The more videos I watch James... the more I LOVE this channel! So many years of myself wasting space, time, effort, energy, money.. the list goes on and on! Thanks a million times over buddy. You have helped me so much in such a short time
James, two words. Pure genius. I've resisted the urge to build one and have mine on a cart, but I need more storage of late (new tools and sundries!) and I was going to build a cabinet. I saw some other videos which kind of sold me on the idea of a miter station for ease of use and storage, but your idea is the best I've seen. Thanks!
I built the miter station from Norm Abrams on the New Yankee Workshop. It works very well for me but after seeing this video I can see a lot of improvements that can be made. And I think the improvements will not be difficult to implement. A couple of sheets of plywood should do the job. Thanks James. This is the place to come for good ideas.
As usual James, well considered and thought out. It’s always a joy to learn from you and your dad. Thanks for continuing to make me a better woodworker mate, always a pleasure, thank you, 11 x 👍🏻
This is awesome and exactly what I need since a mitre saw station is high up on my TODO list. The brilliance of this design over other stations is it's not just reusing the space for drawers after drawers, but integrating other tools and other types of storage.
I have a cheap 210mm mitre saw and I wouldn’t be without it. I only use smaller size timber for picture frames and it give me perfect 45° mitre cuts. I also can’t physically manage anything bigger and I have a tiny 6’x6’ workshop so I have a foldaway mitre stand that I can use just outside my shop door but still under cover. A sliding mitre saw that takes a larger blade is a waste of money for my needs, in fact with my physical difficulties it’s highly unlikely I would be able to use it. However, if I was healthier I would have a bigger shop in rented space and I think your station would be the one I build. You always talk great common sense and carefully think out any set up. You are also willing to admit when tweaks are required, which is something I admire. Since I've had a dedicated rip blade on my table saw and a cross cutting blade on my mitre my work has significantly improved and got a whole lot easier. Another great video with very sound advice.
I really liked this video. Just like always, you have applied common sense to a situation most people try to over complicate. There are several customizations that people can do to make this suit their individual needs such as the use of T Track for stops, using the shelf tool storage where it has cabinet doors to keep out dust and the ideas are limitless. I have recently replaced my old miter station table for some free cabinets I was given and this gives me some ideas on how to make my new station better. Thanks!
From my family to all the Stumpy Nubs team have a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year, thank you for this year’s awesome content and I am looking forward to next year’s surprises. From Elliot Lake Ontario Canada.
This is such a good idea that I'm already in the process of implementing a version for my shop. And, for anyone who reads comments, the (newly re-imagined...) Craftsman tool cabinets now available at your local big blue box store are a major step up from the Husky cabinets at the big orange box store. They are what I decided on for this workstation. Clyde
James, thanks for this. My miter saw workstation has some of the same bones as yours - I built it on top of a pair of wall cabinets I bought at Lowes, and I have a bed on both sides of the saw (that will soon be turned into cubbies!), but I have all kinds of stuff hanging on the wall behind it, so I don't have room for cabinet space just yet. I may well move that stuff behind the work station, which all hangs vertically, to another spot soon because I love your idea. We reach a point where good ideas (yours) generate good ideas that I can use best in my shop, rather than just copying what is presented. I love the fact that you struggle with shop space, like most of your viewers. It helps me realize that I'm not the only one who doesn't have a 100x200 pole shed with concrete floors and Festool machines all over. Great stuff.
Hi, A thought to share: an advantage to having straight side fences aligned with the reference surfaces of the saw is to support long lengths of crown molding that you need to invert and brace at an angle. On the other hand, for other applications, if your board is not dead straight, it can push away from the fence (especially if the concave side is to the fence) and the angle you cut with the blade won’t be what you set it to be - something to watch for. Thanks!
Fantastic reasoning for all of the features you covered. Your design inspires me to finally build a miter station into my shop. Thank you for producing great content.
Good overview, as usual. I've fallen into the no-extended-fence camp with mine and have a t-track (stop block) & measure tape inset into the table top on both sides. It leaves my side tables free for other uses, since I have a small shop and it has a few other benefits when dealing with slightly warped long boards. I will, however, add a removable set of extended fences (~4' each side) using imbedded wood insert nuts and some t-bolts, for the rare occasion I need the extra fence length (moulding cuts). That way I can remove and store those fences when not used.
