Miter saws can be used in a woodworking shop as a permanently installed tool or on the job site as a portable or semi-portable unit. I’ll talk about building a miter saw table appropriate for both types of installations. The purpose of a miter saw table is twofold: (1) to raise the saw to a comfortable working height for the operator and (2) to provide a surface to the left and/or right of the saw for fence extension and to provide support for long materials while cutting. If you’ve ever tried to cut a 45-degree miter on one end of a 2 x 6 x 12, you know why a miter saw table or roller stand is absolutely necessary.
Most often, miter saws are used to make repetitive cuts of the same length. Some type of saw stop is useful and greatly speeds up the production time for this type of application. A saw stop needs to be mounted on something to hold it in place, usually a fence. You can make your own fence out of a very straight piece of wood or metal or you can make the same as me and purchase a commercially available movable fence that slides along an aluminum rail that includes an adhesive tape measure. Learn more here about this article.
PERMANENT SAW TABLE FOR USE IN STORES
Since I buy lumber up to 14 feet long, I decided to build a very long miter saw table in my woodworking shop. I may not have the physical space for this in your store so I may need to reduce my measurements accordingly. The longer you can build it, the better it will be for you, but any saw table length is better than notable. The table on my miter saw measures 8 feet to the left of the saw blade and another 8 feet to the right of the saw blade. In this way, I can support the entire length of a plywood sheet on both sides.
The saw table is built on a 2 x 4 frame and contains several storage drawers under the table that I use to store small tools and supplies. If you prefer, the space under the saw table can be left open for shelf space or wood storage. I suggest the top surface be 3/4 “melamine or Formica on a 3/4” particleboard. If you can use the full 4-foot width of the melamine or particleboard, do so by all means, especially if your miter saw is a “slip compound miter” type. As for the overall height of the table, I suggest that you build the miter saw table so that the top of the table reaches the line of your belt when standing. This will give you a comfortable working height and still allow you to lean over the table.
There should be a gap cut through the top of the saw table in the area where the saw is to be mounted. This space should be exactly as wide as the top of your miter saw and should be open toward the front of the table. The gap should be closed behind the top of the miter saw. The saw should be mounted in this space so that the top of the miter saw table is level with the top of the saw table. The miter handle must be free to move fully in both directions, left to right.
Anticipate the need for this space while framing the bottom of the miter saw table because you will need to build a shelf underneath to support the weight of the miter saw. You may want to make this shelf adjustable in micro increments so that you can position the top of the saw deck exactly flush with the top of the saw table. You can do this with lag bolts with washers in the sliding slots through the shelf sub-structure and into the table frame. Slightly loosen the lags and tap the table up or down with a rubber mallet before tightening them fully. Use a long ruler in all directions to make sure the miter saw and miter saw table are aligned with each other. Mount the saw securely to the rack with lag screws.
Once the miter saw is assembled, you can begin building the fence or fences. A simple and inexpensive fence can be built using 1 x 4 or 1 x 6 clear spruce boards. These boards should be hand selected for their straightness and joined at one edge. One board will be the actual fence and the other will keep it straight from behind. The fence sits with its hinged edge on top of the saw table, while the backing board rests flat
