Miter Saw or Sliding Compound Miter Saw Room

[John Moody]

I recently purchases a new Dewalt 12" Sliding Compound Miter Saw. As in every shop space is always a premium. I have it setup temporally right now as I decide how much space to dedicate to it. A lot of the projects I work on start out with long boards. I want to use it to break down the long boards to smaller pieces and then after they are straight and flat use it to square up the ends. 

So do I want to dedicate a wall in the shop with 8' of space on either side or 8' on one side and 4' on the other. I would like to set it up so that I have the ability to set stops up and cut pieces without having to measure each piece.

I guess I am just looking for ideas and thoughts before I put something up that is more permanent than I have there now. I have a wall I can put it on, but I will basically loose being able to do much else on that wall if I go that route. I am not a big fan of the portable tables.

If you were designing it for yourself, what would you do? Show me how you have yours setup.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

[Mike Dillen]

A lot would depend on what the normal length of raw stock you usually have. If you start out with 8 footers then I would go with 6 feet on either side. For 8 footers that would give you plenty of support on the infeed side and support on the off cut side. When the saw isn't in use you would have another flat surface to work from. 

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www.thepatriotwoodworker.com Proud Supporter of Homes For Our Troops

[Allen Worsham]

I only wish that I had space to dedicate to a miter station. Since I work in a 3 car garage, I have to have everything mobile. I have had my Dewalt 12" SCMS for about 9 years and love it! It gets used on just about every project. I have mine on a Ridgid mobile stand which works great for me. I would love to be able to have a fence that I could put an adjustable stop on, but that is just not possible.

I came across a few online that you might get some ideas from. The last link is from the New Yankee Workshop. I remember seeing Norm build his miter station and it was pretty amazing. The one from Woodworker's Journal is actually a mobil station but could be done wall mounted. The Woodsmith Shop design is wall mounted but also can be knocked down to save space. The one problem doing a built in with the SCMS is how much space you need on the back-side for slide so you have to have the saw farther out into the shop taking up more space. I have seen it done where a recess was cut out into the wall behind and boxed in with enough space to allow for the slide to extend into on all angles. This also worked well for dealing with dust collection.

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/woodworking_blog/index.php/a-mite...

 

http://www.woodsmithshop.com/download/311/mitersawstation.pdf

 

New Yankee Miter Station

 

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Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk' J. Vernon McGee

[John Moody]

That is kinda what I am looking at Mike. I want to keep the table height the same as my extension on that side of my table saw just in case something is long and I need the extra support.

Allen, I looked at the one from The New Yankee. I had remembered watching that episode of Norm building it also. I like some of what he did and the storage underneath would be big. I hate to lose that much space, but I don't really have room to roll things around in my shop and most things are where they are going to be. Thankfully I don't have to share it with the cars.

I also looked at the one from Woodworkers Journal. Even though it is mobile, it would be no problem to attach to the wall but I think I would want the storage underneath to be drawers and door instead of just open. I know what  mess I would make of that.

I was also hoping someone else on here had solved this problem and would share their experience with us. The cutout in the wall for the slides sounds interesting. I had to pull it out further than I had planned when I saw how much room I needed behind it.

Thanks for the links, it all gives me ideas.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

[Mike Dillen]

The required space behind the SCMS is the only reason I haven't bought one but last year at the Wood Show I saw the BOSCH Glide Miter Saw">CMS that instead of sliding on rails it used a scissors type mount and required almost no space behind the saw. Of course that doesn't solve your problem but thought I'd mention it while on the subject. You could always sell your slider and get the glider.

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www.thepatriotwoodworker.com Proud Supporter of Homes For Our Troops

[Allen Worsham]

I got to play with the Bosch Glide at the AWFS in Las Vegas July 2011. It was a really sweet saw, but it did "feel" different than a typical slider. The one downside that I found with the Bosch is that it does not have the ability to cut as thick of materials due to its design. 

You could aways just splurge and buy a Festool slider and then use the Dewalt as a door stop. :-)

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Allen Worsham
Corona, CA

allenworsham@earthlink.net

'Graze in every man's field, but always give your own milk' J. Vernon McGee

[John Moody]

Thanks Mike, I don't think I have seen that one. Getting another one at this point might be pushing it with the home finance department if you know what I mean. I will go out and take a look at the glider though.

I am afraid if I got the Festool Allen, I would be the door step! :-)))

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

[Phil Chestnut]

oh my, here I still use an old time Miter box. would love to have one of them new fanged machines

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http://www.prchestnut.webs.com/

[Paul Whitmarsh]

hey John, what i have is a long cabinet/tool assembly on one wall of my shop.  i have a radial arm saw and a miter box located on the assembly.  to the left of the radial arm saw i have a 8' long bench with doors and drawers beneath made out of some kitchen cabinets left over from a job.  then to the right of the radial arm saw there is about 5' over to the miter box.  then to the right of the mitersaw I have 4' of bench.  these also have drawers and cabinets beneath.  i can cut a 12' 2x4 on the radial arm saw and a 16 on the mitersaw.  on a sidenote i am fortunate enough to have the new bosch gliding saw and let me tell you it is "smooth"

[John Moody]

Hey Paul, good to hear from you. Been a while, must almost be winter.lol

I wish I had that much wall, that is what I would like to have. Most of the lumber I buy is between 8 and 10 feet long. So I really don't think I will need to go out to 16'.

That Bosch sounds nice. You'll have to give us a review. Sound like you really like it.

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John Moody
Site Administrator


John Moody Woodworks
http://www.johnmoodywoodworks.com

[tim howald]

I remember when i lived out in the country and had a very small ten by ten shed for my workshop I cut flaps in the plywood walls fore  and aft of my tablesaw and hooked em open when i needed to cut long stock.

[Gene Howe]

John,

When I bought my saw, every inch of wall space was already taken so, the saw is located 12' from a wall and on a shop built set of cabinets. There is 6' to the right of the saw and 8' to the left. The saw sits in a trough so that the bed of the saw is even with the surface on both sides. A bench top drill press is located just to the left of the saw. The work pieces slide under the DP table. 

I use a plastic storage tub on a stand behind the saw to catch the sawdust. There is a port on the bottom (side) of the tub to connect a DC hose. 

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Gene
'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton