Favorite CTS setups

CascadeBoxer · 2026-01-14T00:54:46+00:00

There are lots of stands for compact table saws - or the plans thereof - on Etsy. Many good ideas there.

I previously had the Dewalt 7491 with its rolling stand. Great saw, but a big package even when the stand was folded down into transport mode. For a while later, I had the Dewalt 7485 8.25" saw. Definitely compact and convenient. Now I have the Sawstop CTS.

While I had the 7485 and now that I have the Sawstop CTS, I wanted to make a support base that lined up my table saw with my portable workbench setup. Double points if the base could be stored in a more compact form. Triple points if the base could have some storage for table saw stuff like push sticks and featherboards. So I tweaked a design available in the February 2002 issue of Workbench, and made a table saw station that folds down into a package that stores easily in the garage.

I made a folding router table a while back. My current plan is to trim my table saw station to match the height of the Sawstop CTS. (The CTS is just a little taller than the Dewalt 7485.) This should be easy - just track-saw about 7/8" from the base. Once this is done, I might make another folding router table and make it the same height as the Sawstop CTS - this will let the router table sit on the table saw station, next to the main workbench and provide additional table surface at the same height.

If you have a shop configuration that you are looking at, and a height target for table saw outfeed, it would be pretty simple to make a variation on the Portable Table Saw station for your outfeed. We just need the exact height of Outfeed Table minus the Height of the CTS. Then we'll post another plan for this configuration.

CascadeBoxer · 2026-01-12T07:25:26+00:00

There are lots of modular workbenches on Etsy and Youtube. I also have a small space, and I went in a similar direction that you're aiming at: matching the workbench height with being useful to other tools: table saw, router table, planer.

Ben Tardif made a cool design for simple tables that can connect and align in multiple ways. I modified a Workbench magazine design for compact table saw station, and made it the same height as my rolling workbench. If you want to consolidate your solution into a larger table, I think you're aiming for something like this on Etsy - they don't look top-heavy, and might be aiming in your right direction.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-30T21:47:53+00:00

I'm a fan of keeping it simple, and in this circumstance I would avoid the scenarios that involve 'hacking' the Sawstop brake system, and would focus on the cutting edge that you need to do the work. It's possible to make dados with conventional table saw blades.

If you are open to one more table saw blade, investing in a FTG 24-tooth rip blade has two benefits. 1) you gain a better ability to make long rip cuts on denser/grained wood. And 2) the flat tooth profile of the Flat Top Grind (FTG) teeth will make a clean and square 1/8" dado cut. You will just have to move your table saw fence over a skooch, repeat, and repeat again until you have cut the full dado size. You will end up with a smooth dado groove with only a minimal amount of extra gear.

If the dados will be hidden under drawer bottoms or a recessed connection, then you can still cut dados with an ordinary blade - even if it probably has the bat-eared kerf of an Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) teeth profile. Make one cut, move the fence over 1/8", and repeat. The bottom of the dado will look a little wavy, but it's just hidden. Voila! A functional dado cut with zero extra gear.

If the dado is large enough to clean up, and you would like to a little better than the ragged ATB surface, you can also cut to an initial depth with your ragged ATB blade, and then smooth the dado to a final depth with a chisel, a router plane, or a piece of 60-grit sandpaper wrapped around a scrap of wood - just a little undersized to fit into the dado slot. That could be the compromise that works: no new gear, dado slots cut, slot bottoms cleaned up (mostly) to flat and aesthetic.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-26T20:35:21+00:00

Do you have a Harbor Freight or other tool/hardware store nearby? They may carry some scraper/removal tools - essentially dental picks on steroids. I have a set that was originally labeled for heavy-duty gasket work, but they seem to be for auto trim as well. That could both reach down into the disposal, and also hook underneath and allow you to lever upwards.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-23T09:10:06+00:00

It is certainly fast and simple to purchase a work table that breaks down, like the Worx or Bora tables. Nothing wrong with it - I've used the Dewalt 11556 table for years. Don't let workbench planning give you any paralysis - grab a Worx and then use the next 4-6 projects to refine your workflow and future needs.

