I’ve had many versions of my saw station setup over the years, but after fighting with it for a few months, I finally settled on just setting it up however it best made sense at the job.
For this job, a project recovery in Apple Valley, i’m cutting everything from siding, framing, and blocking, to trim, shims, and lots of custom pieces.
First, having plenty of room on either side of the miter saw is really important when i’m swinging 12′ sticks of trim. I like to check/cut my ends square, but if I have a long run, i’ll be mitering those ends for a tight scarf joint, so I need to be able to get to the end. The house here wasn’t big enough for me to REALLY lay out, but I was able to get it done by just moving my saw from one side of it’s stand to the other when needed.
Second, having multiple saw horses is really valuable to me. Here i’ve got my stock on the floor, but the horses on either side of the miter saw really help extend my reach on those long pieces without having to struggle much.
Third, i’ve got a combination outfeed/work table past my table saw, which is really handy, and that lower shelf on those horses helps give me a place to store my tools without scratching up the floor. You can also see that i’ve cut a long sheet of plywood using my table saw as a third stand of sorts; it’s very handy to be able to do this. I like to be efficient, and this setup lets me switch gears really fast. I also really appreciate being able to adjust the height of my sawhorses, that’s a very handy feature!
Fourth, when I ripped that long sheet, I slid one of the sawhorses from the miter saw over a couple feet to in front of the table saw to act an infeed assistant. Normally i’d just get a second guy, but it’s a really small project with a tight budget, so I have to make do.
All of this neatly folds and stows into my work trailer, so I can take this to any job site and have a very similar setup wherever I go. Also, that LED worklight above my saw is SUPER handy for when i’m working after sundown and want to maintain my clean, tight cuts. It’s important to be able to see! My other miter saw has an LED worklight built into the saw, which is super nice.
The best tools in the world won’t make you a great carpenter, but having solid tools and an intelligent setup will help you work smarter, faster, and with less wear and tear on your body, and after doing this for many years, that matters!