UTS vs separate cabinets

[SwingKing]

Now that I've finished a couple bookshelf projects, I want to spend some time and make some improvements to my shop. FYI, my shop is a fairly narrow 2 car garage which I don't have to share with the cars. I want something with better infeed/outfeed support for my SCMS and Dewalt 734 planer to support 8'-10' boards. I'm planning on building a separate UTS for the BT3100 and router table, so I'm just looking for better support for the other tools.

What do you guys (and gals) think: which is better, a UTS or separate cabinets? I've been thinking UTS, but when I saw Anna's pics of her new planer flip-top stand I started getting second thoughts. The 734 planer is pretty heavy, so I may want a flip-top cabinet for it anyway. If so, would a UTS for the SCMS, disk/belt sander, and other misc tools still be worth it? The other option is 2-3 separate cabinets, including a miter saw stand and possibly a separate assembly table.

Thanks!

-- Ken

[gsmittle]

First of all, despite the post count I'm still pretty much a newbie, so take my opinion with several grains of salt.

For me, the UTS is awful pricey. I like the concept, and as I build more shop cabinets/stands I might build the same type of system. It sure is purty, though... Part of the fun for me is figuring out how to duplicate and improve on a commercial solution on my own.

I haven't built a flip-top stand yet. That's on my list of things to build, but I'm afraid my Rigid planer might be too heavy.

g.