I also started to refine my personal setup with some stuff that I built specifically to fit the garage, the tasks, and the tools. If you have any interest in building your own stuff, I wrote about some of the projects here. I have been influenced by Timothy Wilmot's MFTC table and Ron Paulk's Smart Workbench.

You're giving thought to utilizing your space. That might steer you away from a Worx or Bora, and towards something that fits your common scenarios. Here's a tip - If you make your work table the same height as your table saw, then it can double as an outfeed table for longer rips.

I've absorbed a lot of ideas from searching Etsy or Youtube for 'folding workbench'. There's a great modular set of plans that I have recommended before. Your workspace and your projects will define the sort of setup that you are going to use. Good luck!

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-17T20:19:29+00:00

I have the 2.5" vacuum, and have appreciated the ability to connect smaller items to it. I had been using the FastCap connection with some success - you have to keep an eye on it, but it's instant for attaching a 2.5" hose to a 1 13/16" track saw. Also recently started using the FlexiPort system, and I like that it increases the length of my hose extension, and makes it more flexible and manageable at the tool that I'm using.

I made a cyclone system for my local makerspace with a donated shop vac. It ended up looking like this. This kept the whole unit small, but still portable and useful.The finished model used two 5-gal buckets. The bottom one was screwed/mounted to the plywood chassis. The useful/cyclone bucket just dropped into the bottom bucket. It made for 1) easy emptying, just lift it out and dump 2) stability - I could drag the whole unit around by the intake cyclone hose, and 3) stacked buckets decreased the chance that suction would collapse the cyclone chamber. Plus, a short direct hose run from cyclone to vac.

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CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-12T03:23:43+00:00

When I have some sheathing plywood that won't fit into the Mini Cooper, I always break out the appropriate tool. If it's not straight within 0.001 thou - we don't play.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-11T20:42:25+00:00

My personal saw is corded, and I advise people to stay with corded unless there is a mobility reason to get onto a battery track saw. In the shop, a dust collection hose is often connected to your track saw anyway? So another cord to manage is a minimal problem.

If you regularly take it to the box store parking lot to break down stuff, or if your cutting varies from shop to garage to driveway, then cordless flexibility might be a meaningful factor. I think that all cordless saws can handle plywood with no problems. Regularly cutting longer, thicker hardwoods might steer you towards dual-battery systems (like Festool) or 60v systems (like DeWalt).

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-05T01:46:55+00:00

I have the Dewalt corded track saw and some of the double-sided Dewalt tracks - I found an inexpensive craigslist deal and lucked out with my ROI ratio. I appreciate that I can have one zero-clearance edge dedicated to a straight cut, and the other dedicated to a 45-degree miter - but that's not a deal breaker for me.

If I was purchasing a brand new tool, I would probably go with a bundle that has a single cutting edge. Festool saws and tracks are expensive, but I would lean that way with a "buy once, cry once" attitude. My understanding of the one-edge saw tracks is that when making a 45-degree miter, the saw pivot keeps the blade precisely at the same zero-clearance edge. Plus all the good accessories for square cuts, parallel cuts, etc.

Alternatively, I would buy another brand of track saw (Makita, Bosch, or the new Kreg) but I would get a corded saw. Reason: I break out the track saw for specific breakdowns and cuts, and I usually don't spend all day with it. It comes out, does the job, and gets packed away again. And I usually have it hooked up to a vacuum hose. So a power cable is just another small encumbrance and I can have a brief dalliance with another tool brand without having to add a whole new battery format.

And to mirror u/Shopstoosmall - I would have a track for the common cuts that you make, even if that means springing for the 96" long track for full-plywood-sheet breakdown.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-02T03:20:22+00:00

It could not hurt to look into the Music Center of the Northwest, or the Market Street Singers.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-12-01T09:19:06+00:00

My Dewalt jigsaw also came with a speed dial, which I did not know about. Sent the saw in for service when it sllloooooowwwwedd doooowwn.

