Chop Saw Cabinet Cuts Down Mess

Chop Saw Cabinet Cuts Down Mess FARM SHOP Miscellaneous 29-6-39 Cary Urka's chop saw cabinet makes cleanup easy. The 275-gal. fuel oil tank catches fines, traps sparks and provides an easy-to-clean work surface. "I used to have my chop saw on a bench, and it blew grit everywhere," says Urka. "This cabinet catches all the drops, and I figure I won't have to clean it out for years. Even then, I will just pull off the top and dump it out." To make the cabinet/bench, Urka set the barrel on its side and cut away 2/3 of one side of the barrel, leaving both ends in place. He placed two sections of 10-in. I-beams salvaged from a trailer house frame under the barrel for legs. Angle iron supports were welded in across the opening where to hold the chop saw. A piece of perforated metal screening with 1/4-in. holes laid across the angle irons gave Urka a table about three feet off the ground. Pegs inserted in the angle irons directly under the saw keeps it from moving while in use. A slot removed beneath the saw lets large bits fall straight through. Fines blow through the perforations. Two pieces of flexible dryer vent tubing direct fresh air at the motor to keep it clean and cool, while a furnace filter set behind the chop saw catches sparks that bounce off the walls. Urka hung two lights from the remaining end and connected two electrical circuits to the unit. One circuit feeds the lights and an electrical outlet, while the other supplies the chop saw. "I put in the electrical outlet so I could plug in a grinder and catch the grinder dust as well," says Urka. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Cary Urka, 16919 Pole Rd., Bretheren, Mich. 49619 (ph 231 477-5364; urka@ kaltelnet.net).

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