Follow Directions

I’ve been working on building a miter saw stand for the workshop. Slowly, as I try to get organized, that means I need places for the tools. The miter saw has been on my workbench, which is inconvenient. It’s in the way, and I can’t easily use the workbench. It’s also heavy, and a pain to pick up and put down below the bench. On top of that, I’d like to better control dust from it.

I have a plan that builds a nice rolling stand with fold up wings on the sides. I bought some plywood a few weeks back to get started, and finally had time on Saturday to start. I cut the top, bottom, and sides, and was about to screw it together, but I didn’t have the right screws. So I planned to go Sunday morning, get some parts, along with other hardware, and then work on it Sunday.

When I got to Home Depot, I looked at my list, which had “stove bolts” listed on it. I wasn’t sure what they were, but decide that hex bolts would work fine.

They won’t.

So I was close today and had to stop. This plan calls for a wooden platform that sits above the case top, on 4 bolts that you can raise and lower to get the saw set to the correct height for the wings. However the hex bolts don’t have threads all the way along them, which means that I can’t properly set the top on.

So I stopped. However I did get some things done. I screwed the case together, including the back, and added a shelf inside that goes back halfway. Behind it will be where the dust collection hooks up and the small saw hose goes.

I’m pretty happy with it. It’s not perfect, but it’s a long way towards being done. I needed to get a few more bolts for the casters, so it won’t be an unnecessary trip back to Home Depot, though I should have had the entire list with me and ready to go. I was running out the door this morning and didn’t copy everything down.

I should have learned that I need to follow the instructions for now. I’m not experienced enough at woodworking to take short cuts. I didn’t want to cut rabbits on the sides, but I’m glad I did now. Fitting things together was harder than I expected, but it feels very sturdy, and I’m looking forward to getting the wings on it and having a real miter saw station that I can roll around, even outside, and make straight cuts.

I’m still drooling over the Rigid 12” miter saw I saw at Home Depot, but I’ll live for now with this one. I built the case slightly larger, thinking that I’ll upgrade my saw this year, so I’m ready to go.

I also was pleased with the way I built the cabinet. Now I need to get a few more built out of the melamine I have and get some storage on the garage walls.