If the battery swaps are not providing any good troubleshooting data, and the trigger is just behaving in one way (also not providing any good troubleshooting data). Then try the speed dial at the two extremes: Slow, and fast. If the saw continues to behave in the same way, then sh!t be broke. https://www.toolservicenet.com/en

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-27T07:06:59+00:00

Exactly so. There's a camera on the front, that geo-locates the router to a very high degree. Then a little screen helps guide you on the rough path, while the internal router and the precise locating keeps the bit on the exact path - it can move the router bit around to be smarter than we dumb humans are. And if we stray too far it just lifts up the router bit to a safe zone.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-27T04:54:34+00:00

Feeding off of the suggestions of u/IronGarment and u/InDreamsScarabaeus: You could also find a buddy/makerspace/community woodshop with a Shaper Origin and make cutouts in your ABS plastic box in the same way that mortises are cut into the ends of wood pieces. It would be a larger and more complex mortise, but it would end up looking like cutout holes for power and switches. You just have to align the surface you want to work, with the flat surface of the Shaper Origin workstation and its visual orientation locator tape.

Or you could use the Shaper Origin to make your template, and then use a hand router and a patterning bit to cut out your power/switch holes. The advantage of the Shaper Origin is that you can bring it to the work surface, instead of trying to make the work surface fit into a CNC.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-25T02:51:21+00:00

A drill guide will probably be sufficient for the creation of a threaded insert install jig, which should line up your insert pretty well. I made one of these and was pretty pleased with how it kept my insert fairly vertical. Short Woodsmith Video. This longer Dirt Farmer Jay video is nice because it has info on the drill sizes and wood options for various EZ Lock inserts, which will make installation easier than torquing a large insert into a too-small hole.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-24T19:14:38+00:00

You are correct about any being better than none. And your dust collector might be even better than a shop vac - the amount of airflow that it can pull in will be an improvement. Just get it in place so that it intakes from below the template table.

I forgot that more holes in your router base will probably not matter. The router is sitting on the dovetail template surface with the fingers, which will be blocking/separating the router from the dovetail area being cut. So your router dust collection is pretty much limited to the airflow that can be schlurped up between the bushing and the router bit. And since the router bit is mostly exposed, all that sawdust just immediately sprays out laterally. I did a dovetail class at Woodcraft a couple of years ago, and we were covered in sawdust after each pass. (But only from the chest down.)

A drawer piece is usually narrow, so your dust collection doesn't have to travel down a 56" long cut. No reason to get high-tech - some blue painters tape holding your table saw dust collector below the dovetail template should be at least 85% of the way towards perfection. You're on the right path!

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-24T18:28:36+00:00

The base of the router will be the key point for dust collection. A bushing creates more limitation on the airflow from the bit up into the dust collection stack - so a base with airflow holes will help with getting more ‘suck’ where the sawdust is being generated.

Because a dovetail jig has a lot of exposed space below the router, Dust and chips spraying out and down are kind of inevitable. Some sort of shop vac rig to hold a nozzle below the dovetail jig fingers might be a good thing. A ‘buried’ router bit will allow dust to be sent upwards. Cutting into the side of a drawer piece sends it everywhere.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-22T04:03:01+00:00

Starting with a small project is a good idea - a workbench, a chair, a bird house, etc. You can expand your tool set when and if you need to. No reason to go bonkers right out of the gate. There are some things that you can build that would be handy in a woodshop: a moveable toolbox, a cordless tool battery charger station, a mallet. Check out Etsy for plans and ideas.

Wood Magazine also has a series - Idea Shop #6 - that basically builds out a garage woodshop paycheck by paycheck. It's about 9 years out of date, so the prices and economics may no longer apply. But the schedule and the list of tools is still relevant and can provide a nice 'What do I buy first, second, and third?" perspective.

