# QUESTION: Exposed drawer slides to save money?



## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

Hey everyone, I'm in the design and planning stage of making a 10' long miter / RAS bench for my workshop. I need some help with the majority of the design. I have two options, one is nicer, but more expensive, the other saves money, gets the job done, but leaves my drawer slides underneath exposed to sawdust.

Here is the first:

Based off traditional cabinet designs. Made from 3/4" hardwood plywood costing more, but creating an actual cabinet for the drawers and to support the workbench. This would inhibit dust from everyday working to get into the tool drawers as well as gumming up the drawer slides.

Here is an image (not showing drawers or workbench top)









The second idea:

built from clear pine studs planed square in my planer. Cost is WAY less, basically just creating a frame to support the workbench top and miter / RAS saws, and a frame to attach slides and drawers to. This would inevitably allow sawdust into the drawers and into the mechanics of the slides.

This image shows a basic frame construction with pocket holes or maybe biscuit joints, and the drawer slides are in green.










I know this is an obvious question, and a LOT of it is based on cost, inevitably leading to loss of useful lifetime of drawer slides. It may be a hard one to answer for you guys, since you aren't me… but any new ideas, thoughts on saving money through other construction methods etc would be greatly appreciated. I'm leaning towards the cabinet style, though the cost will be 4X as much probably…

Extra Notes:
Garage / floor is uneven, so leveling feet will be needed either way
top will be 2×3/4" MDF with hardboard replaceable surface
whichever method I choose, i'll trim it all out in soft maple or clear pine
also considering leaving space behind drawers or above on the wall for Dust Collection ducting.

thanks!


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

What's the problem, Jim? You are the one that will be using this cabinet. Spend more to make it look good? It's just a garage cabinet built to support a saw. Ok, I'm done on that….......

As far as keeping the slides clean, spend the extra money saved by using 2×4's and use undermount drawer slides. They'll stay cleaner longer than side mounts unless you blow dust from the inside of the cabinet. If you instead used side mount slides, you could use that fuzzy stuff some people use as a barrier around loose openings to keep bugs and other obnoxious things from gaining entry to sensitives areas, such as drawer slides. Unfortunately, I've gained access to your thread. Good luck. ................. Jerry (in Tucson)


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

Thanks for your input Jerry, under mount slides is a great idea, and you can always unsubscribe if you think this is too novice for you.

Welcome to the internet.. .... ..........


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## joey502 (Mar 30, 2014)

I began woodworking in 2007, my shop fixtures have been built and rebuilt since that time. I am in the planning stages of a new wall of base and wall cabinets for a miter station myself. It should be the end of the shop makeovers for the foreseeable future. When I build items for my shop cost is near the bottom of my considerations. I don't get too out of hand but my shop projects go over time and budget every time.

Woodworking time is limited for me due to the amount of business travel required. I want my shop to look good, feel comfortable and function well.

I know most folks will say that it is just a bench to hold a saw, quick and cheap. They would be right but your dresser is just a box to hold your clothes, why spend so many resources there?

I would say to make what you want. If the stand is only utility so you can move on to project that you want to make then quick and cheap. If not spend the time and money.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

I am cheap. I would go with the open design.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

> I began woodworking in 2007, my shop fixtures have been built and rebuilt since that time. I am in the planning stages of a new wall of base and wall cabinets for a miter station myself. It should be the end of the shop makeovers for the foreseeable future. When I build items for my shop cost is near the bottom of my considerations. I don t get too out of hand but my shop projects go over time and budget every time.
> 
> Woodworking time is limited for me due to the amount of business travel required. I want my shop to look good, feel comfortable and function well.
> 
> ...


