Future Project...Miter Station

3654 Views 24 Replies 13 Participants Last post by DesertRatTom, Jan 22, 2019

Nickp

Discussion Starter · Jan 13, 2019

So as I'm sitting here mind-assembling my future shop (sorta like window shopping)...

I'm thinking of my future miter saw station...a very basic question comes to mind...

Just how long should it be...on either side of the bay for the saw...?

This might be a vague question and am sure it has more to do with how long a piece will be cut but there is probably a reasonable length where it won't be too long or too short, reasonably speaking.

What are your experiences and what have you been happy with...? What are you running and did you ever have the feeling it was too long or too short...?

I'm thinking 4 feet max on each side...any longer and out comes the square and circ saw over a couple of horses. On the other hand, along comes crown molding...I'm more inclined to use the saw on the ground and prop it up accordingly.

Just gathering thoughts...

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Stick486

· #2 · Jan 13, 2019

at least 75% of the longest piece you'll be chopping up...

Reactions: 1

Bob Adams

· #3 · Jan 13, 2019

A number of things come to mind here. A lot of folks don't use their miter saw as a primary shop tool. I understand that, but I am not one of them. I use my miter saw in every project so my station is central to my shop. Another point is shop size. My shop is narrow, and floor space is limited, so I dedicated one wall to my saw station. The same station also has my router table. The last point that I can think of is how the saw is used. I break down rough lumber for all of my projects and typically will have an 8' to 12' length of wood to break down. So with that said, my miter station is 24' long. It has 8' to the right of the saw 16' to the left. Underneath is storage for the vast majority of my hand power tools. The wall behind the station is used for clamp storage and hand tools. It also has drawers for my router bits, (and all things router related) and drawers for my drum sander paper. Here are a few pictures. I can't get the entire station in one picture so these pictures show right to left. I have been in this shop now for 4 years, and really like this station. The only thing I wish it had is more drawers, that is on the "to do" list and maybe I will get to it someday. I don't know why the garbage can is there under the saw, I have a scrap bin that fits there it must have been full and rolled to the wood stove when I took the pictures.

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DesertRatTom

· #4 · Jan 13, 2019

The miter saw in my 12x24 shop is not the star of the show. I have it set to have 5-6 feet on the left, with a roller stand set up to support the piece on that side. I've marked the height and the exact floor placement for the stand so it's easily set up. The right side of the saw rarely has more than 18 inches of support. Up til very recently my HF DC unit took up the space on the right, but that just got moved outside into a protected space, so I could use another roller stand on that side, although I haven't needed to do so yet. I try to be as careful as possible about having everything square, I by far prefer the table saw for accurate cuts, and for frame miters, I now prefer to use the Ts and an Incra 1000 miter gauge. I use a Lyon miter trimmer to perfect the 45 angle and occasionally if I'm feeling persnikity, to true up a 90 cut (such as face frames).

My miter saw is a Bosch, 10 inch sliding compound model, really accurate when I take the time to make sure it's set up properly. Last time I worked on an exterior fence, I dragged the saw out onto a 5 foot folding table, but it was awhile ago. I'll probably hang it on the back of my pickup tailgate for the only 2x project I've done for a long time.

So basically I'm saying about 4 ft on each side for a station. I just don't use it enough to justify using up all that space, even though the cabinets underneath would be nice to use. I suppose I could put some tools on the counter space so I could make more use of it, but I don't really want to lift most of them anymore. I'd rather just move the roller stand.

Beside all that, there's the matter of all flat surfaces get loaded up with stuff in many of our shops, especially the small ones.

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sreilly

· #5 · Jan 13, 2019

As Bob shows, that station can be a huge part of storage as well. Think of it as a multi-station. I really like the way Bob incorporated the router table. Mine is designed more with additional storage in mind for organization and my router table is a cabinet on wheels. What probably won't stay on the miter station are the magazines and books as they are subject to sawdust unless the dust collector does a really good job. I haven't hooked that up yet as I'm still figuring.....

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Web Shepherd

· #6 · Jan 13, 2019

I would have to agree with Tom. I also use a Bosch 10in sliding compound mounted to a portable table. I also use a roller stand to support the infeed or outfeed, depending upon the project. The miter station sits in the middle of the garage and I pull it into one of the bays and open the garage door when cutting >10 ft lengths. Although I really like Bob's arrangement, I can't afford to tie up a complete wall for a miter station.

Reactions: 1

RainMan 2.0

· #7 · Jan 13, 2019 (Edited)

Bob, impressive setup . Was wondering about the thickness of OSB you used on the walls?
I was debating 3/4” plywood, and painting them white prior to hanging to help with light.

