Mobile base for a table saw (longish)

[busbus]

I need to make a real mobile base for my table saw. I don't want this to be overly long but I think some background is needed.

My 'shop' is a very crowded garage that I share with two cars. And if I want to stay married, which is the plan, there WILL be two cars in the garage as much as possible.

That said, I have precious little space, really for my tools. I own a smaller table saw (Delta 36-600) which doesn't know what it want to be when it grows up. It has a smaller table like a benchtop but sits on legs like a contractors saw . It is a belt drive (using a laughably small belt) which sits under the table, so I can push the whole thing against the wall--which I need to do. It's not the best saw in the world; not the worst saw in the world. It is quite noisy but it does what I need for it to do and I am happy enough with it.

Okay, that said, I currently have it on a crude 3/4" plywood base with crappy wheels. I knew it was wrong when I made it but I just wanted to hurry up and get it together. It is starting to become a realpain in the posterior lately, however, for several reasons. Mostly because the base simply sucks. Also because of the $#^$*%^!! drain in the middle of the garage floor. No matter where I position the saw, that $#^$*%^!! slope kills me. I need to put wedges under one of the wheels and I know that just ain't no good.

Soooo.....I figure I want to make a new mobile ase but why stop there? I have precious little room, so why not build a cabinet to replace the legs? I want to learn how to make cabinets anyway, so here is a good reason to start learning.

Next, I figure I could finally find a use for those two old trailer jacks on wheels I have and could connect them to the base. When I wheel the saw out, I could lower some levelers in the base and flip the trailer wheels out of the way. That, combined with the cabinet I want to build, would make for a very heavy, very firm and very stable base.

I feel I will be creating something that makes a lot of things better, but I am still left with the noise issue. The earmuffs solve the problem for me but if anybody else in the family is even near the garage, they, well, let's say they just let me know about it--especially the silly cat. I think if he is there just one more time, ALL of his hair will finally fall out.

I am wondering if it would be feasible to lay a piece of indoor-outdoor carpeting on the top of the cabinet and set the saw on it? Would that have any noise dampening effect? Or would I just be courting disaster for some reason? Do you think it would have any effect on vibration? One would suspect it should work okay but when I start think' like this, it usually turns out the answer is completely the opposite of what I think.

Any thoughts?

[jaykchan]

I have an ONE car garage, and my car is parking inside it along with my standard contractor-type table saw with cast-iron table top, and I will have a folding outfeed table when I am all done. Seem like your garge workshop is not that small after all. You should have no problem fitting everything in it.

I have a similar problem in my garage floor. Mine has too many peaks and valleys on the floor. I intend to level four small spots on the floor very level and smooth, and then position the wheels of the table saw mobile base right on the spots.

I am planning to do exactly the same thing as what you want to do. I have got all the materials ready in my garage. I need to wait for next spring when the weather is good (my garage is not heated and I don't have any portable heater and I am too busy right now).

I will make the under table-saw cabinet as big as the table saw top; then it will not take more space than it is taking up now. I will put table-saw related tools/supplies/small-jigs/push-sticks in the cabinet.

The cabinet will also be the mounting-surface for duct for dust collection to collect dust from the bottom of the table saw. I still have not figured out how to mount a hood above the saw blade to collect dust from above. But I have a feeling that the cabinet will again be the place to mount any dust collecting hose over the saw blade.

Sound like a plan.

As for mine, I will put four large locking caster wheels to make the cabinet mobile. Yours probably will be more stable. But the locking wheels should be stable enough for me.

Not sure why this can be a problem for your family members. Mine is a detached garage. When I use my table saw to cut wood, my family members don't notice a thing (as long as the garage door is closed), and my house and my garge are not that well insulated either. May be you want to ask your family members to see if noise is really an issue or not. If this is not an issue, you don't need to do a thing on this.

I doubt it. But I have not tried this before. However, this may not be a bad idea to use some kind of rubber gasket to seal the gap between the base of the table saw and the top of the cabinet. Not for noise reduction, but for avoiding air leaking around the table saw base in case you surface-mount a dust collection hood on the top of the cabinet (facing up toward the base of the table saw). Hope your plan will go well.

Jay Chan