Flip top cabinets for small work shops.

I assume you've checked out YouTube for a plethora of videos on flip top tool stands. It does not appear that your concerns are warranted.

Balancing is easy via both positioning and adding extra weight (e.g. thin steel plates, etc.) although I'm not even sure that that is necessary.

This seems typical of the videos I've watched:

Bolt them to 2 x whatever base and clamp them to your workbench when needed. I've got a vice set up like that, my bench grinder has enough of it's own base to fit a clamp, my sander doesn't need to be clamped, at least it hasn't so far.

Both the grinder and the sander sit on an open bottom shelf of the workbench. I have receptacles mounted across the front of the workbench. It's not unusual for me the leave the tools where they are, plug them in and use them for a quick grind or sand right while squatting down.

Sorry, missed the part where you said you already use a base for some tools.

If you're near a Harbor Freight go down and take a look at their 500 pound capacity hydraulic lift table. Take the wheels off and block it to the right height and you may be able to lift your sander to where its table is even with your bench top but lower it completely below.

If you go that route I'd want to rig some kind of lock in the up position so you aren't relying on Harbor Freight hydraulics.

Another couple of possibilities would be a sewing machine lift or a mixer lift--again they have the height limitation and the ones in a reasonable price range aren't rated for more than 50-60 pounds but they're more compact. The mixer lift would put the sander out in front of the bench, the sewing machine lift would raise it through the bench.

Looking up I see:

No patience, huh?

I'm sure that could be dealt with via additional weights.

You'd probably want a design that has the tools well attached to something that can spin freely without the tools hitting anything. And then you'd want some solid handles on that.

(But no, I have no personal experience with flip-top tables.)

Elijah

------ thinks 40lbs is still light enough to attach to a board to clamp down

I have a Delta belt/disk sander -- the old cast iron style. I didn't want to permanently place it anywhere so I finally built a heavy-duty plywood "T" big enough to hold it. When I want to use it I haul it out, dust it off, and clamp the stem of the "T" in a bench vise and do what needs to be done. Of course it is still not permanently housed but I can usually find some cubby to stick it away between uses.

Or distance from the pivot.

I think that depends on one's age. ..and the age of one's back ;-) (mine's been feeling pretty old for the last couple of weeks). :-(