Maximizing The Miniscule

Tom R

I don't have a lot of room in my shop (it's only about 20 X 20), so I try to spend some spare time condensing things to save (and gain) some room and make life a little easier.

This first pic shows a built-in drawer under my extension-wing router table, a built-in dedicated router vacuum, and a PVC-line that makes it more convenient to hook up a roll-up dust collector, and yet still leaves room for the cab-saw door to open.

Also, notice I hooked up a hand-wheel to the router itself in place of it's small-grip knob to make bit-height adjustments much easier.

I'll also be making an additional custom removable router-fence on the right side that will house the vacuum hose for multiple cuts, or I can just use the fence on the left that's attached to my saw-fence for a quick (vacuumless) cut here or there.

I have a kreg-switch on back-order due in a few weeks which when flipped will turn both the vacuum and router on at the same time.






Here's a pic of the open drawer which will be used to house my 1/2" router bits. The mini-drawer you're seeing extending out of the end of the fence rail houses an air blower and a few collets. There's actually one at the other end of the rail, too, which houses saw wrenches. The PVC cap lifts right off to connect the DC hose. The (blue) air hose hanging on the PVC is hooked to an F.R.L. unit coming from hard-piped air coming from an outside compressor booth.






A spacer between the fences allows housing room for (an always on-hand) push-stick and several dedicated allen keys for table-insert and fence adjustments . . .

Tom Struble

nice tom.thanks for the pics

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Tom

genecarp

Nice setup, but you can only rip short pieces before you run into the garage door, Nice and neat, thanks, GMOD

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Tom R

Sure wish I'd thought of that before doin' all that work . . .


Thanks, guys . . .

mattsk8

I have the exact same prob in my shop but I'm assuming you live in a warmer climate because I have to have my furnace running so I can't put the saw in front of the door like that. This means I have to use a table saw I can move or this will eat up almost all of my shop space. I want to build a pole barn but I need a pot to pee in first! Thank God I have a fairly big garage at least and for the Festool ts55!

Tom R

I'm in Jersey, Matt, - - yeah, sometimes I just have to rough it with the door open, - - it gets to be a matter of timing (and lumping) the cuts.

I do have a good-sized aluminum awning over the outside of the overhead door, though, - - so at least rain or snow doesn't come too much into (at least direct) play.

Oh, and I actually do have two other buildings I built behind the shop (a 12 X 20 and another 20 X 20) but they're jam-packed with tools and equipment and hardware and such . . .

Gus Dering

Nice

When I was in a garage I always turned the saw around and the outfeed table was a work bench. It had it's short comings when the bench had to be cleared to rip something of width. Tis why your set up looks intriguing to me.

Does the rollers on your outfeed need to be adjusted nice and square to the blade to avoid side pressure on the longer rips? I have always wondered about that.

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Jeremy E

Pretty cool set-up, but I think all that clutter between the fences (wrenches and push stick) would drive me nuts.

My table saw is the one part of my shop where I can't handle clutter. The rest of it gets to be mess in the middle of a project...

stp57

Nice setup Tom. Is the Kreg switch that you are waiting for like this one?
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17351
I have a couple of these & they work fine.
Steve

Tom R

Thanks, I adjusted them (as a unit) when I installed them, by shimming as necessary where I connected them, - - a few hours of well-spent playing around.

What's nice about that roller set-up, too, - - is that they have a pre-set 'drop-mode' to allow for a miter gauge or a cross-cut sled.

Tom R

Thanks, Jeremy, - - to each his own, I guess, - - I don't even notice any of it's there unless I need it, - - everything just moves along with the fence.

Tom R

Thanks, Steve, - - I do like that one, but no, - - it's (going to be) this one . . .