I was asked this question recently and thought it was worth posting here along with my answer:
Hi John,
My question is that I am building a new workshop and have two wall locations that are available for building a bench top to place my compound miter saw. One is 19′ long that would allow 8′ pieces to be cut from either end. The other is 14′ long that would only allow 8-10′ on one side by placing the saw off center. The 14′ wall is more preferable from an overall shop floor utilization standpoint, but being able to cut 8′ pieces from only one side is of concern.
Which wall would you recommend?
Thanks,
George
Answer:
I would recommend building a bench with a flat top down the entire length of the wall you prefer to use and mounting the saw on a small base that you could then slide to the best location for the cut you need to make. There will be times when you’ll need a lot of room all to just one side of the saw.
The saw base would probably only need a front lip to keep it in place when you make a cut. If needed, you could drill a couple of holes near the back corners of the base that you could drop two pins into to keep the base in place. A series of matching holes would have to be drilled in the top of the bench.
A chop saw doesn’t need a fence as long as the stock being cut, if the stock is snug against the saw’s built in fence that is as accurate an alignment as you can achieve. The stock will need to be supported but that is easily done with a few blocks the same height as the saw that can be positioned as needed.
John White
Formerly the Shop Manager for FWW
Replies
John,
I haven't done it yet but I plan to build a bench top like you suggest. As well as the miter saw, I was going to incorporate a spot for my bench top planer on a roll in and out cabinet. That way the same bench top that supports stock for the miter saw can support infeed and outfeed for the planer.
Regards, George (not the original poster George)
You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard
Hi John
Your going to love my response - I wouldn't build one at all! 19' or 14$ is a lot of wall real estate to give up, and I think that is too precious for a devise that although we all think is necessary, is really an occasional use machine. Besides of which direction you proceed, consider how often do you cut to the center of a 14-16' board anyway needing that kind of accuracy? If its for molding work, you want portability anyway.
I was considering the exact approach you are considering when I decided to see how I could accomplish near most of the tasks of the chop saw on other machines, narrowing the use of my 12" Dewalt slider to only an occasional crown molding too tall for my cabinet saw.
For miters, I built a sled, which is far more accurate to cut on my SawStop Cabinet saw than the slider. That eliminates most use for a chop saw. For cross cuts on long boards, yes the chop saw comes in handy, but I have a portable circular saw to make a rough cut then to the table saw for accuracy.
Don't get me wrong, I like my slider. Instead of building the huge wall table, I purchased the Dewalt portable chop saw stand at Lowes on sales for $129.99. This is the real nice aluminum channel model that snaps up in a seconds and the saw snaps on. Its a great tool and when not in use, it hangs from the ceiling on brackets. Above all, when I do need to do some molding work, the whole unit is up in just a few minutes versus stealing precious wall real estate permanently.
The wall space? Clamps and jigs. Where is the slider? Stored neatly under my bench - for that occasional use.
Best wishes and good luck..
Jeff
Jeff,I agree with you entirely, but I was answering a question from a reader so I didn't get into the pro's and con's of even needing a chop saw.If there is one tool that I can, and do, live without in a cabinet shop it is a chop saw. Like you I greatly prefer a table saw or my my century old Langdon miter box for precision cuts.John W.
John, now you talking!
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