Combo Miter Saw Station Lumber Rack

This miter saw station does double duty as a lumber storage rack with room for long boards underneath and 4' x 8' sheet goods in the back.  I looked around for a long time online for plans for something like this and all I was able to come up with was a hand drawn sketch in an old Fine Woodworking magazine.  I adapted the drawing a bit to create the following Step-by-Step Instructable, adding in easier to use see-through bins for cut-offs in the front instead of solid panels, and adapting the rail-style bed pictured in the drawing for stock to be a bit simpler and deeper so it could serve as a functional work surface as well.  

I'm really happy with how this project turned out, in part because I wasn't following any plans, and that can sometimes lead to a wonky build, but also because it's a fully functional semi-portable (has casters but is heavy to move when fully loaded) miter saw station that has tons of additional storage.  

Unless you are storing loads of wood in your shop, in which case you'd want dedicated lumber storage, I don't see any reason why anyone wouldn't combine these two pieces of shop infrastructure ever again.

Step 1: Plans

I'd like to offer a huge thank you to Wood Chuck for drawing up some plans for this project!

Here is the sketchup file.  

It's not an exact reproduction of what I built, but it's pretty darn close and even has some improvements included in the design.

Comments

[damianzuch]

Hey, this looks great!! One thing that pops into mind is saw dust and dust collection. I wonder if you included a space for a cyclone vacuum bin with an autostart, maybe a downdraft bed under the saw, if that would keep a lot of dust out of the air. Very nice build btw!!!

[chepeuno]

i LIKE IT, WELL BUILD, I'M GOING TO TRY TO BUILD ONE FOR MY GARAGE SOON. THANKS TO SHARING.

[firstson11]

How deep is the work bench?

[amishjim]

haha nice. Wish I would have seen this one before I made mine. Funny, how similar in concept they ended up being. Very nice,

[blkhawk]

Great project! You have successfully combined your need of storage and organization in one working space. Congratulations for a job well done!

[sunshiine]

What an awesome build! I will share this with my son, he will be building guitars in a year or so and will need something like this! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hope your day shiines!
Sunshiine

[sstables42]

I have a radial arm saw still sitting on the floor while I think of a way to set it up. This would be perfect (if I had the space). This is a great way to make double use of the space. I did a LOT of research when constructing my small shop and I definitely would have added this into my shop. I built something similar using my workbech instead. Excellent instructable man.

[amoutsios]

genius,genius.lots of thanks from greece

[The Rambler]

As someone who is very particular about organization I just have to say this is sooooo beautiful.

[seamster]

I really like the functionality of this and how well you maximized the space. I have a similar set up, although I store all my long clamps underneath rather than wood, as you have done... (Hmm. I just need more shelves I think?)

Plus, you've added lots of good details that I will eventually have to copy, especially the storage for sheet material behind. Awesome work. Thanks! ...And welcome back!

[grunff]

That is a superbly designed cutting bench. Thanks for posting it, so many good ideas there.

[temper]

Approximate cost?

[noahw]

Depending on what you pay for your plywood sheets and the heavy duty casters, the entire build is between $200-$300.

[temper]

Not bad. Thanks for that, just so I can estimate a ball park figure could you tell me what you pay for yours? (and what grade please).

I notice I haven't said previously, excuse me for that, but, nice job!

[noahw]

The heavy duty casters cost around $12 a piece on Amazon, I scrounged for the chair casters off an desk chair that someone was throwing away on the street. They are around $9 a piece though if you want to get them online. Home Depot offers sanded 3/4" plywood sheets by the checkout counter in Emeryville, CA for around $30 a sheet. It's not great stuff, but it gets the job done and at least won't give you splinters.

Screws are $5 a box, need big ones and short ones. The steel 1/4" rod is pretty cheap for a 20 foot length at a local steel yard. All the steel rod for this project shouldn't be more than $15. 2x4's are $2.75 at home depot, the steel pipe was scrap that I salvaged from a buddy of mine who is a metal worker and the PVC was a couple of bucks a length. I think that's everything.

[temper]

Thanks for that, very helpful. I would estimate that, on local prices, the cost for me would be $500-$600. Still not bad, I must give it some thought. I might substitute MDF for the plywood or something like that. Cheers, enjoy your wonderful creation.

