Mitre saw bench – Part 5 Additional shelving

As I have acquired more tools and equipment in the workshop, I have needed to increase my storage options to keep the workshop tidy and organised. The first step was to add some additional shelving under the centre section of the mitre saw bench.

This space has so far just been used to store some empty plastic boxes, which I put all my power tools in to keep them protected while moving house. I therefore decided to make better use of the space directly under the mitre saw and opted to fit some shelves. I started by measuring the space and marking where I wanted the shelves to go, to give me enough space to slide some plastic boxes onto the shelves to hold offcut pieces and some jigs.

Once I had finished all the planning, I measured and cut some recovered thicker pallet pieces to the required length. I drilled pilot holes and then screwed them into place on the mitre saw bench, using a spirit level to make sure the supports were exactly parallel to the floor to stop anything sliding off the shelves. I used my circular saw to cut some white melamine coated chipboard to size (I still have a lot left over from dismantling several wardrobes from moving house) and then clamped the chipboard into place on the supports.

I secured the shelving to the supports by driving screws through the chipboard, ensuring the head of the screw was flush with the top of the shelf to prevent anything I put on the shelves from catching on the screw. I tested the dimensions of the shelves with the plastic boxes I want to use to hold different offcuts – the boxes fitted with a small amount of space to spare, which is great for allowing me to slide them out slightly to drop in an offcut piece from using the mitre saw above.

The melamine coating on the chipboard allows the offcut boxes to slide smoothly around on the shelves and so far the chipboard seems strong enough to take the weight. I will keep on eye on it as I add more weight with more offcuts and may add additional strengthening if required.

This is the first step to increasing the storage space in the workshop and working to keep the usable surfaces clear. I also have some ideas for upgrading and improving a number of different parts of the mitre saw bench to increase the functionality, so I will share those as I complete them! 🔨