Beautiful response Joey, thank you


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I take the opposite view, I think a drawer full of sawdust is unappealing and fumbling through saw dust to find the sharp objects that are likely to be stored there is not my idea of a good time. It only hurts once to do it right the first time. You're the one who will have to live with it either way, so of course it's your call.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

You could always make it with the 2X4 frame and then skin it with 1/4" plywood so it is strong enough t hold the RAS and also closed in to enclose the drawers . I would half lap the horizontal 2X4's into the vertical ones.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

> You could always make it with the 2X4 frame and then skin it with 1/4" plywood so it is strong enough t hold the RAS and also closed in to enclose the drawers . I would half lap the horizontal 2X4 s into the vertical ones.
> 
> - Richard


Thanks Richard! Another great idea. I think I'm going price out doing it right. Then in future ships I can avoid redoing it"right". Thanks everyone

Jim


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

I am definitely in the "my time is limited, I'm not going to make it on beautiful shop pieces" camp. I just built some drawers to fit under the middle of my workbench. The whole point of making drawers, for me, was to keep them neat and clean, so however I would construct drawers, I wouldn't make them open to dust and dirt getting in. If I didn't care about that, I'd just make some quick and dirty shelves.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> You could always make it with the 2X4 frame and then skin it with 1/4" plywood so it is strong enough t hold the RAS and also closed in to enclose the drawers . I would half lap the horizontal 2X4 s into the vertical ones.
> 
> - Richard


+1 I was actually going to suggest skinning it with hardboard since your buying it anyway for your top but ply is a little nicer looking. If you really wanted to save $ and make it functional, skin it with pegboard and then you can hang blades and jigs on the sides.

For your leg levelers, I made some recently for a shop cart using 1/4" all thread, tee nuts and some MDF scrap. I cut 2" disks from the MDF and drilled & tapped for the all thread. Then epoxied the all thread into the MDF. I dipped the MDF disks in Plasti-dip to keep them from sliding around. Installed tee nuts in the bottom of the legs and threaded the all thread/ disks in. Use a jam nut to keep 'em where you put 'em if you have trouble with them backing out.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

> For your leg levelers, I made some recently for a shop cart using 1/4" all thread, tee nuts and some MDF scrap. I cut 2" disks from the MDF and drilled & tapped for the all thread. Then epoxied the all thread into the MDF. I dipped the MDF disks in Plasti-dip to keep them from sliding around. Installed tee nuts in the bottom of the legs and threaded the all thread/ disks in. Use a jam nut to keep em where you put em if you have trouble with them backing out.
> 
> - HokieKen


I like the peg board idea a lot!

And yeah leveling mounts can get expensive, but I had considered something like that too. Making some 2" cubes from scrap, attaching that to the bottom of the cabinets and inserting a Tee Nut, then using a less expensive swiveling level mounts from the Tee Nut to the floor.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

The leg levelers are easy to make and their are a lot different ways to do them. A quick search on LJ's or youtube should find a lot of examples. The pegboard can be good for storage but it will still let dust into the inside area but not as much as no covering at all.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

> The leg levelers are easy to make and their are a lot different ways to do them. A quick search on LJ s or youtube should find a lot of examples. The pegboard can be good for storage but it will still let dust into the inside area but not as much as no covering at all.
> 
> - Richard


Agreed

Thanks also, checking Youtube for the levelers now!


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

Jim, I built my miter saw station using cabinet design. On the other hand, I built the work bench with construction grade materials. So I have both of what you are considering. And I have full extension ballbearing draw slides in both cabinets. Three years and counting, and no dust problems. Yes, there is dust, just no problem opening or closing the drawers.

There are a lot of pictures and description in my blog…
Garage Makeover
http://lumberjocks.com/MT_Stringer/blog/series/6453

And my New Workbench…
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/68635

Hope you find this info helpful.
Mike


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

> Jim, I built my miter saw station using cabinet design. On the other hand, I built the work bench with construction grade materials. So I have both of what you are considering. And I have full extension ballbearing draw slides in both cabinets. Three years and counting, and no dust problems. Yes, there is dust, just no problem opening or closing the drawers.
> 
> There are a lot of pictures and description in my blog…
> Garage Makeover
> ...


Thanks for your input! I'll check out your links in a bit!

