Build a Tool-Stand From an Old File Cabinet

Our Hacker space The Rabbit Hole needed a stand for our new CarveWright CNC machine. (Search on Sears.com for Craftsman Bench Top Tool Stand and you'll find stands (without drawers or even a top) priced between $45 and $165). As luck would have it, an old 4 drawer filing cabinet was standing out on "curb alert" as I drove by...and priced to fit our budget FREE!
I hauled the cabinet back to the Rabbit Hole group and once they got their hands on it, a plan quickly developed to turn it into a nifty tool-stand.

This Instructable includes an Autodesk 123 Design of our new tool-stand in the hopes that it will give others ideas on how they can furnish their labs and workshops on the cheap.

Step 1: What's Needed for the File Cabinet Tool Stand?

Parts Needed for the File Cabinet Tool Stand

1. A standard 4 Drawer File Cabinet that breaks into 2 sections, or two identical 2 Drawer Cabinets
2. 2x4s
3. 1/2" plywood
4. Woodscrews to connect the 2x4s
5. Bolts - to connect the cabinets and fasten the plywood
6. (optional) locking casters

Tools Needed for the File Cabinet Tool Stand

1. Circular Saw
2. Drill
3. Screwdriver
4. Wrench
5. Sander

Our basic design can be found virtually on the Autodesk123 Gallery 

Step 2: Construction

Construction of the Filing Cabinet Tool-stand

For this project we:

1. disconnected the top and bottom of the filing cabinet
2. reconnected the two halves of the filing cabinet next to each other by drilling holes and bolting from one cabinet to the other. The cabinet drawers are only 1/2 high so there are no clearance issues
3. created a frame of 2 x 4s for the base and screwed the cabinet to the base.
4. cut a 1/2 piece of plywood to fit the top, drilled holes and bolted it to the top of the stand. 
5. sanded rough edges of the plywood
6. purchased locking wheels and bolted them to the bottom frame.

Step 3: Let's Get Carving!

Let's Get Carving!

With our new (and cheap) work stand, we were able to operate the CarveWright and create our first CNC wood carving, a Rabbit Hole sign for our workshop!

In the near future we plan to modify this stand in order to better catch sawdust. The Carvewright has a hole and a channel at it's center bottom which tends to get clogged with sawdust. We think if we raise the Carvewright up a few inches and create a larger channel, then funnel that down into a shopvac things will work a lot smoother.

Thanks for checking out this Instructable, good luck building your workshop and with all your projects!