A recent problem report came in asking “Has Asmbly given up on having an actual miter saw station?”
I’m not sure who the author is, however I’m sure many folks have wondered what’s going on with that area of the workshop.
We’ve had our share of miter saw problems and unfortunately the Bosch and Makita were just unable to survive the use we demand of it at the makerspace, which is why we recently upgraded to the Dewalt saw. You can find it near the Lathe area for now.
The reason it isn’t in the miter saw station at the moment is due to the design of that station. It was built to accommodate a saw with a flat or shallow back to it. The Dewalt has two bars that push back when the saw goes back, effectively requiring about a foot more space.
There are plans in the near future, tied into the new Dust Collector (still in sales calls and layout planning), that will allow for space to give the miter station more room and drop in the Dewalt.
That solution may still be 2 months out, so if there are suggestions on how to effectively support the Dewalt in the existing miter station, please let us know!
While I was not the author of the problem report I 100% agree with the sentiment behind it. Being unable to repeatedly cross cut or angle cut parts is both a safety and convenience issue. I have been using the crosscut sled on the table saw for the last several CNC class blanks which gets dicey with boards over 6’ in length.
If it will truly be months more can an investment in some sort of temporary solution (see https://www.harborfreight.com/400-lb-mobile-folding-miter-saw-stand-58654.html) be made? There certainly is the space to handle a solution like this in the shop. And the miter saw is one of the most used tools in the shop.
There is the low invesment route, which is to just pick up something used which will fit in the existing station, until the station can be rebuit. I see plenty of them for around a $100.
The shop has a ton of unused space right now, and it seems like a foot is holding back a vital tool.
Perhaps the easiest solution is to shift everything the foot it needs.
Other thoughts would be to temporarily relocate the whole station. The old wood lathe area might be a fit. I believe the dust collection could go with it.