[noahw]

Where are you located...which is to say, what accounts for your increased costs?

[temper]

I am located in Australia - the closest I can get to your plywood spec is structural CD 2200 x 1200 x 17mm @ $65 a sheet.

MDF 2200 x 1200 x 16mm is $31 a sheet - BTW 2 years ago it used to be 19mm at the same price...

[kylikjspop]

Wow. This is perfectly thought out and implemented. Great job. I will definitely be building this or something very much like it.
Kudos!!!

[Too Many Projects]

I plan on building a similar station and think yours is really well done and I admit I will blatantly steal some of your features in mine. I'm adding one thing that will make the station more useful and make the tool mount shelf swap-able. By using a sliding mounting board I'll be able to use the station for sawing, routing thickness planing etc.. Unsnap the saw mount, slide it out and slide in a panel with the next tool I need. By adding a rack nearby I can also store unused tool mounts using the same sliding system and store several in a small footprint. Anyway, great looking and functional design. Well done.

[spinning top]

i think this is wonderful but modding it for multitool is a great idea!!!
i cannot wait to see your plans .

[noahw]

I think this is a great idea that would work for lots of tools. One quick thing to thing about is how to adjust for the varying bed heights between tools. Each shelf could zero out on it's own custom mounted sliding rails seems like the easiest thing to come to mind...but of course, if you wanted to get complicated you could also have a gear driven crank system with a bed riding up and down some threaded rods. Anywho, lots of cool ways to modify and I like your idea of having modular tool slide-ins a lot. Thanks for your comment and post pics/Instructables of what you make should you go for it!

[Wood Chuck]

Very nicely done! A very practical storage and mitre saw solution. Do you mind if I draw up a set of plans for it, I believe it is something a lot of woodworkers with limited space could use.

[noahw]

My plan drawing skills are virtually zero, so, I'd absolutely love it if you would consider drawing up some plans. You can post them to the Instructable in the comments, but once they're up, I'd also love to include them in the Instructable itself in the tools and materials section and of course give you credit and many thanks for them. How can I help, and seriously, thank you!

[Wood Chuck]

NoahW I can't rember how to attach the pictures, I add them and hit preview which did nothing. Posting just posts the comments. Help!

[noahw]

I'll reply via PM with my email address. You can send them there and then I can upload it to the Instructable directly. If you'd like to post in the comments - try clicking "add images", then select them, upload them, and just click post comment without hitting preview first. Not sure if that will work, but it's worth a shot.

Thanks so much for the plans - from the thumbnails you uploaded they look awesome!

[Wood Chuck]

Sorry Noah I couldn't figure out how to make them bigger, so we'll go the other route. Cheers

[noahw]

I've attached the sketchup file to the Instructable. Thanks so much for drawing up these plans!

[Eh Lie Us!]

Very nice. I like the use of space. You know it's these type of projects that get us motivated to build our own!

[buckshot00]

Very cool! Hats off to you.

[suayres]

Oh, boy! I can see my hub checking his lumber pile, even as we speak. That's one great-looking set-up. Good work!

[Xenophon]

That is just gorgeous.

I don't know if I'm more jealous of the bench or having a large enough workspace to put it in.

[rickster454]

it looks a bit, Art Deco-ish!

[lifgrd]

I need a bigger garage! Nice work.

[vincent7520]

Nice job !…

[madduxm]

Very nice design

[justinlamoureux]

Fantastic work! I want! I want!

[kill-a-watt]

Nice!

But for a stationary tool on a workshop, why would I go for a compound miter box when a radial arm saw would be far more flexible?

I always assumed the advantage of the miterbox was that it was portable.

[ripperman2]

I found myself using my miter saw 10x more often than my radial arm saw. I finally sold the radial arm saw and have never missed it. I use the miter saw often, long boards for ripping I clamp and use a circular saw. Smaller storage requirements and I often used my radial saw table to store things on. So, I was always digging it out. This bench gives you cutting, great storage and a wood bench for assembly. Great job and idea!

[noahw]

That's a very good point - I sometimes run up against the limitations of my sliding compound miter saw, mainly the crosscut depth on really wide boards. Maybe in the future I'll think about getting a heavy duty radial arm - I see them used on Craigslist all the time.