I found this video very helpful and I like the design a lot. I think this is what I'm going to do.

http://www.youtube.com/v/?v=lG2afHV78JE&list=PLZQJcVXCne-JuwuueIXI1gqwSvvAr7PPH&showsearch=0&fs=1&rel=0&autoplay=0&ap=%2526fmt%3D22
View on YouTube


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## WoodNSawdust (Mar 7, 2015)

I built a set of cabinets 16' long to hold my DeWalt miter saw. Each cabinet came close to your top diagram.


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## Nubsnstubs (Aug 30, 2013)

> If you instead used side mount slides, you could use *that fuzzy stuff some people use as a barrier around loose openings* to keep bugs and other _*obnoxious* things from gaining entry_ to sensitives areas, such as drawer slides. "Unfortunately, I've gained access to your thread." Good luck. ................. Jerry (in Tucson)
> 
> - Nubsnstubs


Ok Jim, I suppose thinking some people can read between lines was asking too much. I highlighted the object of your scorn in quotation marks. I will concede that I made a couple mistakes. Gaining access to your thread was supposed to be humorous reference to the "fuzzy stuff" that failed and let me (obnoxious) into your thread. Good luck was a sincere gesture in your current endeavor.

This is not an apology, but just trying to set my comment up as to the original intent.

*I know most folks will say that it is just a bench to hold a saw, quick and cheap. They would be right but your dresser is just a box to hold your clothes, why spend so many resources there?*

Apples and oranges here, joey. A shop cabinet should be built as strong as possible with good quality materials, ie: #1 or better 2×4's as apposed to #3's, sanded A grade plywood as apposed to CDX, but shouldn't be built to look as good as a piece of furniture you would put in your house. Think about it. Your thinking is just build boxes within a box out of any thing to store your clothes. CDX plywood be good right? Bull. There would be too many splinters to snag fibers and rip up clothing, or even transfer splinters to the person stupid enough to use something to make "just a box". That's why you spend the resources to build your clothing storage out of quality materials. Quality is something that is built into the piece you are building. It's not determined by what you use.

A shop cabinet is going to get beat up over time, and the resources used to build it with furniture grade goods is counter productive and costly. The drawer slides and hinges are the only items used in both shop cabinets and furniture that should never be compromised…................ Jerry


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> The leg levelers are easy to make and their are a lot different ways to do them. A quick search on LJ s or youtube should find a lot of examples. The pegboard can be good for storage but it will still let dust into the inside area but not as much as no covering at all.
> 
> - Richard


One other thought on leg levelers… If you don't need it level, just stable (so it doesn't rock), you only need 2. I have seen multiple places where people put 4 levelers on mobile carts (and I did it once too). Two levelers catty-cornered will stabilize it in any situation. On the other hand, if for some reason you need it truly level (can't see why you would) you'll need all 4.

Richard makes a good point about the pegboard that I overlooked. You could put hardboard on the inside between the drawer slides to keep dust out then pegboard on the outside. That would leave space between the 2 for pegboard hooks and still keep the dust out of the drawers.


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## Racer2007 (Jan 13, 2011)

Here is the basic design I am planning to use for my table saw stand. It doesn't have the skin on it in this picture but you can get the idea of how it would be done.
I plan on putting a skin on the sides and back then a face frame on the front to cover the exposed plywood on the sides and a full width drawer on the bottom and maybe some smaller drawers on the right and left sides ( we will see ) to leave room for dust collection on the top center under the saw.
The top is the same size as the saw table with extensions so it will still be able to go thru the apartment door when I move it outside. This thing is going to be pretty sturdy as it is so I don't know if I will add any supports in the middle of the front and rear.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

One other thought on leg levelers… If you don t need it level, just stable (so it doesn t rock), you only need 2. I have seen multiple places where people put 4 levelers on mobile carts (and I did it once too). Two levelers catty-cornered will stabilize it in any situation. On the other hand, if for some reason you need it truly level (can t see why you would) you ll need all 4.

Richard makes a good point about the pegboard that I overlooked. You could put hardboard on the inside between the drawer slides to keep dust out then pegboard on the outside. That would leave space between the 2 for pegboard hooks and still keep the dust out of the drawers.

