# Mitre Saw Station...WIP



## PeteG (3 Nov 2013)

At last I was able to make a start on the new home for the mitre saw which has been sat on top of a Workmate for several weeks. I cut the ply for the base a couple of nights back, but as yet none of the sides
have been joined. I want to make a slide out blade holder housed between the two left hand sheets, but I'll need to fit the runners before joining all the sides. It'll also be housing a dust extraction unit, front entry with a cupboard door, hose going through the back, and I'll be making up one drawer. I may router the door to give the impression of several drawers.





Today I made the wings which will support the side tables. I'd been a little unsure about the design on these until late last night and it was only once I was in the shed this afternoon, 
I decided how I was going to make the cuts. I do have a very nice Bosch jigsaw, I'm just not very good using it! 
Then I remembered a couple of Ron Fox videos I watched months back on making templates with MDF and double sided tape. 
I hadn't used a guide bush before on the router but this seemed to be the way to go for the best result, which I know I wouldn't have achieved with the jigsaw! 









Both sides complete! I can't put my finger on it, but I do enjoy using the router...





This will give you more of an idea of how the sides will look, and hopefully these will be flush with the top.





Before calling it a night I drilled the pocket holes in the back and also the hole for the dust extraction hose. 
I was going to buy one the hole saw kits in Screwfix but when I arrived they had the Bosch quick release system ones on display. It's brilliant! Fits together in two seconds and is very secure.









This afternoon I drilled the pocket holes for the three sides, and for anyone like me who didn't know what a pocket hole was up to a few months back, this is the Kreg Jig pocket system. [ Other pocket hole systems are available ]  





Before moving on to the blade housing I glued the side table hinge supports on to, and what will be the main base sides. This also gave me the chance to use my new G clamps, an "Axminster Mid Week Madness Special"...





On to the blade housing. I spent a while working out how I was going to do this, then I remembered the router came with an attachment for cutting circles. So in a 12 mm piece of MD I cut a large circle out
which I could then use as a template with a bearing guided cutter. 









Thanks to photoshop this will give you an idea of what I'm on about  I also have to admit and thanks to photoshop again, I don't have two spare blades and I've only made the one housing. I'll router the
second one tomorrow night. The image is just to help things look a little clearer in case my explanation sounds like waffle! I'll also add at this point, it would have been easier to pop the spare blade in a draw!





More to follow soon (hammer)


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## rspsteve (3 Nov 2013)

Looking good will be watching this please keep us updated .

Steve


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## PeteG (3 Nov 2013)

rspsteve":14l64bmg said:


> Looking good will be watching this please keep us updated .
> 
> Steve



I certainly will Steve ...I've been drilling the pocket holes, sanding and gluing the side hinge supports this afternoon. I've also run out of ply for the blade holder,
so I'm just having a brew and debating whether or not I should borrow the base sheet from my bench :lol:


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## PeteG (6 Nov 2013)

God knows what I get up to in my shed, after a four session Monday night I switched the lights off just before 11pm having joined the left hand side with the base, attached the runners, and routered the second blade housing. Tuesday night however proved to be much more productive!





The top runner had to be removed so the left hand side could be attached to the top, and then it was just a case lining and scrfewing everything else up. The left wing went on OK but I need to plane a little off
the back of the right wing before attaching the hinges. I trimmed the fascia of the blade housing to size and used a cove bit on the left hand side so I have something to get my fingers in to for pulling the blade
housing out.
Next job is to make a drawer and a cupboard door before starting on the side tables...Haven't worked out how I'm going to do it yet, but I want them adjustable front to back and be able to extend!


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## monkeybiter (6 Nov 2013)

I like that, like the blade storage too, protective and highly 'visible'. You could rout another recess on the other side too if you get a third blade.


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## PeteG (6 Nov 2013)

monkeybiter":3b8g6r43 said:


> I like that, like the blade storage too, protective and highly 'visible'. You could rout another recess on the other side too if you get a third blade.




