Shop Note Flip Top tool stand

[Luckbox]

I am in the process of building a flip top tool stand. I got the plans from the Shop notes Small workshop plans. I had planed to have the Rigid 13” planner on one side and the Rigid osoliating belt sander on the other side. I decided to test to see how much the tools like being flipped upside down by picking the up and turning the over. The planner seemed fine, but the accessories that are on the onboard storage did not fair that well. I figured I could store the washers and allen wrench and stuff in a separate container. I like the flip top design because it saves space, but I would hate to have a tool fall off or some interior parts have issue with being flipped over. I was wondering if the flip top stand is the best idea, or should I just make rolling shelves of cabinets with the tools on top

[Tom Miller]

I had considered the flip-top stand for exactly those two tools, also, right down to the brand, as a matter of fact. But before I figured out how to deal with all the accessories stored on the sander, I decided against it for another reason. I didn't have space for either one to sit out.

I did, however, have space for both of them underneath other tables/workbenches. So I made a 10" tall stand with casters for the planer. That keeps it just low enough to fit under the edge of my workbench, while (surprisingly) not being too uncomfortably low to use.

The sander is stored on the bottom shelf of it's caster stand, which fits underneath an assembly table. It's a lot easier to lift than a planer, so I pull the stand out, and lift the sander to the top of the stand.

If you do decide to go the flip stand route, which should work fine, you might try to offset the pivot point so that each tool is at the right height. I think the sander might benefit from being lower, whereas the planer infeed/outfeed might need to be the same height or higher than your TS/workbench/etc.

Regards,
Tom

[JR]

I have both those tools and like them a lot. The sander does have a lot of small parts just restng in place, though. I'd think that's just not a good candidate for a flip-top cabinet.

I should also warn you that the planer should not be set up on a shelf that requires you to pull it out, lift it up, and set it on a table. I did that for a long time and it's a real back breaker.

Not too long ago someboody posted a two-tier cabinet in which the planer was on a lower level and meant to stay there. He just ran his stuff right through the whole cabinet. Might be worth thinking about.

JR

[Wood_workur]

If you dno't siwcth bteewen the two taht mcuh, tehn it wluod be a good ieda to jsut lfit te two out of a cbaniet wehn you need tehm.

EDIT (Its getting hard to type like that):

I did see something on woodnet a long time ago about a planer that was lowered down from the ceiling... or maybe it was in a book...

[Luckbox]

I was thinking about making a kind of tool dock setup, but having to lift the planer when ever I need to use it is not something I look forward to. I am not a small man by any stretch but I know having moved the planer around picking that beast up a few times will wear you out quickly. I have resorted to just sliding it around the garage floor and leaving it on the ground, which does not make planning convent. Really want to get the planner up and easy to move.

[BadeMillsap]

I just completed the flip top for my Delta 13" planer ...

... and had PLANNED on putting the Delta Mortiser on the flip side .... but as you may have already discovered the tool mounted on 'the other side' from a planer has to be small enough to flip 'backwards' that is away from the open gullet if built to the plans .. the planer is BIG and requires the front open space to 'flip thru' and you have to have a fairly 'short' tool to make the passage on the closed side ... so I just opted for a clean flat work/general purpose surface for the cabinet when the planer is 'down' (which is most of the time actually).

I do LIKE the plan for the most part but I believe I will replace the seemingly intrusive (to the flat work surface) "tabs" that hold the flip table in place with something a little more elegant like threaded inserts with side bolts or some such . and ... those planers are HEAVY so be careful when you 'flip it' ...

It's always interesting to see/hear that others are on the same path.

Bade