Introduction: 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?
- A standard 4 Drawer File Cabinet that breaks into 2 sections, or two identical 2 Drawer Cabinets
- 2x4s
- 1/2" plywood
- Woodscrews to connect the 2x4s
- Bolts - to connect the cabinets and fasten the plywood
- (optional) locking casters
- Circular Saw
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Wrench
- Sander
Step 2: Construction
For this project we:
- disconnected the top and bottom of the filing cabinet
- 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
- created a frame of 2 x 4s for the base and screwed the cabinet to the base.
- cut a 1/2 piece of plywood to fit the top, drilled holes and bolted it to the top of the stand.
- sanded rough edges of the plywood
- 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!
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