Great video full of ideas. I hope the miter saw dust collection video is already in production because I'm desperate to do something that will prevent the accumulation of dust on the floor behind my miter station.
Always a pleasure watching your channel for new ideas. I really like your miter saw workstation. I recently finished up a 7' x 32" x 30" workbench with a floor shelf frame 1/8 " off the floor, only the legs make contact with the floor. My next bench will "L" off of it on the adjacent wall. I will incorporate a miter saw station into it. I am still working it out in my head currently. I am inclined to want to set it into the bench top by bldg a lower frame & shelf for it to sit in, however, I think I will leave a lip so as I can remove the saw on occasion & simply drop a insert back in its place & once again have a complete workbench at my disposal. RU-vid is a priceless resource of ideas & info from people such as you willing to share your ideas & I thank you very much... Bill Farr... :-)
hmmm, the extended back fence is a fantastic idea, a set of drawers built into them would be amazing for small materials like pencils, sand paper, etc. Great video!
Ideas! My brain just went into overdrive thinking how I can take my miter saw cart and other roll around shop cabinets and turn them into a miter saw station. Pull out shelves for sanders, bench top jointer...? Hmmm... Thanks Stumpy for the future shop arrangement!
You made some good points for why you designed your miter saw station the way you did. It seems to work for you and might even work for me whenever I get around to making a miter saw station. Right now I’m happy with having my miter saw on a job site stand. At this point I don’t have the money and time to build anything else. For me a miter saw station isn’t a top priority.
Your soooo! clever Mr Stumpy. I always come to you to get the 'cold facts exact'. I'm designing a new mitre workstation that will control all the flying debris (esp from cuts on metal) as well as better sawdust collection. And you just gave me some better ideas than I been thinking - cheers fella. I see a lot of people online now with the multi-purpose wood and metal cutting mitre saws and I think this is a neglected area of design. I notice that the metal cuttings can easily get embedded in wooden surfaces and mess things up when I switch back to cutting wood. So maybe I will incorporate something like a remove-able hardboard surface for when I'm making metal cuts. Thanks again man.
Hey there Stumpy, I like your saw station. I just noticed something you might want to be aware of. I have the same saw and I accidentally "trimmed" the inner ears of the top, sliding, back fence one day making a compound cut. I should have had the fences slid out. And your left side upper inside sliding fence has nowhere to go. If you never lay the blade over on an angle, it will never matter. But if you do lay it down check your clearance for a full cut. By the way I think it is the glade saw's only flaw. I love mine. Thanks for sharing
Old video but a goodie. Well explained. My question is related to how you installed the wood below the mitersaw over the tool chest. It's an idea I was thinking about. DId you just screw it down to the tops?
Great setup. A suggestion though. I have a similar setup. I use heavy duty tool drawer slides to make pull out shelves so that way you can pull your tools out from the sides of your saw when you need the extra room. I made it one big pull out shelf but I'm thinking on going back and making it multiple shelves so I can pull one tool out at a time.
Funny enough James I’ve recently raised the height of all my stationary tools in my shop, I realised how much I was bending over to work on anything and raised my drill press and it was a light bulb moment. I then did it for all my tools and benches and it’s so much more ergonomic plus my back will thank me in the long run. I’m not sure why the recommendations are always so low
I just made a workbench/miter station. Really, just my first workbench project to get me going in the weekend warrior direction. Hopefully, I'll have video posted within the week.
First James and Crew Have a Merry Christmas and another wonderful year of bringing us content, One Idea those areas that are supporting the other tools Put those on slides to pull out brings tools out to the front and makes the front shelf self cleaning ;) one could even have the back ledge fold away so the tools could be 4-6 " lower for us vertically challenged.
On my miter saw station, I placed removable panels on the front that are held in place with magnets as my dust collection solution. Make sure the panels leave only the minimum amount of space on either side of the saw. This keeps the air velocity up .
