Woodwork City » Workshop Plans

Portable Tool Base Review

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:53:42 +0000

This isn’t a wood plan, but I felt the need to share it with our readers. This is a sale item at Rockler.com that will help make your workshop a bit more efficient. We are an affiliate of Rockler, so we will make a couple of % if your purchase. We appreciate the support. This tool normall sells for about $60 at Amazon (HTC PortaMate PM1000 Universal Mobile Base). The sale listing below is good while supplies last. The price (when this was written) was $39.99

If you find yourself in a small shop (aren’t they all), you will always be working toward a more efficient use of the space. It seems that every woodworker will fill his or her space depending on what room is available (and then add 10%-20% more ‘stuff’). Nearly every woodworker will always be wanting to optimize his or her workshop.

HTC PM1000 Portamate Mobile Base, While Supplies Last!
Adjustable in 1″ increments to fit your power tools, tool boxes and more, this base will allow you to wheel equipment around your shop with ease. Includes four 12″ rails and four 18″ rails arrangeable..

HTC PM1000 Portamate Mobile Base, While Supplies Last!

About 9 years ago, I moved into a new home and found myself with a decent sized shop (15′x18′), but not big enough for all of my large tools. For a couple of the tools, i built rolling carts so that they could easily be moved aside. For my table saw, that didn’t seem like the best option since the saw needed to be moved out fairly often and it also needed to be stabilized once it was out in the middle of my shop. I found a nice rolling base at Rockler.com that did the job perfectly. With my saw coming in at over 100 pounds, and my saw needing to be moved out to the middle of my small’ish shop this stand works perfectly. It has a cam system that easily engages and disengages the wheels. The saw moves with ease and once the saw is in place, the cams can be flipped down and the saw then sits on the built in feet. It is super stable once down and a breeze to move when the 2 cams are engaged. Engaging the cams can be done with your foot, so you woodworkers with bad backs don’t even have to bend down to do so.

Take a look at this tool base. It is adjustable depending on your saw, so it should fit just about any make or model. 9 years in and I still love the ease of use of mine.

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Fold Away Workbench

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 17:53:30 +0000

If you are like me, you can never have enough workbench space. I am a stacker and my workbench space tends to get taken up when I am in the middle of my projects. This fold away workbench might be ideal for the times when I need a little extra space.

This bench is made from standard items.

Depending on your size, you will need 3 butt hinges, 3 2 x 4′s and 1 piece of MDF that is about 14″ x 48″ (You could use virtually any 3/4 material for the top).

Click on the image to view the full sized plans. There isn’t too detailed a description of the construction. This project is simple enough to build based upon the drawing. If you have a non-standard wall cavity, be sure you measure to fit and give yourself about 1/2″ clearance from your rough opening size.

Good luck building this terrific folding bench.

Folding workbench plans

These plans come from Woodsmith magazine and can be found in their Woodworking tips section:
http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2007/09/14/sn/

Free Router Table Plans

Wood Writer — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:21:38 +0000

Free Router Table Plans

If any amateur carpenter is going to truly to commit to woodworking they need a efficient and organized wood shop space. Adding some tool specific furniture, like this Free Floor Standing Router Table, helps enable any builder to work with a little more ease.

Floor Standing Router Table Plans

It will clear up space on your regularly used work bench while acting as somewhat of an addition to your table space. This plans also provides some simple storage underneath the routing space to keep bits, routers, extension cords, and other accessories neatly tucked away while your working a project that doesn’t require them. The attached wheels makes this piece easy to move.

Simply click on the image for the full woodwork how to guide.

Free Table Saw Storage Table Plans

Wood Writer — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 15:20:45 +0000

Free Table Saw Storage Table Plans

Complete with power tools, extension cords, and various hardware, any woodworking space can become easily disorganized. A good way to maximize storage space while actually improving the safety and accuracy of your equipment it to a Table Saw Storage Table.

The table serves as extra support for lumber and is completely adjustable to match the needs of all your future projects. This plan includes a unique vertical blade storage drawer, which will make finding your blade and not harming yourself a much more effortless task. Not to mention, there is some really viable clamp space from the table top overhang. To get started, just click on the image for the woodwork how-to guide. While your at it, why not just renovate the whole workshop?

