So on to the miter saw base and the modification that it needed.
Here's where I started with my Ryobi CMS
I've outgrown it and looked long and hard for a slider with an accurate laser and finally found a Ridgid that I like. I thought I was going to end up with a DeWalt, but after looking at 4 different models (every one of which had a miter table much wider than the ~24" that I had to work with), I had to look elsewhere. The Bosch's are nice too but their tables were even wider than the DeWalts'. I did NOT want to have to cut down the cabinets or re-shape the tops.
The problem I ran into was the swing of the big miter "arm" on the new saw was too wide for the opening afforded by my cabinet arrangement. The fix was to slide the whole saw forward on the center cabinet, but that presented a problem with 1) storing the base in my shed (too deep) and 2) losing table area.
So what I ended up doing was remaking the 3/4" MDF top of the center cabinet so that I could slide the saw back and forth. I made the top a little deeper in order to fully support the saw with it all the way to the front of the cabinet. This saw needed full 1/2" thick shims to match the height of the side cabinets, so what I did was buy some 1/2x6" project boards in hard pine (Lowe's) and turned the shims into a sort of sled for the saw to slide back-and-forth on. Of course I didn't get as many pictures as I should have, but I basically made two skids and two cross-members out of the 1/2" boards and used the two front holes on the saw to bolt to the "sled." I then routed slots in the cabinet top and bolted the two back holes of the saw through the sled and through the slots in the cabinet top. The bolts have a 3/4" spacer for the MDF top and are backed up with a fender washer. The whole saw can then be slid to the back for storage, to the front for up to a 60* miter, and anywhere in between for shallower crosscuts. Hopefully the pics below show what I did. It works really well and was a fun little project.
New top test-fit
Test-fitting the saw to the sled
Routing the slots in the top
Saw installed and slid all the way to the back for storage
I don't have to slide the saw fore-and-aft very often so I am hoping that the two hard materials, if kept clear of sawdust, will hold up over the years.
And lastly here is the base with the drawers installed
If you have sharp eyes you may have noticed that I added a switch in the front. Last year I finally electrified the saw base. I power it with a twist-lock plug that fits a receptacle in the ceiling, and has a duplex outlet on the side controlled by the switch at the front. Now I can plug in both the saw and the shop-vac, and turn on both the saw and the vacuum at the same time. Best upgrade ever since I now can't forget to turn the vacuum on before I operate the saw.
Here's where I started with my Ryobi CMS
I've outgrown it and looked long and hard for a slider with an accurate laser and finally found a Ridgid that I like. I thought I was going to end up with a DeWalt, but after looking at 4 different models (every one of which had a miter table much wider than the ~24" that I had to work with), I had to look elsewhere. The Bosch's are nice too but their tables were even wider than the DeWalts'. I did NOT want to have to cut down the cabinets or re-shape the tops.
The problem I ran into was the swing of the big miter "arm" on the new saw was too wide for the opening afforded by my cabinet arrangement. The fix was to slide the whole saw forward on the center cabinet, but that presented a problem with 1) storing the base in my shed (too deep) and 2) losing table area.
So what I ended up doing was remaking the 3/4" MDF top of the center cabinet so that I could slide the saw back and forth. I made the top a little deeper in order to fully support the saw with it all the way to the front of the cabinet. This saw needed full 1/2" thick shims to match the height of the side cabinets, so what I did was buy some 1/2x6" project boards in hard pine (Lowe's) and turned the shims into a sort of sled for the saw to slide back-and-forth on. Of course I didn't get as many pictures as I should have, but I basically made two skids and two cross-members out of the 1/2" boards and used the two front holes on the saw to bolt to the "sled." I then routed slots in the cabinet top and bolted the two back holes of the saw through the sled and through the slots in the cabinet top. The bolts have a 3/4" spacer for the MDF top and are backed up with a fender washer. The whole saw can then be slid to the back for storage, to the front for up to a 60* miter, and anywhere in between for shallower crosscuts. Hopefully the pics below show what I did. It works really well and was a fun little project.
New top test-fit
Test-fitting the saw to the sled
Routing the slots in the top
Saw installed and slid all the way to the back for storage
I don't have to slide the saw fore-and-aft very often so I am hoping that the two hard materials, if kept clear of sawdust, will hold up over the years.
And lastly here is the base with the drawers installed
If you have sharp eyes you may have noticed that I added a switch in the front. Last year I finally electrified the saw base. I power it with a twist-lock plug that fits a receptacle in the ceiling, and has a duplex outlet on the side controlled by the switch at the front. Now I can plug in both the saw and the shop-vac, and turn on both the saw and the vacuum at the same time. Best upgrade ever since I now can't forget to turn the vacuum on before I operate the saw.
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