He's not the only one who has gotten rid of the fence, but his was the photo I found. Marc is one of the few guys who may not clutter up his bench, so he might not need the fence :)
Something else to consider when you're designing is using homemade cabinets like Stumpy mentioned, and sharing the work surface with other tools. You could cut a recess that would allow you drop a plate-mounted router into it, or a.spimdle sander
Great ideas! All those little cubbies underneath the fence area could be very useful for the small things that always get mislaid or have to be kept in a drawer, like measuring tapes or bar gauges. Easier to get to that way. Perhaps make moveable dividers so they can just fit the exact tool but be flexible. Just assign each one to a tool and label it. Thank you for all the great content! Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas!
Nice video. I like the new space you’ve created for the chop saw. I especially like the new word “Igornomic”. After all, we are all monsters while we’re in our shops! Oh, and Merry Christmas!
I wouldn't be without my Mitre station. Enclosed to help contain the dust. I have used the 'Brush' strip around the open front / sides, that you see around truck wheels to help reduce dust but still allows free movement of the saw. On the bench I have bolted a long 1 1/2" Aluminium Angle to act as the back support for the wood. This does a number of things. As you say, keeps the area clear for wood. Low enough that it does not get in the way of the bench. I can clamp a block to make repeatable cuts. Acts as a barrier, so that I don't loose screws etc. on the floor. I painted the forward section white and use it as a scribble pad for quick calculations or to note sizes etc. To all your family James. Merry Christmas and New Year
Another thought provoking video with an idea that I will not contemplate - might be making a change to my small workshop. Also, you will be getting an award in my upcoming RU-vid video - The Golden Chisel Awards, where we will be highlighting our favorite woodworking content creators. Keep an eye out for that.
@@StumpyNubs Still in production, but will send you a link when it is uploaded. I should be funny and at the same time pay tribute to you guys who put in so much effort helping the rest of us learn woodworking. Little nervous about insulting anybody with attempts at humor - always dangerous.
Yes, you have to be careful with that. I find that the best, and safest humor is self-deprecating. Nobody can get upset when you are the butt of your own jokes :)
Old video but hoping you’ll see this, how do you calibrate and reset your mitre saw with this set up and particularly with this saw when all the adjustment bolts are positioned in the most annoying places at the back of the machine?
In the area of the bench top tools did you consider putting in full extension drawer slides? That would make the tools more accessible. It could be one 'drawer' or one for each tool depending on the tool and how you use it. I really like using the tool chests for the base. As usual a great video.
James, if you made pull out panel drawers to set those tools on, you could pull them out when working on larger stock without having to move it to another table. You would still need to move them with extremely large stuff, but that would likely be very limited depending on how often you work on very large things with those tools. The crucial thing would be to insure you have flat bottom drawer slides that can carry the weight of the tool. There are some rated at 100 Lbs which should do the job.
Hi there. I love watching your videos for information and ideas. I don't have a shop at present time but was planning to build a 20×30. Instead my wife and I are now in the process of buying another home with shop already built. It is a 30×60 pole barn only 3 years old. I will probably be in the market for a miter saw in the near future. The question that I have is there any miter saws or power tools in general that are made in the USA. Just trying to buy American if possible. Thanks and God bless.
That's a great miter saw station. But, the reason people stop using the longer back supports is because some boards are curved or twisted and they can't get a flat surface of the board against the aluminum miter saw back. Because I cut a lot of 2x4s I see that problem a lot. I used my outfeed/workbench as an extension on my miter saw this morning and cut a twisted 2x4. I cut it so I could get the most small, flat pieces from the board. The backing would not have allowed me to make the cuts square.
@@StumpyNubs You could have almost the identical setup without the vertical fence. Or perhaps a fence that is 1/2" high and set back a quarter in. That space behind the vertical fence could be more cubbie holes for more storage for more crap.