I love the miter setup and would love to figure out how to implement one in my garage . Repeatability would especially nice , and I’d like to have that track installed as you did .
I think I need to put all my machines on mobile bases in order to make room for a mitertable such as yours

Gene Howe

· #8 · Jan 13, 2019

Mine has 5' on the left and 4' on the right with storage under. Seldom need that much but when I do, it's there.

Reactions: 1

Nickp

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 13, 2019

Bob Adams said:
A number of things come to mind here. A lot of folks don't use their miter saw as a primary shop tool. I understand that, but I am not one of them. I use my miter saw in every project so my station is central to my shop. Another point is shop size. My shop is narrow, and floor space is limited, so I dedicated one wall to my saw station. The same station also has my router table. The last point that I can think of is how the saw is used. I break down rough lumber for all of my projects and typically will have an 8' to 12' length of wood to break down. So with that said, my miter station is 24' long. It has 8' to the right of the saw 16' to the left. Underneath is storage for the vast majority of my hand power tools. The wall behind the station is used for clamp storage and hand tools. It also has drawers for my router bits, (and all things router related) and drawers for my drum sander paper. Here are a few pictures. I can't get the entire station in one picture so these pictures show right to left. I have been in this shop now for 4 years, and really like this station. The only thing I wish it had is more drawers, that is on the "to do" list and maybe I will get to it someday. I don't know why the garbage can is there under the saw, I have a scrap bin that fits there it must have been full and rolled to the wood stove when I took the pictures.

Bob, really slick miter/router station...they serve each other well...

As I understand it, from the miter saw's point of view, it has 16ft on one side which also houses a router table which has about 8 ft on each side. This allows you 16 ft on one side of the miter saw for long pieces but it uses the router table top as a matching part of that 16 ft. The router table has about 8 ft on each side of it...

Nice station...not sure if I will wind up with 24 free feet but if I did, your example would be nice.

Thanks for your input...

Nickp

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 13, 2019

Gene Howe said:
Mine has 5' on the left and 4' on the right with storage under. Seldom need that much but when I do, it's there.

Thank you, Gene...probably what I will wind up with...about 4 feet on each side...

Might be a little less if I decide to make a folding-wing mobile station...saw one that was pretty slick...

Appreciate your response...

Nickp

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jan 13, 2019

DesertRatTom said:
The miter saw in my 12x24 shop is not the star of the show. I have it set to have 5-6 feet on the left, with a roller stand set up to support the piece on that side. I've marked the height and the exact floor placement for the stand so it's easily set up. The right side of the saw rarely has more than 18 inches of support. Up til very recently my HF DC unit took up the space on the right, but that just got moved outside into a protected space, so I could use another roller stand on that side, although I haven't needed to do so yet. I try to be as careful as possible about having everything square, I by far prefer the table saw for accurate cuts, and for frame miters, I now prefer to use the Ts and an Incra 1000 miter gauge. I use a Lyon miter trimmer to perfect the 45 angle and occasionally if I'm feeling persnikity, to true up a 90 cut (such as face frames).

My miter saw is a Bosch, 10 inch sliding compound model, really accurate when I take the time to make sure it's set up properly. Last time I worked on an exterior fence, I dragged the saw out onto a 5 foot folding table, but it was awhile ago. I'll probably hang it on the back of my pickup tailgate for the only 2x project I've done for a long time.

So basically I'm saying about 4 ft on each side for a station. I just don't use it enough to justify using up all that space, even though the cabinets underneath would be nice to use. I suppose I could put some tools on the counter space so I could make more use of it, but I don't really want to lift most of them anymore. I'd rather just move the roller stand.

Beside all that, there's the matter of all flat surfaces get loaded up with stuff in many of our shops, especially the small ones.

Thanks, Tom...same thinking...not sure if I will wind up with enough room to have a dedicated miter saw station. And I agree, there are alternatives depending on one's project types...

Appreciate your response...

Nickp

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jan 13, 2019

sreilly said:
As Bob shows, that station can be a huge part of storage as well. Think of it as a multi-station. I really like the way Bob incorporated the router table. Mine is designed more with additional storage in mind for organization and my router table is a cabinet on wheels. What probably won't stay on the miter station are the magazines and books as they are subject to sawdust unless the dust collector does a really good job. I haven't hooked that up yet as I'm still figuring.....

Steve...thanks...the idea of some well planned storage is a good one...not only under but behind the fences also...Nice layout on yours...

Reactions: 1

Nickp

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 13, 2019

Stick486 said:
at least 75% of the longest piece you'll be chopping up...

