Outdoor tool bench

[tookiedoo78]

Hey y'all! Does anyone use any outdoor workspace? I have very little room indoors for a workbench. I thought of building a nice outdoor bench to mount my saw on, and using a good quality cover on it when not in use. Has anybody tried this? Do you think there will be any weather related problems if the saw is covered well? Any input would be appreciated! Thanks, Josh

[greatdane2]

We find that putting a waterproof cover over things here can cause problems. Wether it is a BQ or lawnmower ect. if the cover can not breath moisture gets trapped and a lot of rust is the result
Living by the ocean does not seem to be a problem, but our west coast moisture is. Here a good waterproof cover with open sides works best.

[Pajaro]

I (personally ) would not store anything with electrical parts outside covered or not. Even a little moisture can cause corrosion on the brass and copper connections. Even in my work shop. I find rust and corrosion on my tools. A lot of humidity here in Dallas during the summer. If I don't plan on using a tool very often I"ll put a fine coat of grease on the exposed steel parts. (like table saw tops.) I have a old table saw in my shop I haven't used in two years( motor bad) and the cast iron table started to rust. I am going to fix the motor and sell the saw as soon as possible. So I won't wind up tossing it away.

[f250]

A friend of mine had his entire shop outside in his car port for several years. Now we have a big advantage here in Albuquerque of low humidity most of the year, but he had no problems at all. If your tool is in a covered area (under the patio or a car port) then really you shouldn't have any more moisture problems than inside your garage. At least I'd think that's true...

Tom

[Dragon]

I can't see myself cutting outside. Summer is so short and full of biting insects. Winter is darn cold and the snow is higher than the fist floor. I would need to put the saw on stilts to reach it for almost 5 months of the year. And the rust, yes....
Diane

[tookiedoo78]

Thanks for the advice folks! For the time being, I'll try building the outdoor bench, but moving the saw inside when I'm not scrolling. Hopefully we'll be in a new house within 6 months or a year, so I'll have room in a shop then! Yayyyy! But I'll make do. I'll be picking up my new saw tomorrow, and hopefully I'll have time to make a sturdy base on Wednesday so I can get going again. Thanks again, Josh

[sawdustus]

Just a thought, if you could mount locking casters on the bench legs, you could just roll the saw into the garage (house) when not using it.

sawdustus

[greatdane2]

If you mounted your saw on a piece of 3/4" plywood, you could use a couple of clamps to hold it on your outdoor bench.
Alan.

[tookiedoo78]

Alan, I think I like your idea the best. I just picked up the saw this afternoon, and was reading through the manual and looking at the dimensions for mounting, and it looks like a good idea to just mount it on a piece of plywood. I think I'll mount some studs on the bench, so I can set the saw and base on them and lock it down with some good wing nuts.

[Jim McDonald]

Jason:
Like you, I'm an outdoor (backyard) cutter. I have my Delta mounted to a metal "power tool table" and move it into and out of the shed where the bicycles, lawn mower, Christmas decor, etc.

Most of the time I don't have any problem, but first thing in the spring, I put a wire brush cup in the drill and burnish the iron plate really well and then coat it with with some type of wax or sealant. I always find a thin film of rust no matter what I do for the winter prep.

Someday, I will get enough space in the garage and a dust collection system, AND enough heat out there.

Dragon--sorry about you luck on the snow. Guess that's why they call it the great white north.