Miter saws can be utilized in a woodworking store as a completely put in tool or on the jobsite as a portable or semi-portable unit. I’ll talk about the development of miter saw tables acceptable to each kinds of installations. The aim of a miter saw desk is two-fold: (1) to raise the saw to a snug working peak for the operator and (2) to offer a floor to the left and/or proper of the saw for the extension of the fence and to offer help for lengthy supplies whereas being minimize. When you have ever tried to chop a 45-degree miter at one finish of a 2 x 6 x 12, you realize why a miter saw desk or curler stand is completely required.
Fairly often, miter saws are used to make repetitive cuts of the identical size. Some form of saw cease turns out to be useful and vastly speeds manufacturing time for this form of utility. A saw cease should mount to one thing to carry it in place, often a fence. You may make your individual fence out of a really straight piece of wooden or steel or you are able to do as I did and buy a commercially accessible moveable cease that slides alongside an aluminum monitor that features a stick-on measuring tape.
PERMANENT SAW TABLE FOR SHOP USE
Since I purchase lumber in lengths as much as 14 toes lengthy, I made a decision to construct a really lengthy miter saw desk in my woodworking store. It’s possible you’ll not have the bodily area for this in your store so you will have to scale back my measurements accordingly. The longer you’ll be able to construct it, the higher off it will likely be for you however any size of saw desk is best than no desk in any respect. My miter saw desk measures 8 Ft to the left of the saw blade and one other 8 toes to the fitting of the saw blade. This fashion, I can help the total size of a sheet of plywood on both aspect.
The saw desk is constructed over 2 x 4 framing and comprises a number of storage drawers under the desk which I take advantage of to retailer small instruments and provides. Should you favor, the area beneath the saw desk will be left open for shelf area or lumber storage. I recommend that the highest floor be 3/4″ Melamine or Formica over 3/4″ particle board. If you should use the whole 4-foot width of the Melamine or particle board, by all means accomplish that, particularly in case your miter saw is of the “sliding compound miter” kind. As for general desk peak, I might recommend that you just construct the miter saw desk in order that the highest of the desk involves your belt line when standing. This gives you a snug working peak and nonetheless mean you can bend over the desk.
There must be a spot minimize by means of saw desk prime within the space the place the saw is to be mounted. This hole should be precisely as extensive as the highest of your miter saw and should be open to the entrance of the desk. The hole ought to shut behind the highest of the miter saw. The saw should be mounted on this hole in order that the highest of the miter saw desk is flush with the highest of the saw desk. The miter deal with should be free to maneuver its full travel in each instructions, left to proper.
Anticipate the necessity for this hole as you’re framing the underside of your miter saw desk as a result of you’ll need to assemble a shelf beneath to help the burden of the miter saw. You may wish to make this shelf adjustable in micro increments so to get the highest of the saw platform precisely flush to the highest of the saw desk. You are able to do this with lag screws with washers in sliding slots by means of the shelf sub-structure and into the desk framing. Barely loosen the lags and faucet the desk up or down with a rubber hammer earlier than tightening the lags absolutely. Use an extended straightedge in all instructions to ensure that the miter saw and the miter saw desk are flush with one another. Mount the saw securely to the shelf utilizing lag screws.
As soon as the miter saw is mounted, you’ll be able to start to assemble the fence or fences. A easy, cheap fence will be constructed utilizing 1 x 4 or 1 x 6 clear fir boards. These boards must be hand chosen for straightness and jointed on one edge. One board would be the precise fence and the opposite will hold it straight from behind. The fence sits with its jointed edge on the saw desk prime whereas the back-up board lies flat on the desk, behind the fence, with its jointed edge joined to the underside of the fence.
Earlier than becoming a member of the 2 boards collectively, slotted holes must be minimize into the back-up board for the aim of mounting and adjusting the fence place on the desk prime just about the fence on the miter saw. These slots must be barely wider than the shaft diameter of the lag screws you propose to make use of to mount the fence to the desk. Lower a couple of equally spaced slots within the back-up board perpendicular (at proper angle) to the fence. A 2 x 4 joist must be positioned underneath the desk prime, centered beneath the slots within the back-up board. It will give the lag screws one thing strong to chunk into.
