For years I used a store-bought miter saw stand in my workshop. It was light and easy to fold up—great for hauling around in the back of my pickup truck. These days, though, my saw doesn't leave my workshop more than once or twice a year. And as much as I liked that stand, it took up a lot of floor space in my shop—and who's got extra floor space? I decided to build a saw stand that wouldn't hog so much room. My new stand sits 38 in. high and 90 in. wide with the wings up. It's only 30 in. wide with the wings down, which is almost 3 ft. shorter than my other stand!
I built the plywood carcass of the stand first. The sides are at the same level as the cutting surface of my saw. I attached 1/4-in. plywood on the back. When the carcass was assembled, I flipped the whole thing upside down and fastened the hinges that hold the wings on. Next, I installed the braces that hold the wings up. The braces are attached to the carcass with hinges, and plywood blocks screwed to the bottom of the wings hold them in place. Don't glue the blocks down in case you need to fine-tune them. I built a simple drawer and installed it with drawer slides. Finally, I attached four casters, so I can roll it out of the way when I'm sweeping up (which, admittedly, isn't very often).
To build this project, I bought a sheet of 3/4-in. BC plywood, a half sheet of 1/4-in. plywood, four casters and couple of drawer slides. The whole thing, not including the finish (which I had), cost me $75, and took a whole Saturday to build. If I had to build another one, I might consider using a new or used lower cabinet, and attaching the wings and casters to that.
— Mark Petersen, Contributing Editor
For more DIY workshop tips, check out these articles:
Small Workshop Storage Solutions
Tips for a Tidy Workshop
I am considering this project idea and noted your comment at the end. I like the idea of repurposing a used cabinet if possible.
Another consideration (and possibly a cheaper alternative to using casters) would be to purchase a "furniture movers' dolly" with 200 lb. capacity at Harbor Freight (with a coupon you can buy it for $8).
This gives you the ability to move your saw stand for clean-up purposes (or for any reason) plus, by temporarily removing your saw stand) gives you a solid moving dolly to use for those (hopefully) rare occasions when you need to move a large or heavy item.
I noticed you have the saw sitting up on blocks- is there a purpose for the gap underneath the saw?
To mjenx
It would appear that that arrangement puts the lower end of the wing supports at the level of the bottom of the drawer, which perhaps slides on a shelf. Absent a plan, I can only guess.
Don
To mjenx, those look like the snap in rails for the DeWalt miter stand. I have them installed on my miter saw and my planer.
Hi Mark
I would suggest using only 2 swivel wheels, and two plain stops. This enables the unit to be picked up on the fixed stop side, move around on the swivel wheels, and once placed down it holds it in place.
CliveO
Any chance of seeing the plan for this miter saw stand? This article leaves more questions than it provides answers for, in my opinion! Great idea, need to see plan!%0d%0a
I never did have any plans for this project besides my own chicken scratchings. We may feature a similar project in an upcoming edition, no sooner than the summer though.
I like the furniture mover idea, but If I had to do it over (which I may), I do believe I would use swivel wheels only on the front.
The gap under the stand: I still occasionally use my portable miter stand, so I decided to build this stand at a height that would accommodate the brackets that hook on the portable stand.
Hello ScreenName My Account (Log Out)
Hello Log in or Join us
Get timely DIY projects for your home and yard, plus a dream project for your wish list!