I made the mistake of trying to make my fence flush with my saw. Moved it back 1/8" and then it worked well. Wish I saw this vedio before I built my station
I've searched your channel looking for a review of this Bosch compound miter saw might have missed it if you've done one. This is the saw I plan on getting for my station when I build it. Was interested in your thoughts on it. Thanks
Fence wise, if you have long crooked boards or strips to cut, those nice long perfectly aligned side fences could make a nice square cut pretty difficult. So your advice to move the saw a bit forward so you can align with the shorter aluminium fence of the saw itself is certainly one to go for, I guess.
@@StumpyNubs that's what we were taught to ALWAYS do, on radial arm saw or miter saw stations, they all had aligned fences on both sides sometimes 10-12 ft each side
Higher tools can be better. I raised my miter saw, based on a standing desk chart, to 40". That puts the work area closer to my eyeballs and prevents me from stooping. It also allowed for taller base cabinets. A flip-top cart will now fit under the work surface for my planer. All other surfaces are table saw height.
Hi , I've been hauling that same saw around to job sites for over a year now and find it can be finicky about adjusting it to keep it cutting true , then I got to wondering if you have bolted yours down in place to keep the 2 outer fences in line with the 2 aluminium ones on the saw ?? Cheers from Canuckistan
It seems you integrated the best features. I would have thought you would put a track on for repeatable stops. and widen the base to support 12" lumber - but probably given the infrequency of doing boards that wide doesn't make sense though by making slide out width extenders that can be pulled out or pushed in could increase functionality?
Tracks for stops are unnecessary and fill with sawdust. Clamping a scrap as a stop as I show int he video is a better idea, in my opinion. As for support, the saw itself supports the end of wide boards, while the long platforms support the length. You end up with three points of contact, which is plenty. I've cut 18-inch wide boards on it, no problem.
Great video like always. Mr. Hamilton, I need your help, Thin kerf or full kerf for mi 12" Bosh Glide? I can't find any information on the subject. I cut very hard hood, Jatoba, Parota, Granadillo, Bálsamo, and I'm afraid to get bowing cuts (like I have right now with the 60 teeth stock blade) if I use the thin kerf. I will appreciate your kind response, Gracias Disclaim: I found information, but, not good information
Well, being 5’1” I don’t know that I’d get used to raising the height of other tools lmao! I guess I could always go shorter with the mitre and fences lol! Or build steps up to a comfortable height for me and my tools. Question, using my table saw (ryobi) scares the shit out of me because it feels too high in comparison to my face. I’d like to remove the factory metal stand and set it into a table-saw station or workbench but what is the safest/proper height a table saw should be in reference to its user/builder and same with mitre saws, drill press etc?
Just build a 6-10" false floor in the shop in the tool areas. Have a few finger holes here & there to make it easy to pick-up and move when nec. Make it in 4' sections so not too heavy out of plywood like his fence setup.
If you do all the mitre cuts on the table saw, why spend almost 1000 dollars for a real mitre saw? On you tube I see that everyone use the mitre saw only as a cut off saw, but they make sure that is a slide compound saw. Usually very expensive.
The extra fences block the accumulation of junk? Never heard that one before. The only legit reason I can think of to have extra fences is to support a stop block system. I find they do nothing to aid normal cutting.The extra table without the fences is perfect for off cuts (behind where the fences are now). You do have to clean it off from time to time. Also, it looks like there is only 6" of table coming out from the saw's fence on the side supports. If the saw can cross cut like 16" why not at least support 10" out (or a little more than half the cross cut capacity)? With only 6" of support your station is not providing any help on a wide board (over 12") only the saw is supporting the piece. If the piece is moved beyond the saw it will surely fall off the table.
You don't need to support the full width of the board. The saw does that on the end you are cutting. The side supports just carry the weight of the length, and three points of contact are plenty. I've cut 18-inch wide boards with no issues.
Stumps, You don't really need to have but three wheels on a car but it sure does make it easier to turn both ways! I just figured if you spend the time to build a deluxe miter station it should be "completely" comfortable. "You just need a few more inches!" That's what she says!😆 Seriously though, if you rarely make large cross cuts three contact point is probably sufficient. I make them often and I need to be able to slide and stack cuts and I also use my station for much more than just cutting so the tiny side supports would be a bit hard on the toes. I'm happy that you responded!🤗 Merry Christmas and Happy New year my friend!😊
