The reason is, putting it next to the bandsaw means that you cannot rip a long board on the bandsaw, wider than your planer (the pre-ripped width, not the post-ripped width, since both the ripped piece and the off-cut have to continue together past the bandsaw.)

Other issues might be if you had a bit in the router table all set up, but needed to crosscut a board on the SCMS that interfered with the router bit or fence, you would have to undo your router setting. If you try to set the router fence and bit behind the SCMS fence, then you cannot run boards through the router table, onto the SCMS table. And just like the bandsaw, you cannot run long stock over the router table that will not fit through the planer.

In the end, I'm not sure what separate, movable cabinets with equal heights wouldn't give you that a single combined cabinet would, and the former would be much more flexible for a variety of combinations of tasks.

I would round the corners between the ends and surfaces of the tables, to make minuscule differences in height easier to negotiate as you slide a board from one surface onto another.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Dennis McDonaugh]

If you want to use the combined bench top as an outfeed table for the band saw, I would put the planer at the opposite end from the bandsaw. The reason is, putting it next to the bandsaw means that you cannot rip a long board on the bandsaw, wider than your planer (the pre-ripped width, not the post-ripped width, since both the ripped piece and the off-cut have to continue together past the bandsaw.)

Other issues might be if you had a bit in the router table all set up, but needed to crosscut a board on the SCMS that interfered with the router bit or fence, you would have to undo your router setting. If you try to set the router fence and bit behind the SCMS fence, then you cannot run boards through the router table, onto the SCMS table. And just like the bandsaw, you cannot run long stock over the router table that will not fit through the planer.

In the end, I'm not sure what separate, movable cabinets with equal heights wouldn't give you that a single combined cabinet would, and the former would be much more flexible for a variety of combinations of tasks.

I would round the corners between the ends and surfaces of the tables, to make minuscule differences in height easier to negotiate as you slide a board from one surface onto another.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

Good idea to move the planer to the other end. I can see those other clearance issues arising, I get around that now because I can slide the planer, router table and band saw back and forth to get them out of the way. The miter saw isn't on wheels, but I can also slide it back and forth if needed. The more I think about it, the less doable it seems.

[Jim Becker]

Consider your workflow carefully before ganging machines together like you propose to make sure it's not going to cause you any angst with how you normally process your projects.

[Ron Selzer]

IF you take the planer out of the equation, set the router table up on some type of pullout that allows it to go back to the wall and then pull out when you use it. you could line the bandsaw neck up with the miter saw with router in the middle. have a fence along the back from bandsaw neck to miter saw fence with space in the middle for router pullout. I think this would work would mock it up first and try it before making it permanent. lot depends on infeed for bandsaw and outfeed (right side) for miter saw needs. Think a lot, mock up different stations and think some more
good luck.

[Jack Frederick]

While I understand the desire for a more uniform pattern, right now you have a lot of flexibility in your machine use. That flexibility has its own problems like in/out feed support. I know it drives me nuts. How about building a few legs off the studs that can fold back out of the way. Roll the planer out, fold the legs out, drop a couple of the boards off the shelf and you are in business. I like the way you laid out your electrical and DC.

[glenn bradley]

+1 on work flow versus what fits best or looks good. The most efficient layout will lose its shine pretty quickly if it is a pain to work with. I was watching a shop tour on one of the forums and although it was not discussed, something in the background caught my eye (ya gotta love the pause button).

I stole this machine clustering layout with my drum sander going where a shaper or something was in the video. This takes the place of rolling the machines into a "use" position and then storing them against the wall. If you park a car in your shop you may want to keep things mobile but, the general idea may still add something to think about.

Machine Cluster.JPG

[Jim Becker]

Glenn, that's a great example of space preservation while retaining great usability while not interfering with other machines in or not in use.

[Alan Lightstone]

Glenn, that's a really impressive use of space. I wish I had seen that before I designed my shop. Incredible to have a working layout with four machines clustered that closely.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I've been working on a project that requires me to move back and forth from the joiner, to the planer, table saw and miter saw and I really see how the layout works well for me even though it takes up a lot of room. I realize I rarely use the band saw for most projects. I started out with 12' rough stock so the extensions on that miter saw stand came in handy and I was able to just roll the planer and router table out of the way. I think I'm just going to leave well enough alone. Thanks for your input.

[glenn bradley]

Glenn, that's a great example of space preservation while retaining great usability while not interfering with other machines in or not in use.

Glenn, that's a really impressive use of space. I wish I had seen that before I designed my shop. Incredible to have a working layout with four machines clustered that closely.

Let me be clear. I cannot take credit for this. I blatantly stole it from someone (whoever you are, thanks!). It was a video of a shop tour and I saw it in the background. I was lucky enough to find it while I was between shops . . . new shop soon, oh soon . . please.