The Old WorkBench
My old workbench was frustrating me one day, so I started designing a new movable table saw workbench. The table surface was small, and the storage underneath was hard to use and limited. A small shelf underneath, and the top was only 24 inches deep. I was always trying to push parts and tools to the back while I was working… but there was no room. The table saw was in an awkward position, cantilevered off the left side.
Poking around on Pinterest and YouTube I found a few ideas for mobile table saw workbenches:
- https://pin.it/7xUGNNJ
- https://pin.it/4Mr6AoK
- https://pin.it/3nUFUJ1
- https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tablesaw+workbench
I started drawing my ideas to work out some of the details and variations. Eventually I settled on something, and figured out my cut list, and materials.
The New WorkBench
The new design was so much better. The new table has a 36″ square surface. The table saw is oriented so that it faces forward. Now I can stand in front of the the bench and make cuts. I had more storage underneath, because the shelves ran the full width, and I lowered the floor gaing about 4 more inches of height.
The Crappy Saw
Now I was all set… Except my Tradesman Table saw was crap:
- No dust collection at all
- Undersized miter tracks (5/8″) so nothing fit
- The fence doesn’t square so I have to triple check the front and the back of the blade for every cut
- The blade wobbled a bit, so my wood was always rubbing and burning
While watching videos on building your own fence… I asked myself: Why are you wasting more time trying to polish this turd…
I bought a Dewalt DWE7485 and tore the top half of the bench apart so that I could rebuild it to fit the new saw.
Now I had full use of the fence. The work is supported on both sides. The miter slots aren’t blocked so running a sled is easy. This thing cuts like butter. I can also lift the saw out and use it on saw horses if I need to.
Here’s a gallery of my sketches.
