A Completely Cordless Miter Saw station – Makita BL 36-Volt Sliding Miter Saw

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In my old shop, I had a huge miter saw station.  Not like Jay Bates 10 sheets of plywood big, but it started at 12 ft long.  Eventually, I chopped it down to 8ft and even that took up too much room in my shop.  A miter saw is an awesome tool but I really only use it for small projects and for material breakdown.

In my new shop, I thought I could survive just setting my Miter saw on a table. Without a stand though, the saw really just wasn’t getting the job done.  I need more support, and I don’t think I can live without a Flip Stop. I also needed great dust collection (Read about Mak the Vac) and no cords to chase me around.

But Which Saw?

Fortunately, I have had a few of the latest cordless miter saws through the shop as part of THDProspective. The new Makita 36v Cordless Miter Saw has become the front runner to be my saw of choice. 

1st: The Makita 36 volt miter saw has dust collection at 2 locations on the saw at the blade and at the kerf. My goal in this new shop is to go completely dust free.

2nd: it works with the Makita Auto-Start Wireless (AWS) system so I can use it with the 36-volt Bluetooth vacuum I have from Makita already.

3rd: the Makita cordless miter saw has sliding tracks that allow you to push the saw right up against the wall. This means the worktable doesn’t have to be so deep. It also means it can store out of the way right up against the wall.

The Plan

I think I am going to go ahead and turn this thing into a completely cordless miter saw station.  I’ve gone through 3 or 4 four iterations and I think I finally settled on a design. I am really excited to build this thing.  Stay tuned to the WoodWorkLIFE YouTube channel. I’ll be sharing the full build there. Let me share a few of the features with you for now.

First, I want to incorporate some blade storage.  I’ll be incorporating the CNC here to cut out some 10”, 6”, and otherwise saw blade holders. These will fit into some slots under the saw.  They’re nothing particularly unique, but it will be nice to have a permanent home for my blades.

I also want to use some 1” EMT to support the extension wings.  Hoping to get around 30” each side of the blade. I’m not sure yet how I am going to incorporate a flip stop.  But I am really hoping I can make it all come together. Sometimes it is really nice to set up a stop and just batch out parts without adjustments.

I will release full plans for this miter saw station alongside the video, so stay tuned. Besides the basic design, I think there a few things I can do to spruce this thing up.

Any advice?

KEEP YOUR TOOLS SHARP, AND KEEP YOUR MIND SHARPER

RICK

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