I gather you're thinking if I'm going to be laying a 12 ft piece on the saw, the left and right wings would be about 4.5 ft each...? Or are you saying 9ft for one/both of the wings for the same 12 ft piece... totalling 18ft...?

Stick486

· #14 · Jan 13, 2019

75% of length to one side..

Bob Adams

· #15 · Jan 13, 2019

RainMan 2.0 said:
Bob, impressive setup . Was wondering about the thickness of OSB you used on the walls?
I was debating 3/4” plywood, and painting them white prior to hanging to help with light.

I love the miter setup and would love to figure out how to implement one in my garage . Repeatability would especially nice , and I’d like to have that track installed as you did .
I think I need to put all my machines on mobile bases in order to make room for a mitertable such as yours

I used 1/2" osb, I debated painting it but since I built the shop by myself, I was tired and just wanted it done. With good lighting I don't regret the decision. In my original post I mixed up my rights and lefts, it was late. My shop is only 12' wide and I simply do not have the room for a mobile miter station or a typical router table. Incorporating both into a permanent station on the wall allowed me to utilize the space for much needed storage. I find the extra surface very useful when working on larger projects. I recently made a raised panel door for a built in that I am working on, the stiles were 79" long and having the long surface at the router table made milling them much easier. The only stationary tools that I have are my table saw, outfeed table and work bench. Everything else in on wheels and up against the opposite wall when not in use. I do struggle with "flat surface syndrome" but have gotten into the habit of cleaning the shop after every project. This keeps the surfaces clean for the next mess.

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TenGees

· #16 · Jan 14, 2019

No matter how long you make the station, you have to leave enough room for the material... even if you just have a stand to hold up the far end of long boards. That's what I do for my RAS. I just have the clearance for material and use an adjustable stand (for now). Using that space for storage like Steve's set-up is a great solution.

Reactions: 1

RainMan 2.0

· #17 · Jan 16, 2019 (Edited)

TenGees said:
No matter how long you make the station, you have to leave enough room for the material... even if you just have a stand to hold up the far end of long boards. That's what I do for my RAS. I just have the clearance for material and use an adjustable stand (for now). Using that space for storage like Steve's set-up is a great solution .

This is what really intrigued me. I’m hurting for room, and would like to build a solid Miter station where I can get repeatability. I love the idea of installing track ,that way a stop can be secured to set a distance for multiple cuts. I’ve run into this situation many times , and wow would that have helped .

And by implementing storage underneath, I could live with it taking up a lot of room on one wall . Could also put cabinets above it for more storage yet .
Will be bookmarking this thread for yet another must do project

Reactions: 1

Nickp

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jan 16, 2019

I've decided to go mobile...if at all...

Wings will fold down...when deployed it will give me about 40" from blade to end of the wings. Mobile base with locking wheels is a must...

Both wings will have fold-outs that will allow me an additional 30" or so...

Now to turn scratchy pencil n paper to reality...it's one thing to put it on paper...it's another to get to the precision and strength required.

Picking the right material for the wings and fences will take some thinking...they need to stay straight, no warping, etc... I'm thinking MDF or BB and making the wings with a box structure for stability. Then hope and pray it doesn't topple over on me...LOL...

This will save me wall space for needed storage.

Don't get all excited yet...I still have to find a house to put all this in...the ones I looked at yesterday were "disasters"...and that's a kind word for them.

If you're thinking it's a bit premature...it's never too early to put your plans together. Now when I look at a house I can see the shop in my mind's eye.

Truth be told, I'm not yet convinced I even need a miter saw station. Small pieces can be cut with TS and cross cut sled...or miter gauge. Long pieces can be cut with circular saw/edgeguide/square, hand saw, etc... Crown molding on the floor with the right size blocks...

Your thoughts are always appreciated...thanks...

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papasombre

· #19 · Jan 16, 2019

Hi, Bob.
Nice miter saw station, and the whole shop too. It is amazingly clean,also.
Regarding the OP, I never finished my mitre saw station. It is in my to do list for this new year.

bfblack

· #20 · Jan 17, 2019

Portability was high on my priority list so my miter station is on casters. A practical constraint in my case is that I wanted to use baltic birch plywood for the top so I was limited to 60" total table length. The final design has 28 1/2" on each side of the saw blade. Double the 28 1/2" and subtract 2" for a safety margin and this leaves me with a 55" maximum length on each side of the saw blade. Anything longer will require the use of the Krenov style saw horses shown on the right side of the picture. I don't believe in designing a miter station that will handle 100% of the anticipated requirements; this takes up a lot of real estate that is seldom used. My guess is that my station will handle more than 50% of my requirements. Dust collection is hard for a miter saw. I added a shop built dust box of my design and it is certainly better than nothing.

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