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I am getting ready to start building a mobile base for my Craftsman 113 series table saw. I have a 54" fence on it now and plan on including a router table on one end. I've looked at different type of sheet goods and can't really decide on what will work the best. My question is should I use 3/4" birch/maple plywood or 3/4" MDF? The second part of the question is "explain why I should that". I want to end up with something that will last me as long as I want it to last. so I don't mind spending extra to end up with a well built work station.
Thanks.
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You don't have to build a plywood workstation to do what you are talking about
Here is a picture of mine
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Location: Orlando FL
Wow! I had that exact saw. Never saw another in the wild before. That is quite a setup.
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I know I could get by without building a full blown work station,
A - I need it to be mobile and easy to move,
B - My workshop is a shared garage so space is almost non-existent and must be maximized
C - I plan on including some drawers for storage as well as open areas for bench top tool storage.
My goal is to try to get most of my tools in a compact area that are accessible without permanent shelving or cabinets .
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Like this?
Modified this from plans I found from
Wood Magazine. The cabinets are mostly MDF. Just watch out for the MDF edges and corners, they are going to be fragile. Read up on building with MDF. Use pilot holes and counter sink your screws holes on the mating surfaces, MDF tends to bulge when screwing into it.
Now this was a beast to push around around the shop due to it's weight.
Got to admit that it did turn the Craftsman saw into a very stable unit, didn't even have to set the brakes when using it
To make it more manageable in a small shop, I'd consider cutting the rails down to something like 40" long and moving the router cabinet closer to the saw. I don’t ever remember making a rip cut wider than 36".
Then one day I bought a Unisaw for $250 and had to sell the Craftsman.
Steve
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Steve,
Yes that is very close to my design. Why did you use MDF instead of Plywood? The weight is one concern with MDF as is overall durability from pushing it around. I am planning on making mine a little deeper front to back to allow a folding outfeed table as well as providing some protection for the fence and rear mounted motor when it's pushed up against a wall.
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Well, here's another approach:
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I tried several mobile base variations, but the Shop Fox one worked the best, though some people have had trouble with the casters---barring that, I'd think about building a base for the saw and losing the splayed legs----Reason being if you put the existing legs on a platform with casters, the top gets too high.
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You might also consider building a separate router table, with a height to match your saw, so you could use it as an out feed table.
Dave
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techie470 said:
Like this?
Modified this from plans I found from Wood Magazine.
The cabinets are mostly MDF. Just watch out for the MDF edges and corners, they are going to be fragile. Read up on building with MDF. Use pilot holes and counter sink your screws holes on the mating surfaces, MDF tends to bulge when screwing into it.
Now this was a beast to push around around the shop due to it's weight.
Got to admit that it did turn the Craftsman saw into a very stable unit, didn't even have to set the brakes when using it
To make it more manageable in a small shop, I'd consider cutting the rails down to something like 40" long and moving the router cabinet closer to the saw. I don’t ever remember making a rip cut wider than 36".
Then one day I bought a Unisaw for $250 and had to sell the Craftsman.
Steve
I built something similar from the Wood plans for my Jet contractor saw. Long gone now but it sure made life a lot easier while I had it. Mine wasn't even close to as nice as that. I also found a smoking deal for an upgrade.
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When I went to the BORG, the MDF just looked nicer then the plywood they had. It was also cheaper. In this case the extra weight was a good thing, the extra mass just added stability.
By using lots of glue, screws along with rabbet and dado joints it was plenty strong. Notice that I built a torsion box platform to support the cabinets, I didn't like the way it was done in the plans. Also used 4" castering/locking wheels so it could be pushed around but stayed in place when parked.
Doing it again I would mostly use plywood and only use MDF for the router table top. MDF dust is nasty and gets into everything!
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Years ago when I had a contractor saw (almost 10 years ago) I made a station from a shopnotes issue from MDF. I liked it alot.
Once Favre hangs it up though, it years of cellar dwelling for the Pack. (Geoff 12-18-07)
