This is the first photo of my portable workshop. I have been using it for the last six months and find it really useful for all my projects.
I actually did not want to have a portable workshop but a stationary one. Suso's other plan for a stationary table saw would have worked better but then I wanted to have the router table and the lift mechanism too on my table saw so I chose this over his other plan.
I do not see Suso using the portable workshop very often except when he was doing floor tiles project. So it makes me wonder whether it would have been better for me to have built the stationary table saw which Suso uses in all his projects. Apart from the fact that I do not have enough drawer space, in terms of functionality I am able to do most of the work.
I do face a little problem with the fence. Even when I lock it in position it gets firmly locked in the front but has a tendency to move at the other free end when side-ward pressure is applied, especially when I am using the fence for routing. I solve this problem by clamping the other side with an F-clamp. I would be happy if someone could give me a solution to this problem.
Here are some more pics of the Portable Workshop. I love the router lift mechanism. It makes things so simple for me. Like Suso demonstrated I have used the tilt mechanism to make bevels on drawer fronts using simple straight bits
Making the zero clearance insert plate was tricky because I has only 3mm depth. I used a 3mm acrylic sheet because it is commonly available in my local hardware stores. I had to really grind the screw heads so that they did not protrude. The plate has got some cracks but it works and making a new one is very easy for me...now that I have the original as the template. I wanted to ask if using a 3mm aluminium plate for an insert plate would be a good idea
The jig saw guide works really well for me. Since I don't have a bandsaw I use this exclusively to make curve cuts or notches. I have not yet made the modification in it so that the jigsaw blade can be tilted since I have not felt the need for it so far. I make these cuts by tilting the circular saw blade.
Overall, this project has been a great space saver for me as I can use one table for straight cuts, curved cuts and routing work. Hopefully someone gives me a solution for the issue I am facing with the fence.
In my next post perhaps I shall post photos of the jigs too.