- HokieKen
[/QUOTE]

My workbench will be roughly 10 feet long, and in individual cabinets. So two levelers, while they work great for separate units, may not allow a series of cabinets to create a cohesive long bench since my garage floor is old and cracking.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

Cabinet with drawers. You won't regret it.
Use the shop grade birch HD carries to reduce cost.

If you do the open stand it will be a junk/sawdust collector (gee how do I know that???).


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Since I started woodworking I've gone both ways. I've made shop cabinets and jigs that were quick and dirty but served the purpose, and I've made some that were a little over the top in complexity and quality of materials.

All I can say is I've never regretted going first class, but I have regretted going fast and cheap. Your mileage may vary.


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## BasementShop (Nov 3, 2014)

> ... but your dresser is just a box to hold your clothes, why spend so many resources there?


The answer to your question: To be allowed into the bedroom! My wife (and roommate) makes all kinds of silly requirements about the aesthetics of boxes that keep my clothes up off the floor. I've given up on the argument that clothes belong on the floor-just look at the way gravity makes it all the more easy to leave them there!


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## dschlic1 (Jan 3, 2013)

I agree that sawdust in the drawer is a pain. My first bench had through dog holes. I was forever dumping sawdust out of the drawers. Needless to say my second bench top does not have through dog holes.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> My workbench will be roughly 10 feet long, and in individual cabinets. So two levelers, while they work great for separate units, may not allow a series of cabinets to create a cohesive long bench since my garage floor is old and cracking.
> 
> - Jim


Nope, you're right. I didn't gather the scale from the renders in your OP. Just wanted to make you aware that it's not necessary to have a leveler on every leg. Sounds like you get the idea and are on top of it.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

> My workbench will be roughly 10 feet long, and in individual cabinets. So two levelers, while they work great for separate units, may not allow a series of cabinets to create a cohesive long bench since my garage floor is old and cracking.
> 
> - Jim
> 
> ...


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## Daruc (Apr 20, 2015)

> Since I started woodworking I ve gone both ways.
> 
> - CharlieM1958


^Who woudda thought? 

I would build cabinets, screw them to the wall, level, and add shims where needed. I wouldn't bother with leg levelers.
If you want a cleaner look then I would build a separate toe kick and scribe it to the floor so that it's level then put my cabinets on top of the kick.
I wouldn't waste time with open frames, the labor trade off would probably cost you more than material savings.
JMO


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Since I started woodworking I ve gone both ways.

- CharlieM1958

^Who woudda thought? 

Next thing you'll be wanting to know which way my hammer swings.


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## Daruc (Apr 20, 2015)

> Since I started woodworking I ve gone both ways.
> 
> - CharlieM1958
> 
> ...


That could be a little too much information.


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## PLK (Feb 11, 2014)

Don't all hammers swing to the left? If they swung to the right politics as we know it would be dead.

Paul.


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## OggieOglethorpe (Aug 15, 2012)

FWIW, if your shop floor doesn't flood, 3/4" MDF works perfectly well for shop cabinets and machine support cabinets. I've even built retail shop register areas and point of sale displays using it, and holds up just fine. If you've got a large unsupported span, either add some solid rails inside, or whip up a quick torsion box structure.

MDF is cheap, easy to get, heavy, absorbs vibrations, and plenty strong when built into boxes. It looks just fine painted in a shop. Many people who see it don't realize it's MDF.

I used a router table, with three different tops, finishing with a huge cast iron top, built from an MDF box for 13 years, only replacing it because it was difficult to access the plate levelers and I wanted more drawers. The new one is MDF, too… It's even smoother, because weight is great for stationary tool structures.


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## MichiganJim (Nov 6, 2013)

Hey everyone, here is an update!

I decided on 3/4" pine cabinet grade plywood constructed with stretchers and a Luan back. Each cabinet currently has one drawer on top about 5 inches in height. Here are some photos, and a shop update video showcasing some of the work so far.










































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