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This is my first posting and I found a lot of ideas on this site before building. I am a novice when it comes to woodworking or carpentry. Like many of you, I needed a way to make my tools more accessible. I have a basic and expanding assortment of old and new power tools (I can thank my Dad for most of them) that I want to put to better use. My kids are really getting into woodworking as well. Now I can roll the router/tablesaw/miter saw station and drill press out when I needs them. I don't have a dust collection system yet, but I can wheel them out into the driveway and quickly clean them with the blower.

I found 2×3's which allowed for a little more open shelf space once it was framed. The only challenge was getting the different components at the right height to provide a continuous flat work surface. It's not as refined as most of the projects I have seen on the site, but time was limited and I plan to paint it later to protect the wood and improve the look.

Thanks to DeLayne Peck for the idea to use a $30 lab jack as a router lift. It works great with a cheap plunge router and decent height gauge. I have seen a lot of plans for table saw/router combos, as well as miter saw stations, so I hoped to combine all those ideas into something useful and easy on the budget. So far everything is sturdy and working well. It is 24" deep and fits great against the back wall of the garage in front of my car.

Next, I plan to use the tools to work on some projects with my kids.
Addendum: I forgot to mention that my 5 & 9 year old sons helped me out and did some real work on this project.

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Comments

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and this one, my friend, is going into my favorites folder
 

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Now this looks to be very useful with alot of options. Nice build!
 

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You did a great job and have a nice collection of tools. I have a roller cabinet that I planned on painting back in 95. Still natural.
 

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This piece is very clean and neat but was built with simple materials. It's very functional and practical and will serve you well in your shop. Congratulations.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
 

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Nice job…. looks like a very efficient and practical design.

I personally love building with 2×3…. but I hate sifting through the piles at the BORG for straight ones.

One observation. With casters at the ends and the span you have, you're probably going to see the middle sag and lose your flat top. You can remedy this by adding two more casters in the middle, or by putting leveling feet in the middle (which would help keep the cart from moving when set up for use). If you don't want to buy more hardware, just make a pair of wedge blocks with a flat top at exactly the same height as the bottom of the plywood at either end. Then you can just roll the stand out into the drive and kick the wedges in the middle. This will jack up the center section back to flat and make it less prone to move on you.

Either way you go…Good luck with it.
 

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Compact and extremely functional. This is how to build the tools we need to make the stuff that will look expensive. Your simple less expensive solution will yield amazing results. Wait and see.
 

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You knocked it out of the park. Great planning, function and build.
 

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Nice project. Well done.
Maybe add a couple of electrical outlet boxes permanently attached to a 12ga extension cord.
Thanks for sharing AND welcome to Lumberjocks,
 

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Not sure why you are apologizing for it not being refined. Looks great for a table saw / router workstaiton… I love how you incorporate the miter saw station into the whole thing… Very well done!
 

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Outstanding work… Very useful and cool. Well done!
 

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Refined enough for me, looks great!
 

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very nice,wellthought and the lay out is great!!
 

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Very nice! I recon I need one of these in my shop!
 

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reminds me of something similar that was in FWW a few years back
 

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Thanks everyone for the kind words and helpful comments. Mainiac Matt pointed out the likelihood of sagging in the middle. I do plan on adding leveling feet for support and stability at some point. One of the best parts about woodworking projects for me is the potential to keep modifying as needed.
 

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Love it. Great job. Is that miter saw built like a mini radial arm saw?
 

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JRAP - the miter saw is an old Craftsman 7 1/2" radial arm miter saw that my dad gave to me when he downsized his tools. From what I've found online it has been referred to as "vintage" and it is at least 20 years old. It does miter and bevel cuts on a sliding arm. It still works great. I added 1/4" MDF to the work surface so I can use the current standard 7 1/4" inch blades. It's hard to find 7 1/2" blades now.
 

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That is a great compact multi-tool stand. Very well thought out. I've never seen a radial arm saw that size, it's pretty cool.
 

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Looks like I finally found my workstation, but I'll use the cabinet shop where I work as well as some of their hardwoods to build mine. Then a clear coat would be sweet!!

Thanks, Miketw, for posting this - MUCH appreciated!!
 
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