Thanks Mike  There would be enough room for a third blade, not sure I'd have the confidence to rout another recess with out going straight through though :lol: I need to get a couple of wing nuts for securing the blades or blade, if they get in the way I could always remove the small plywood disc between the blade and the washer...And I'm planing to put dowels in the pocket holes securing the fascia...


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## owen (7 Nov 2013)

Looksgood. What about using magnets to hold the blades??


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## PeteG (7 Nov 2013)

owen":2qo0m0hy said:


> Looksgood. What about using magnets to hold the blades??



I like your thinkin Owen, it's something that would never have occured to me...How would I attach the magnets, are they in a housing of sorts you'd screw to the wood?


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## PeteG (7 Nov 2013)

Only a little update tonight. I fitted the right wing last night and then cleaned the shed up before making a start on the drawer and cupboard door. I bought a pack of levelling feet from Axminster
a couple of months back, one of those just incase I need'em buys. As they're easily adjustable with an Allan key, I reckon they'll be perfect once attached to the wings for supporting and levelling the side the
side tables. More to follow soon


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## owen (8 Nov 2013)

You could buy round magnets, sink them into the wood with a large forstner bit and glue them in. Im pretty sure I've seen magnets with countersunk holes in too which you could just screw on.


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## Baldhead (8 Nov 2013)

Pete try these for magnets

http://www.first4magnets.com

Keep the WIP pics coming, I too need to build a mitre saw cabinet, which strangely will look almost identical to yours! :wink: 

Baldhead


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## PeteG (9 Nov 2013)

owen":1jnus7sn said:
 

> You could buy round magnets, sink them into the wood with a large forstner bit and glue them in. Im pretty sure I've seen magnets with countersunk holes in too which you could just screw on.





Baldhead":1jnus7sn said:


> Pete try these for magnets
> 
> http://www.first4magnets.com
> 
> ...



Thanks for the help Owen and Baldhead  much appreciated, and I now have the link in my favourites.

Baldhead, three months ago I wouldn't have thought I was capable of doing anything like this, so if this WIP helps in making yours mate then I'm really chuffed...
I had thought of putting a fascia on the right to balance things out, whilst giving extra support to the top. I even thought of routing flutes in both to make them look pretty  
in the end I decided the second one would only take up valuable space based on the dimensions of cupboard. I do fancy routing some fancy pattern on the cupboard door, just don't know what.
Regarding dimensions I deliberately haven't included any but I can at the end if folk want! The width of the top and base were governed by the maximum lenth of cut I could get out of the TS. 
Height wise, it's what I thought would be a comfortable height for myself.





With a bit of luck I'll have the drawer and cupboard door on by tomorrow night and I can then crack on with the side table. I've been giving these quite a bit of thought and had a moment of clarity
whilst chomping on some toast this morning!


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## MickCheese (9 Nov 2013)

Looking good. Can I see a picture with the wings out so I can get an idea of what that arrangement will look like. Sorry struggling with visualising that. 

And

It looks to me a bit low. I have my chop saw that looks a lot higher than that but maybe it's an optical illusion in the photo. At a guess I would suggest my table makes the saw bed about 900mm high so is probably 800mm high assuming the saw bed is 100mm high. 

Mick


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## PeteG (9 Nov 2013)

MickCheese":1gao8r1h said:


> Looking good. Can I see a picture with the wings out so I can get an idea of what that arrangement will look like. Sorry struggling with visualising that.
> 
> And
> 
> ...



Hello Mark...I'll take a full frontal shot this evening  The saw bed is 36" about 915 mm, but this may change after I've made the side tables. 

Speak soon mate.


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## Baldhead (9 Nov 2013)

PeteG":10ceilna said:


> MickCheese":10ceilna said:
> 
> 
> > Looking good. Can I see a picture with the wings out so I can get an idea of what that arrangement will look like. Sorry struggling with visualising that.
> ...


Full frontal shot would be good, as long as it's not "One For The Ladies" type of photo. :wink: :wink: :wink: 

Baldhead


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## PeteG (10 Nov 2013)

Baldhead":ncey4kin said:


> PeteG":ncey4kin said:
> 
> 
> > MickCheese":ncey4kin said:
> ...