Table Saw Storage Table

Free Workbench Plans from Workbench Magazine

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:18:40 +0000

What is the first thing any workshop needs? Tools? Right. Okay, even before tools, you will need a workbench. You could work on the ground, but that isn’t too good on your back. A workshop needs a functional and sturdy workbench. This free workbench plan comes from the folks who know a thing or two about a quality workbench. In fact, that is their name… “Workbench Magazine”.

When I consider a workbench, I have a number of criteria that need to be met.

Sturdy – My bench should be built to last a couple of generations.
Tool Storage – Having tools and hand is a big plus.
True Surface – When gluing up, a true surface is a must.
Clamp Ready – A nice overhang to clamp to.
Power Source – It is always nice to get your juice right where you are working rather than having electrical cords strewn about
Portable – Certainly not a must, but in a small workshop, this is a huge plus.

Well, guess what? This free workbench plan has all of the above. On top of that, it is attractive (if you go to the trouble). And a relatively straightforward build. Take your time and build it properly. There is nothing worse than working in a subpar environment.

Click on the picture to view/download the free workbench plan (filetype:PDF).

Free workbench plans

Mini Router Table

admin — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:31:34 +0000

Anyone who has been using a router for some time has probably worked on a project where the router was simply too much of a beast to be able to effectively do the job. Smaller projects often call for some level of precision and don’t often provide a stable base to use a router. When faced with a situation like this, the people at Wood Magazine decided to utilize a rotary tool. However, using the rotary tool instead of the router gave them the control over the tool (and the added safety that came from that) but didn’t allow the precision need for the project.

By creating a mini version of a router table, they were able to meet all needs. Control, safety, and precision. Take a look at this great “mini” router table. A terrific project for any shop.

Rotary tool router table

via Mini Router Table.

Free Saw Horse Plans

admin — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:00:57 +0000

What does every handyman or woodworker need? Saw horses!

A sawhorse is such a basic need for a woodworker or someone who likes working on DIY projects. Often times we forget about the basics and assume that everyone has everything. This simple sawhorse plan is a quick build and takes a minimal amount of lumber. One of the best parts is that you can stack the saw horses for easier storage.

DIY Sawhorse plan

This DIY sawhorse plan comes from Chris Baylor at About.com. Enjoy this free and easy project. A basic necessity.

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Free Woodworking Plans – Simple

admin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:50:37 +0000

There are many schools that have woodworking programs that will often publish free wood plans. I came across a set of free woodworking plans today from Purdue. It looks like these are part of a 4H program.

There are 12 plans in all and all of the woodworking plans are at beginner level. They are great projects to work on with your children. Simple, and rewarding.

Gardening bench plans
Step ladder plant stand plans
Footstool plans
Cutting board plans
Miter box plans
Saw horse plans
Book rack plans (adjustable)
Book holder plans
Bench vise plans
Tape and paper clip dispenser
Grocery bag storage plans
Plant stand plans (mission style)

12 Free wood plans that are great for a beginner or a children’s woodworking plan (pdf)

As I was looking through these plans, I realized that I made a variation on this plant stand about 10 years ago (picture below).

Free plant stand plans

There is also a plan for a simple gardening or garden bench plan. Picture below. These benches are low cost, easy to build, and will last for years.

Free bench plans

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Folding work bench plans.

admin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:39:57 +0000

A fellow woodworker asked if I had a plan for a folding workbench or work center. I was able to come up with a few and have listed them here. A folding work bench is an ideal solution for a small shop, or for a shop that shares floor space in the garage.

The next folding workbench plan is ideal for someone looking for a fixed bench, but needs to make room for other tools. It attaches to your shop wall and folds down to make room. It has a 2 tier design that is quite clever.

http://www.buildeazy.com/newplans/wall_bench.html

The final folding workbench plan is almost a combination of the first 2 plans. It attaches to a wall and folds down, yet has ample work surface similar to the first workbench.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/hi_tools/article/0,2037,DIY_13936_3927170,00.html

Good luck with whichever plan you select.

Lumber Storage Rack

admin — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:11:13 +0000

If you are like me, your lumber storage can get out of hand, especially this time of the year. When you have multiple projects going on, it is too easy to just set down your scrap and continue working. Well, this isn’t the end all solution, but it should help. The key is to utilize whatever lumber storage that you have.

The above lumber storage rack is a nice project that will keep your lumber organized, off of the ground, and close at hand. Good luck. Click the image for the full lumber storage rack plans.

Side tip: Keep any lumber storage bins shallow. Anything too deep will hide your scrap lumber from view. Remember, out of site, out of mind.