Building the Jay Bates Miter Saw Station Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 of my Jay Bates Miter Saw Station build. If you missed Part 1, make sure to check it out first. Also, you can find Jay's plans for this system here. Let's get started! 

Tools Used in the Jay Bates Miter Saw Station Build Part 2

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Jay Bates Miter Saw Station Part 2 Build Process

The first step of part 2 was leveling the base cabinets. My garage floor had a decent amount of slope from left to right so this took a little longer than expected.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

After leveling the cabinets, I mounted the work surface supports to my wall. These supports are 2x2 pieces that were screwed into my garage wall using Tapcon masonry screws. I used one screw every 16 inches.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

The next step was to add the work surface on top of the base cabinets and supports and to attach the work surface using 1 ¼’ screws. I flushed up the edges of the cabinets and attached them to the work surface from beneath.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

Next, I cut the hole for the dust collection port. I started the hole with a self-feeding forstner bit and then cut the rest of the hole with a jig saw. I am terrible at using a jig saw, so this was harder than expected. If you have any jigsaw tips, let me know.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

Next, I attached the top cabinet carcasses to each other with 1 ¼” screws then attached the side wings, which help with dust collection, with pocket holes. I also attached the top support pieces, which are also attached with pocket holes. Lastly, I attached the fence backing pieces using 1 ¼” screws.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

The next step was adding the top pieces. These are attached with a few 1 ¼ screws through the top. As you can see, I accidentally cut one of my top pieces in half by not following my cut diagram, so I had to end up making up for it with two pieces instead of one. This worked out fine in the end.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

I then built the top cubby system, which was simply a long box with dividers. These Bessey 90 degree corner clamps helped quite a bit. I used 1 ¼” screws and glue and made sure to predrill the holes since you’re going into plywood end grain. I attached the back in the same manner, with a bunch more screws than were probably necessary. After getting the cubby on top of the miter saw station, I secured it with a few 1 ¼” screws through the bottom of the cubby.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

The next step was adding all of the drawer fronts to the drawers. Since I precut all of my pieces, this required a little bit of adjusting, but they went together nicely in the end. I used a few 1 ¼” screws from the inside of the drawers to attach them.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

I then went about setting up the Fastcap Best Fence Bench Mount system. This took some trial and error, as I realized the platform for my miter saw wasn’t level but the work surfaces on either side were. I ended up shimming one end of the bench mounts and it worked out fine.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

Finally, I cut some triangular support pieces for the bottom platform drawer front. I cut this on the table saw using an Incra Miter Guage and then attached the pieces using pocket holes and glue.

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

jay bates miter saw station

Thanks for checking out this two part series of my process of building the Jay Bates Miter Saw Station. This was by far my most ambitious woodworking project to date and I'm excited to start using the system. The amount of storage the system opened up is incredible.

Once again, I'd like to thank Purebond for sponsoring this build by providing us with the plywood. It is top quality and was a pleasure to work with. I'd highly recommend checking it out for your next plywood-based project.

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