Okay – So far I have the following:
Craftsman 10” Contractor Table Saw (which I really dislike)
Craftsman 12” Chop Saw
Craftsman 6” Jointer (Bench Top)
Craftsman 12” Drill Press (Bench Top)
Porter Cable 690 Router (Fixed/Plunge Base)
26’x22’ (572sq’) of Garage Space (Minus washer/dryer, etc.)
9 Feet of workbench surface of which will be torn out ASAP!
Now I need to build a chop saw station that will be appox. 10’ long with cabinet storage underneath. Next a bench top for my jointer and one for my drill press. I like the simplicity of construction that Mark Spagnuolo (The Wood Whisperer) used for his Dead Flat Assembly Table using just MDF. I priced MDF at a local hardwood suppler and it was about $30 for a sheet of 4×8 of ultralight MDF. $26 for standard MDF. All of which is 3/4” thick.
Anyone on the forum who has build the above cabinets/work stations, please post your pics for me to get a better idea of what I should include in the design. Also, if there might be some better choices for building material that might surpass MDF but still be cost effective.
Thanks
-- If I knew what I was doing, someone would be paying me to do it!
3 comments so far
Scott Bryan
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8470 posts in 263 days
posted 162 days ago
Hi vwmike,
If you want to look at mine check my workshop post. My station is 15’ with bench storage. You can see some additional pictures posted on sIKE’s profile as well. Mine is patterned after Norm’s miter bench storage project.
-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.
runngt
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107 posts in 181 days
posted 162 days ago
Mike,
I have used MDF for my work bench I built on casters (about 4×6) and also on my table saw bench. I really liked the way it turned out. I believe I used standard 3/4” and ran a raised edge (pine 1×6 on the table saw and pine 2×4 on the work bench) to save the edges from being torn up, plus when the MDF gets really beat up you can just un-screw and pop in a new sheet. Just watch the water / beer / sodas in the shop as the MDF will swell if it gets too wet. So far it has been great and held up great !
I am aslo looking to build a chop saw station and will use MDF on that. I have debated on the drill press station as right now it’s on a moble base and I am thinking of just making a nice work surface in lieu of a “bench”.
runngt
-- It seem's I just make scrap wood and saw dust most of the time !
ww_kayak
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69 posts in 166 days
posted 162 days ago
Well, mine is not a true miter bench, but here it is. I plan on adding an infeed support that acts storage when it’s pushed to the back of the bench as well. In my case the right side will be a router table that doubles as support for the miter. It’s plywood and 2×4’s, but it could be MDF.
-- Tom, Central New York