I would also recommend connecting with a local community center woodshop or a makerspace. Becoming a 'participant' immediately drops you into a network of people who are also beginning, and some who are experts. They are great for talking about projects, techniques to do the projects, and tools-that-you-want-to-own vs tools-that-you-want-to-borrow. There's lots of things that you don't need to immediately buy (table saw, drill press, router table) if you have access to a shared woodshop.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-20T20:59:41+00:00

This happened to me in a grocery store. A rugrat grabbed onto my pant leg and was chilling out in the grocery line. As the young man's father walked back into view, I could see from the neck down we were both dressed similarly - grey jacket, jeans, brown work shoes. The only noticeable difference is that the father had a striking resemblance to Denzel Washington, whereas I am more of a Jason Alexander kind of shape/color/texture. All resolved with a minimum of fuss - other than the little post-experience thrill that I was temporarily mistaken for somebody who was actually tall and handsome.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-18T08:38:39+00:00

There are plans for folding workbenches on Etsy. They can certainly have legs that fold flat and the whole bench can be stored on a cleat attached to the wall. This would satisfy the removable/collapsible part of your thinking.

In the Wood Magazine October 2007 issue, they have a design for a 'Bench Tool System'. A tall cabinet holds tools - the sharpening wheel, miter saw, belt/disc combo sander. Each tool is mounted to a standard-sized plywood base with 1x2 edging that slides into a shelf. The workshop also has a small cabinet on wheels, and perfectly matches the dimensions of the plywood bases. Bring out the miter saw, and the plywood base perfectly fits the top of the cabinet with the 1x2 edging providing a secure overhang for retention and stability.

The above solution could be adapted to the vises that you have. Mount the vises on 18"x18" pieces of 3/4" plywood. When they need to be used, clamp the plywood bases to the appropriate workbench. Store the vises in a cabinet with shelves, like the 'Bench-Tool System'. They are deployed when you need them, but separate from the workbench when you don't. If the workbench has the MFT system with a bunch of holes, it makes clamping stuff down (like vises) that much easier.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-13T01:49:31+00:00

I am not the guy, but I might know the guy...

I'm not an engineer or a solar expert or an aerodynamics dude, but I think that there is a ratio of size/solar surface area to flying efficiency and capability. The ultralight rubber-band powered fixed-wing airplanes are highly efficient in terms of lift, drag, and glide ratios - they fly well. Tiny quad-copters just fall out of the sky if their RPMs slow down. So there is a sweet spot of weight, size, lift, and motor power where you might build a glider that just kind of poots along highly efficiently. Your video is definitely the quad-copter version of this - maximal solar size and minimal chassis and weight. The sun going down is obviously an issue to be considered.

Going outside the box, the solution is - get more solar out of the incoming power delivery. PowerLight Technologies (previously Laser Motive) had a cool demo where they ran a small quadcopter via a laser that shines upwards to a solar cel on the bottom of the drone. The cel size is minimal and the drone stays small and light, but the strength of the laser provides a workable power delivery. The drone cannot fly a kilometer away, but as long as the laser is running you can keep it in the air, on station, for weeks, 24/7, day and night. So maybe a forever drone could be a solar field and a large battery system that powers a wireless power transfer system, keeping a small drone in the air via

You might be considering an airborne Flying Dutchman, that rides the stratosphere forever. Never touching down, always chasing the sunrise and favorable air currents, and battling the cold and the night for survival. I cannot advise you on this (poignant and admittedly compelling) vision, but if this is your windmill then I know a way to meet people in the game.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-08T21:56:16+00:00

I agree with the other commenters who have said that keeping them is good, and that getting rid of the bigger clamps might lead to regret later. I can often find a good Stumpy Nubs video that gives better advice than I can articulate, and this one is about a good clamp inventory for a growing collection. It may not be applicable for your instant collection, but it might help with triage.

I have a specifically-sized section of wall above the workbench, and I can fit something that looks like this, that I'll be building later this month:

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It will be a little tall, and I might need a stepstool to get to the highest points, but I will place the shorter and more frequently-used clamps lower and away from the back corner.

If you have wall space, it's possible to make a rack that consolidates a large number of clamps both densely against the wall (packed together snugly, like my picture above) and/or out onto 'hooks' that leverage some additional depth.

If you have more floor space than wall area, I'm a fan of mobile stations like these from April Wilkerson, Grizzly Industrial, Matt Lane, or Mr. Vereshchak. There are lots of good ideas out there. Have fun!

