Build It | Miter Saw Station

General contractor Tom Silva and host Kevin O’Connor work together to build a storage-rich miter saw station from a set of factory toolboxes.

Skill

ModerateYou’ll probably need a partner. These two toolboxes will be very heavy when attached to each other, so having a partner to help will make things safer.

Cost

Around $1,200 (depending on tool boxes chosen)

Estimated Label

One day

Most folks with workshops would agree that they don’t have nearly enough space or storage. When our shop started to feel a little crowded, general contractor Tom Silva came up with a solution. With the help of host Kevin O’Connor, the two build a perfect miter saw stand with all the storage they’ll need. Here’s how it’s done.

Building a miter station

Position the two toolboxes far enough away from each other that the miter saw will fit between them. Measure the distance from one end of one toolbox to the other end of the other toolbox. Also, measure the depth of the toolbox. Cut a piece of OSB to these dimensions.
Measure and mark the locations of the wheels on the OSB and cut them out with the jigsaw.
Lay the toolboxes on their tops. Use scrap pieces of 1×3 attached to the middle of the sheet to act as spacers for the correct dimensions. Attach the OSB to the bottom of the toolboxes with self-tapping screws.
Carefully roll the toolboxes so they’re on their fronts. Measure and cut a second sheet of OSB to stretch across the backs of both toolboxes. Remove the spacers from the bottom board and reuse them on the backboard to ensure consistent, even spacing. Attach the board to the back of the cabinets with self-tapping screws. Once attached, stand the toolboxes on their wheels.
Measure the height of the miter saw’s deck. Add the thickness of the butcher block top and mark down from the top of the toolboxes’ tops. Cut a 2×4 U-shaped frame to fit between the cabinets. Use temporary blocks to hold the frame at the mark, and drill through the 2×4 frame into the toolboxes. Use the threaded insert setter to set inserts into the holes and attach the frame with bolts.
Cut the butcher block top to fit the space and attach it to the 2×4 frame by driving screws up from the frame and into the top’s bottom side.
Install the miter saw in the stand. Use very straight 1×4 material to mark the location of the saw fence. Attach the saw fence to the worktop with a biscuit cutter and two-piece snap-together biscuits.
Install sliding tracks on top of the wooden saw fence and adhere a self-adhesive measuring tape to the top edge.
Drill holes in the back of the saw stand for a collection hose and power cord.

Resources

Tom makes the cuts for the metal framed shelf using a miter saw with a metal cutting blade. He then makes rivets using a rivet gun.

Tom uses a jigsaw to cut out four sections for the wheels.

Tom makes the cuts using a miter saw with a standard wood cutting blade for the worktop. They secure the worktop to the metal frame using heavy-duty wood screws.

For easy measuring and consistent cuts, Tom and Kevin include a Track and Stop kit. To keep the boards in place, they also include a feather board. To make even more precise cuts, Tom and Kevin also incorporated a miter gauge.

Tom and Kevin used tools manufactured by Bosch Tools and Kreg Tools.

Materials

Tools