Miter saw station done!

[bennybmn]

It's taken me a while, but I think I'm finally done with my miter saw station. For now. I bought my saw a dozen or so years ago, it came with a metal stand and was great at the time. Soon after I added a dust hood and it served me well for a long time.




As I got more stuff, the stand became more of a spider web collector with maybe a crate of stuff or scrap under it, when it could be much better storage. In parallel, I was using an old file cabinet for paint/glue/solvent storage. BTW, file drawers are the perfect height for rattle cans, glue jugs, big metal mineral spirits jugs, etc. We got our forever home 3 years ago which has a detached garage that I love, but the inside temp is at the mercy of mother nature. The halogen bulb I was using to heat my file cabinet would blow and I wouldn't know it... So I decided I'd solve both problems at once.  

I went to the Habitat Restore and picked up two horizontal file cabinets.  One lives under my table saw wing...



but the other one came with a  desktop attached to it that overhangs the back 6", so I used that to my advantage. I had the idea all along that I would insulate the cabinet and create some storage space, the desktop just gave me the perfect platform. And I'm using the cable grommets appropriately
 I made a simple 2x4 frame (I screwed thru the cabinet from the inside to secure it) to raise the top to a good height...



Then I got some 1.5" thick foam board to tuck between the posts and cover the top, using 1/8" hardboard to hold it all in and a dado'd 1x3 across the front to class it up. I shifted the saw to the right so the hood would encompass the cable grommet, also knowing I usually need more material support to the left. If I need more to the right, I setup my roller stand in the driveway. I also put a goldenrod heater inside with a remote thermometer so I can see the temp from my kitchen. This way I'll know if there's a problem with the heater. I also put some foam on the inside of the drawer fronts. 



Since the top overhangs the back, I made a large hole and attached a DC fitting underneath. My DC is directly behind it, good suction! 



Last night I finally got around to adding some work support.  The one on the left is stationary and gives me work support 28" from the blade.



The one on the right gives me 18" from the blade, but it's on hinges so it can swing out to about 40". Good for catching the loose end of my work piece.  Anything else, roller stand in the driveway... (sorry for the shadows...)



I may add some magnets to keep it closed, we'll see. I also may add a fence with measuring tape and a stop, but I also want to build a TS sled for the precision stuff.



Thanks for looking, and I highly recommend file cabinets for extra storage! Especially cheap ones

[BloomingtonMike]

Do the hinges move when you slide the wood?

[bennybmn]

Yeah. I don't typically put the long end of a board to the right, so it's really more to catch the dropoff of cutting a long piece in half. If I'm doing incremental cuts I usually work from left to right.

[BloomingtonMike]

OK. Seemed like a neat idea!

[stav]

That looks like a great idea.  You could add some hanging file folders for blade storage.