Ooh no mate, nothing too saurcy in the shed, not with all them sharp things knocking about :lol:


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## PeteG (10 Nov 2013)

Saturday started all well and good, popped the heating on in the shed and nipped to Screwfix for a pair of drawer runners. Returned home, made a fried spam sarny, a BIG mug of tea and switched the radio on in a now warm and cosy shed. Sorted! Got a little side tracked, see https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/multi-tool-mortise-tenon-t74728.html and then started making the drawer. All went well or so I thought! All four sides of the drawer were cut and routered to take the base or bottom, and two sides were drilled with pocket holes. Only when I came to putting them all together did I realise the pocket holes were on the wrong sides of the drawer. I'd put them on the sides and not the front and back. No bother, I'll make a couple of new ones and crack on! Then my cousin appeared to upgarde the fuses from 16 amp to 32 amp. Having the radio, freezer, dust extractor, heater, and using any of the power tools was just fine, but as soon as I switched the compressor on, overload. Problem now curred.
Back to the drawer. New sides made and pocket holes in the right place, I put all the pieces together. I then take the drawer over to the base with the runners. It's too big, and not by a couple of mm, but a couple of inches! So, biting my bottom lip, I take it all part again. I can't just cut a little off the front and back due to the pocket holes, so I make another two. I then cut the base to size and put it all back together. Runners fitted, drawer in place, perfect! It's cracking on at this point so I decide I'll cut a piece for the drawer front and I'll call it a night. 






Drawer fascia cut and held in place with some double sided tape, it's 10/12 mm too small. I swicted the lights the off at that point!





But as promised, here is a full frontal


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## MickCheese (10 Nov 2013)

Looking good. 

Just Edge the drawer front with a couple of bits of solid wood and pretend you did it on purpose to keep down the splinters from the plywood. 

Mick


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## PeteG (10 Nov 2013)

MickCheese":uag1917h said:


> Looking good.
> 
> Just Edge the drawer front with a couple of bits of solid wood and pretend you did it on purpose to keep down the splinters from the plywood.
> 
> Mick




Thanks Mick...I've cut another piece for the drawer front, one that fits this time...I've changed my mind on the cupboard door though. Doing something different instead :wink:


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## PeteG (20 Nov 2013)

Not much of an update sadly, too many work commitments this past week or so...The choice tonight was watch the England game or listen to the commentary in the shed whilst cracking on with the side tables, or at least one them anyway...I'll take some more detailed shots later on, and there are a few small jobs I need to do before going much further. But I really needed to see at least one of the side tables attached. More to follow soon


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## PeteG (31 Dec 2013)

I was hoping to have had this finished by now, being made redundant a few days before Christmas knocked the stuffing out of me but, time to crack on  
The saw has now been firmly mounted down, and today I made the fence for the left hand side table.





Apologies for the lack of detailed images. I used pocket holes to join the two fence sections after using the router to cut two slots for the hanger bolts and star knobs.





I used a drill stand to make sure the hanger bolts would sit perfectly upright, and two locking nuts to help screw them down.





I've spent some time deciding how I wanted the fence, should it slide front to back, or left to right whilst acting as a support for longer lengths of timber at the same time. At one point I was going with the later
idea, with the saw on adjustable rails so it would move backwards and fowards. But decided it would be easier to line the wooden fences up with the saw rather than the other way round. 
Especially if I needed to use sacrificial timber attached to the metal saw fence. Not only that, but the wooden fence needed to move backwards so the top half of the metal fence to extend, allowing the saw to be tilted. Hope this is making sense  





Staying with the idea of having an extending support, what are your thoughts on this idea? I could router a slot down the centre of the support so it ran on three hanger bolts and star knobs. It would also be supported by the over hang of the table top, so hopefully it would run true. The small end piece would also be adjustable on a hanger bolt and star knob. If more strength or stability is needed, I could always add a back support! What'dya reckon :?:


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## carlb40 (3 Jan 2014)

Sorry about the job. Good luck with a new one 

Very nice build you have here. As to an extending support have a look at how Norm did his. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaZRYNlStHI

Could give you a few ideas.


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