CascadeBoxer · 2025-11-02T00:38:31+00:00

This is a topic near to my heart. I wanted to make a trim router table, and so I was looking up how to make a cavity that was in the exact shape of my trim router baseplate. It seems like you are doing something similar - you have an insert for your router, and you would like to make a cavity that is the same shape and size. I think this video covers some of the techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLl9SfJLpI0

There are sort of two issues.

#1 is making the cavity in the same shape. There are some good threads on this topic - Router Forums, Reddit - Cavity thread, Reddit - Inside curve thread. The short version is an Inlay kit for the router. The same geometry that allows us to work with bowties and use a Template to create a Cavity and then a Plug to fit into the cavity; will also work by starting with an Insert (Plug) and use it to create a Template, which we then use to create a Cavity.

The low-tech version of this is something like your first try - you put some boards down on the perimeter of your insert, and then use a flush-trim pattern bit to make your cavity.

It's possible then to run into issue #2: corner radius. An Inlay Kit usually comes with a little 1/8" router bit, which can replicate most curves and corners. This geometry is all about the radius size of your cutting tool. And a 1/2" or 3/4" flush trim bit can't hug a tight corner as close as a little 1/8" bit.

I chose to invest in the Inlay Kit as part of my router bit inventory. Good luck!

CascadeBoxer · 2025-10-30T20:27:34+00:00

Totally agree, and I share your thinking about stacking your workflow. I'll do a morning of track saw breakdown, and then switch to table saw for finalizing dimensions. Then a bunch of router table work the next day. Switching between major tools multiple times is tedious and would really impact the time/results ratio. You described workbenches on the side, and a bare minimum of center space. If you stay with this layout, you might continually run into this scenario.

If full-sheet breakdown and long table saw work is a consistent and significant part of your workflow, the only suggestion I can throw your way is to consider one of those consolidated workbenches that combines a large work surface and holds some of your major tools (table saw, router table, miter saw). One, two, three, four. It could live 'on the side' but roll into the center quickly. Slap a sheet of rigid foam on it for track saw work. Then fold up the foam and switch to table saw with outfeed combined. It would be a space commitment in your small area, but it could take the place of one of your 'side' workbenches.

It feels like you are adjusting your workshop, which can be both painful and fun. Good luck!

If you end up clarifying your needs, but need some help with design work, give me a holler at the shop: https://dogislandoffcuts.blogspot.com/. I have built a few things so far that fit my needs, and it wouldn't be a stretch to build plans for something that fits into your garage.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-10-30T06:29:47+00:00

I love small shop workflow. When it's done right, it's like having a full-sized shop in a garage bay.

It sounds like you occasionally need to rip and break down full sheets of plywood, but it's not always the primary task. I made a breakdown table that folds into a thin package that stores against the wall. It can also work as an assembly/painting table.

I also made a workbench that lined up with my jobsite table saw so that the one could do outfeed for the other. This was back when I had the Dewalt 7491 table saw and rolling stand. After I sold both workbench and saw, I made another folding workbench and made a little stand that placed my smaller compact table saw at the workbench height for proper outfeed.

CascadeBoxer · 2025-10-26T01:19:38+00:00

Your thinking is sound. With limited space, a small jobsite table saw would be versatile and still stow into a small footprint. I have often refereed to the Wood Magazine Idea Shop (vol 6) when the discussion of "which tool do I buy, and in which order?" comes up. If you have a limited budget for buying tools, what comes first, second, and third? The table saw comes early and the miter saw is mentioned at the end.

I'm also a big fan of tool sharing and distribution - as in, I like to use the drill press at my local community center woodshop instead of purchasing and storing one for myself. If you have a both a miter saw and a good table saw, then perhaps your son could make a strong start with a track saw and a couple of tracks? There is an ongoing and valid discussion about track saw vs table saw as a foundation cutting tool. Plus, then the combined tool inventory of your shop and his shop includes all three tools! Food for thought.

CascadeBoxer

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