Providing space in the shop for a table saw, chop saw, and router table makes it difficult to get the car inside in the winter.   So my fist project was to build a rolling workspace with the table saw embedded at one end and a router embedded at the other.   The 10" miter saw that I had was the one from Maine.  When it did not sell, I gave it to my daughter.   She is just "storing" it in my garage.   By putting wheels under it, I am able to move it to a position that will not interfere with getting the car in the garage during the winter.   I decided to build the work table to be 3' x 6'.  I purchased a low-end Craftsman table saw on sale at Lowe's and set it just proud of the table surface.  This provides lots of outflow space for the saw.  I left an enclosed box under the saw and funneled the saw dust out-flow from the saw into the box.   This serves as a measure of dust control.  If I need more, I can hook my shop-vac directly to the saw.   At the other end will be an embedded router plate.  I have not yet purchased the plate, but I have both a compact router and a Ryobi 1.5 hp router that I inherited from my father.  

The workstation is built on a platform built of 2x4 lumber with a 1/2" plywood floor.  Under that frame are four 2" polyurethane locking casters.   The top is 3/4" MDF supported with another 2x4 frame.  I used double 2x4s in the four corners.  The saw is fastened to a shelf which holds the saw about 1/16" above the MDF surface.  This insures that the outflow from the saw won't snag the work surface on the way out of the saw.  I routed a channel in the work surface to allow the miter gauge to easily protrude from the back of the saw table.  A power strip with fifteen foot cord is attach to the side of the saw.  A pegboard panel was installed for storage of saw blades, etc.

So far, the workstation has worked well.  I can roll it around in the garage to give plenty of room to work around it.  My shop-vac has a fifteen-foot hose attached, so it is easy to reach anywhere in the garage.   I have chosen the router plate, but not yet ordered it.  I am considering a modification to the workstation to fit a miter saw in the middle.    I have seen several designs where the miter saw is on a surface that swings up into place when needed.  When not in use, a filler is set in place to keep the work surface contiguous.  My 30-year old Delta miter has a stand, but it is not a compound miter and is pretty heavy.  But that will be a future project.

We have a small deck off the rear of our condo.  In an effort to make it more visually pleasing, I decided to put planting boxes along the top of the railings.  Two years ago, I bought five flower boxes at Home Depot.  By the end of the first season, the boxes were falling apart.  If wanted the flower boxes to last a few years, I decided that I needed to build my own.  I reviewed materials available at Lowe's and chose a pressure-treated Southern yellow pine 1x8".  The five boxes are 36" long.  I chose to use a simple butt-joint for the sides and end plates.  The base plate fits up in between the side boards and screwed in place.  I have drilled three small holes in the bottom for drainage and then stapled a piece of landscape cloth into the bottom of the box.  Each box gets a trim strip around the top edge of the box and a wider trim strip along the bottom edge of the box.  Then the boxes are stained a reddish brown.

The bigger problem was how to attach the box to the railing.  I did not want to use hangers that go over the top railing.  I also did not want to drill holes in my new composite deck railings.  I found an L-shaped bracket on Amazon where the vertical section will rest against a stile and the box sits on the horizontal. I chose to put a strip of double-sided high bond tape along the 8" vertical and then ran two tie wraps around it and the stile.  But the flower box can get very heavy with wet soil and large plants.  I found a bracket on Amazon that goes around the stile and screws into the box.  In most cases, that has kept the box in place.  I have one or two that have slipped a few inches.  I will reposition them in the spring.

When I was a kid, my father loved going camping, my mother not so much.  There was always an excuse like allergies or athsma.  I never remember my mother on any camping trip.  My dad bought a tent trailer in the 1960's.   I think it was an Apache.  The top was hinged to create two doors that opened up and were propped in the horizontal position.  Then you lifted to the two end panels of the tent.  There was nothing inside except a long cabinet on each side with sliding doors.  That was it.  My father had all the camping equipment including a three-burner Coleman stove and lantern.  He crafted a plywood box about 18" square and about 30" long.  The front of the box was hinged at the bottom.  He used it to house all of the dishes, silverware ,and cooking utensils.  I decided that I needed one.

I decided to make mine a little larger than my father's and the top would be hinged on mine.  The first issue was choice of materials.  I opted for 1/2" cabinet-grade plywood.  I left if unfinished, except for the top.  I had some leftover stainless steel contact paper that I had used on the RV refrigerator.  It is a waterproof vinyl with the appearance of stainless steel.  I can use the top as a counter for food prep and the like.  Next decision was the joinery.  I wanted the box to have a capacity of 50 pounds, so I opted for metal brackets, rather than pocket screws.   I cut the plywood using my Kreg Rip-Cut Guide.  My circular saw clamps into it and you adjust the fence for the correct width.  It worked very well.  I had some leftover aluminum U-channel that I used to support the dividers inside.  I measured for the best location and used double-sided 3M High Bond tape to hold it in place.

The next project will be building birdhouses.  My thinking is that I can make some chump change selling birdhouses at flea markets, etc.  I have been scoping out several different designs.  But I have not started this yet.