Earlier than mounting the fence or fences to the miter saw desk prime, draw a pencil or chalk line the place the entrance of the fence is to be positioned. Take an extended straightedge, lay it flat on the miter saw’s steel desk and push one fringe of it lengthy the miter saw’s steel fence. Retaining it on this place, draw a pencil line alongside the desk prime, out so far as doable. Repeat on the other aspect of the saw in case you have tables on either side of the saw. Lengthen this pencil line so far as doable.
Place the fence alongside the pencil line with the top of the picket fence nearly touching the top of miter saw’s steel fence. (Go away a 1/16″ hole between the picket fence and the steel fence.) Drill appropriately sized holes for the lag screws by means of the desk prime and into the 2×4 joist beneath the desk prime (one for every slot). Screw the fence to the desk loosely in order that it may be adjusted. Use the lengthy straight edge on the miter saw’s desk and on the entrance of the fence to align the fence completely and screw down tightly. Repeat for the opposite aspect of the desk if there’s one.
For the left fence, place a “proper to left” studying stick-on measuring tape alongside the highest of the fence. For the fitting fence, place a “left to proper” studying stick-on measuring tape alongside the highest of that fence. Earlier than sticking down, the tapes should be aligned completely. The left tape is measuring the space from the left aspect of the saw blade tooth and the fitting tape is measuring the space from the fitting aspect of the saw blade tooth. With a easy picket fence like this, you should use picket cease blocks clamped to the fence with C-clamps for repetitive cuts.
A barely dearer and much better various is to make use of a steel monitor or tracks with a flip-up cease and measuring tape inbuilt. Such a tool is manufactured by Kreg Instruments and is on the market in 4-foot monitor lengths that may be butted collectively to make longer lengths. My miter saw desk requires 4 4-foot tracks, two for either side of the saw. The monitor is mounted to the highest of the picket fence you simply made. You’ll have to modify the peak of the picket fence (2 1/4″+ above the desk prime) in order that the underside of the flip-up cease clears the desk by about 1/16″ within the down place.
The good factor concerning the flip-up cease is that it may be flipped up out of the best way with out shedding its measurement setting alongside the measuring tape. Should you have been making repetitive cuts and also you wanted to cease to make use of the saw momentarily for a special sort of minimize, you possibly can resume your repetitive chopping instantly with out shedding any accuracy tree saw pole B08CK5RSPD.
PORTABLE MITER SAW TABLE FOR JOBSITE USE
A jobsite miter saw desk is often made with the saw mounted to the acute proper finish of the desk. I’ve discovered that almost all miter saw producers make their steel desk surfaces in order that they’re 3 1/2″ above the desk on which the saw is resting. A really straight, milled 4 x 4 (3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″) will be mounted onto the desk prime, nearly abutting the left aspect of the steel desk of the saw. The 4 x 4 ought to lengthen out the total size of the supporting desk to the left and be mounted to the supporting desk.
A fence will be connected to the again aspect of the 4 x 4. Use a 1 x 6 or 1 x 8 clear fir board for this objective. As within the everlasting desk above, the entrance of the fence should align completely with the miter saw’s steel fence. If a wider help floor is required, a second 4 x 4 will be mounted instantly in entrance of the one with the fence connected to it. A Kreg Trak system with a flip-up cease will also be used on this portable miter saw desk. Simply ensure that the picket fence is ripped to the correct peak to permit the flip-up cease to clear the desk by 1/16″. (Fence is 2 1/4″ + above the highest of the 4 x 4.)
As for the help desk, I’ve used a plastic fold-up desk from Costco. They arrive in varied sizes to fit your explicit want. Or, you may make your individual desk out of two x 4’s and three/4″ plywood. Design it in order that the legs can fold up for transportation and storage.