Garage wood shop part 1, Bench with Miter saw fence and Wood vise
I am a beginner to woodworking, but without a bench to work at, not much is going to be learned. So I need to build some benches. 3/4″ Plywood and 2×4′s are what I have on hand and making them cheaply is the only option for me right now. Once the basic box for this bench was made, I needed a vise. There was a nice vise here already, but when installing it to the bench, I added some 2×6 sections to it so I can clamp bigger workpieces to it.
It’s true what they say, these things are a bitch to mount, and I didn’t plan ahead enough so it made it tougher. Next time I would check where it was going to sit and cut the side pieces before building the bench, and have test fit it beforehand. But hey, now it is done.
Second, I had bought a king Canada miter saw from Costco for 189 bucks Canadian. I looked at a lot of other dual compound sliding miter saws, and couldn’t justify (afford) a 600-1000 dollar bill for this item. My Dad has had one like this for years and it has held up well. I always liked using it, and the only thing I would have changed is adding a fence.
I found this fence design in a copy of Tools and Jigs, which is about the best magazine I have got in a long while. Although I didn’t follow much of the rest of the plans, the fence is pretty close, just two feet longer. I got lucky finding a bit of nice hardwood (one piece oak, one piece unknown) for it. When I build the other side, it will be different wood so it won’t match up, but I’ll make sure they are exactly the same sizes and levelled up to this one.
The fence is on a piano hinge and retracts when you are not using it. There is catches on each side for the fence to click into place on, and the two arms rotate out to support the fence. Here I am using some popsicle sticks under the arms to level it, I’ll replace it with a piece of hardboard later. The miter saw stand is just a temporary one to test things out. I plan on finishing this part before moving on to the next piece. I need the space, there is many tools to go back into this bench.
I am going to build three drawers into the middle section, and am running the air lines from under the vise, where the compressor will live. After that, I am going to remove the posts at the top of the wall and replace it with a cleat. Then the air tools will go on the left, the cordless impact and drills next to it, and then the rest of the hand tools on the other side. The rest of the plan is (going from left to right around the room) miter saw bench, right side miter saw fence with stains, paints and bigger hand and bench tools. Then a workbench that can slide out and double as an outfeed table, the table saw sliding out next to it, a shelf above that holds the rest of the bench tools (drill press, sanders, grinders), and then the bandsaw against the far wall with the wood supply above and beside it. Hey, if you read this far, thanks! I’m just a new guy trying to sort it all out.
