Saw benches with foldable top

[DonGreen]

This folding saw bench provides a home and a sturdy work surface for both an 18V saw and a compound mitre saw. Each saw is on a plywood tray that folds up and fixes with a barrel bolt underneath each side, and folds down to allow fitting of a lid, giving a flat benchtop beside the other saw.  

• The project
• More inspiration for your garage

 

The project

I made a bench each for my 18V saw and my sliding compound mitre saw. The saws are each on a plywood tray, which folds up and fixes with a barrel bolt underneath either side, and folds down to allow fitting of a lid, giving a flat bench top beside one or other of the saws. The levers underneath actuate castors which are mounted on a hinged board, and lift the benches off the floor to allow them to be moved easily.

The frame on one bench is 90mm x 45mm treated Pine and the other is 90mm x 35mm glulam (glued laminated timber), all of which I had in my stockpile. The ply is 17mm structural from memory, and one full sheet was almost enough to complete the two benches.

I have since made a second set of shelves for the storage containers from 90mm x 35mm treated Pine and more of the 17mm ply.

The height of the benchtop is 800mm, which is the same as the heavy glulam bench that you can just see on the left-hand side of the first image. Once either of the saws is raised and the 17mm tray secured with a barrel bolt on each side, the saw table is in line with the benchtop (Hint: plastic from ice-cream cartons makes a good shim between the saw bases and the ply tray for getting the saws at the same level as the benchtop). The barrel bolts hold the ply saw trays surprisingly securely.

The smaller table for the 18V Ryobi saw is about 600mm deep and 800mm wide. The bigger bench is about 900mm wide, and a bit deeper, as you can see from the images. I don't mind the different depths. I have even made the second set of shelves shallower again, to fit my home-made cyclonic dust extractor (two large buckets and a Thien baffle) between it and the wall.

The levers underneath actuate castors, which are mounted on a hinged board and lift the benches off the floor to allow them to be moved easily.

The designs are not mine (I got them from various YouTube sources) but the overall result makes such a useful workbench that I am amazed how much I use it. The plastic tubs are for wood screws and metal screws.

 

More inspiration for your garage

Get more ideas for your garage, shed or workshop by checking out our Top 10 most popular storage projects and the Top 10 most popular garage and shed projects.

[TedBear]

Thanks for sharing that design and project details @DonGreen.

Like yourself,  I  make everything as multi-usable as possible given the space and budget limitations we have in home workshops.  I too ensured my benchtops saw bench & drill press table all align so they can be used as extensions of each other when dealing with long materials.

I really like the fold-down method you have used for changing those power tools from their stored state to set-up to go, quickly, accurately and easily. 

Great project.

[djohn86]

Late to the party, but this setup is awesome.

I'm planning to do something kinda similar at home, but also have to build a bit of a storage setup in my work van too.

Thanks to your post, I have more ideas and inspiration to draw from.

Thanks again,

Daniel

[JacobZ]

Hi @djohn86,

A warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is fantastic to have you with us.

It's great to see you've gotten some inspiration from @DonGreen's saw benches and it's exciting to hear you have some projects in the future.

If you ever want any assistance, please don't hesitate to ask. Our wonderful members are always ready to jump in and help.

Jacob