Workshop Storage / Outfeed Table

[Jhalfa]

Since I only have a garage to play in and have an increasing amount of toys to play with, staorage has started to become a real issue. When I got the table saw recently I rapidly came to the conclusion that the steel outfeed table attached to the back was taking up space I could not afford. I therefore made myself a mobile outfeed table / storage unit.

It is nothing special in construction techniques, and is only made from MDF, but I thought you might like to see some work in progress pictures:

I started by cutting one and a half sheets of 18mm MDF up (using the table saw) and then used an 18mm straight cutter in my router to cut grooves in the pieces so that they would fit together tightly and would be relying on both mechanical strength from the joints as well as from screws. I used one of those straight edge clamps and measured about four times before taking each cut

I then pushed the shelves together. The 18mm bit produced very tight grooves that required a bit of persuasion to go together, but the result is a very rigid structure

The sides were then fitted and screwed together using spax screws. I must say that the spax screws were much better than the ones I have bought from homebase in the past and went into the MDF easily without splitting at all.

I then drilled the holes for the castors and fitted them. I fitted lockable 100mm poly castors

Finally I fitted a top made from a 36" x 24" 18mm MF MDF kindly sourced for me by Dom (thanks). I could have attached it with pocket screws from underneath, but decided to just simply screw it to the sides through the top face

I then set about making the drawer boxes from 9mm MDF, basically glued and pinned, but with the bottoms riding in a 9mm groove machined into the sides. I purchased 500mm full extension drawer slides to mount the drawer boxes with

Here is the first drawer box fitted. At first the action was a little stiff because the drawers are just about the right size, but now they open and close very smoothly

For the top drawer the construction method is basically the same except the bottom was reinforced to prevent sagging because it is 30"+ wide. I fitted 18mm drawer fronts and some very basic white handles

Last job was to fit the back (6mm MDF) screwed to all the shelves and sides to provide additional stiffness, and then some oak banding around the top

I have just filled it up and the orkshop is a lit tidier as a result. I also removed the steel outfeed table from the saw and this unit now provides a much more functional outfeed surface that is bigger and smoother than the original.

Anyway hope you like it.

Next job is a router table built along the same lines. Suddenly all the space I have created in the garage will disappear!!

Regards

Jonathan

 

[bodgermatic]

Very nice. Something to add to my list of projects!

 

[Waka]

Jonathan

Looks a really good storage unit with the added advantage of doubling as an outfeed table.

My only consideration would to have made the bottom a torsion box, having siad that I'm not sure how much weight you're looking at.

 

[tiler99]

Whats a Torsion box?

 

[syntec4]

Nice one Jonathan, Why don't you mount the router into that unit and save some space?

Lee.

PS, the Avatar police will be along shortly to give you a fixed penalty notice :wink:

 

[Ring]

looks good can i ask where you got your drawer runners from ?
Jim

 

[Jhalfa]

Thanks for the comments.

Waka - I hope that it is stiff enough as it is, but next time I will make a torsion box on the base. I was surprised by how much 18mm MDF sags under its own weight.

The drawer runners are from Buller Ltd - prices are really good online, but the P&P is significant if you don't order much

I am going to make a separate router table because at 18mm the top of this one is too thin to take the weight of a large router. Also the top is the same height as my table saw, and I like the router to be higher in order to work comfortably. I also have a collection of router bits and accessories that need storage!


Regards

Jonathan