Portable Miter-Saw Stands -- continued
HTC 575P
The 575P from HTC Products is a well-made stand, and the
components store on board when it's folded for transport. Even
though it weighs nearly 70 pounds, the collapsed stand rolls
easily. Relocating the stand while it's set up is definitely a
two-person job, though. If you must move it by yourself, you'll
have to break it down first. I found that to be inconvenient
because it means the entire stand has to be set up again and
leveled. An adjustable leg is convenient for stabilizing the
stand on uneven surfaces, although the small feet will need to
rest on blocks if you're working on soft ground. One nice
feature is that the MDF saw base can be removed by loosening a
couple of wing nuts. If you'd be using multiple saws on this
stand, you could cut a piece of plywood to mount your other saw
and swap them back and forth. The 575P includes a roller
support, a bar-type support, and a T-stop that's used as a stop
or an extra support.
Contact: HTC Products, Inc., Royal Oak, Mich.;
800/624-2027.
Moving the HTC while it's folded is
easy. All its parts fit into a single unit, and air-filled
tires cushion the ride. The HTC has useful roller and bar-type
supports. The position of the tires makes the stand hard to
move while it's set up: It requires another person to help, or
you'll have to break it down, which takes a few minutes. The
adjustable middle support can be raised slightly to function as
a stop (above center).
Iowa Manufacturing Stablemate
The Stablemate stand comes completely assembled in the box.
Putting it to work was simply a matter of bolting my 10-inch
saw to the plywood base and attaching the mounting clamps.
Weighing in at 48 pounds without the saw, it's a relatively
lightweight tool. Although the wheels bolted to the legs make
it easy to roll the stand into the back of a truck, they are
too small to be useful when moving it across anything but a
smooth surface. The Stablemate is rock solid when set up, even
under the weight of a heavy 12-inch sliding saw. The mounting
base uses two crank-operated clamps that make it easy to get
the saw on and off and allow you to use the saw by itself with
the base attached. This stand would be excellent for anyone
with limited space and a tight budget. It's sturdy, well
constructed, and easy to use right out of the box.
Contact: Iowa Manufacturing, Battle Creek, Iowa;
800/882-4422, http://www.stablemateonline.com.
The Stablemate's crank-type clamps make
it convenient to mount and remove the saw and its base from the
stand. The mounting brackets act as short legs, making it
possible to use the saw separately from the stand without
unbolting it from the base (left).
Rousseau HD2950
Even though together they weigh more than 140 pounds, this
was the only stand I could load into my truck by myself without
removing the saw first. It slid in pretty easily when I placed
one end on the tailgate and lifted the other. The stand has
leveling legs and 10-inch pneumatic tires that are mounted on
the bottom of the legs, allowing you to relocate the stand
without completely collapsing it. The legs for the support
rollers store on the collapsed stand, eliminating the need for
extra trips to the truck.
The basic stand, however, is a pretty bare-bones piece of
equipment. It comes with only one roller support on each side,
so cutting different-length stock would require constant
adjustment. The optional support wing (part no. 6112, $103) and
fence-stop system (part no. 6000, $120) with calibrated stops
made this stand very easy to use. (Both parts come in right-
and left-hand versions, which are sold separately.) I would
suggest buying both the support wing and the stop system,
although that takes the total price to over $500 and makes this
the most expensive stand in the test. The saw bolts directly to
the stand's table, making it troublesome to switch saws.
Contact: Rousseau Co., Clarkston, Wash.; 800/635-3416,
http://www.rousseauco.com.
Rousseau's stand was the only one the
author could put in the truck by himself with the saw still on
it. Tilt it back until the front legs rest on the tailgate,
lift the other end, and slide it forward. The stop system
(above center) is among the best, but it isn't included in the
base stand and adds $120 to the cost. The calibrated stops are
accurate and easy to use.
TracRac TracMaster
At 35 pounds, this stand is light and portable. Even with my
saw bolted on, I could move it easily by myself. The mounting
platform slides into the stand from one end; feet on the bottom
of the platform make it possible to use the saw independent of
the stand. An included flip-up stop uses reliable cam-type
locks that didn't budge during repetitive cuts. I had some
doubts about the long-term durability of the plastic supports,
but the manufacturer assured me that they've never been known
to break during normal use.
This was the only stand I reviewed that offered a second work
support as an option, and if I were going to buy this stand, I
would buy an additional work support for the other side of the
saw (part no. 24301, about $50). That's important for safety as
well as convenience: Without the support, a cutoff piece could
lift up, or the piece could splinter before the saw passes all
the way through it. Omitting the second support just doesn't
make sense. I'm sure that's why the manufacturer made a point
of including the optional support in the stand it provided for
testing.
Contact: TracRac, Inc., Fall River, Mass.;
800/501-1587, http://www.tracrac.com.
The TracMaster's stock supports are easy
to adjust and lock solidly, but for some reason the
manufacturer provides only one per unit. The necessary second
support costs an extra $50.
Trojan MS2000
This stand offers exceptional mobility. Even with its
154-inch capacity, the unit can be easily relocated without
having to reset the tables and extensions. There's ample room
to grab the stand when it's being moved in the collapsed
position, and its small legs provide good support when you set
it down.
One idiosyncrasy of the Trojan MS2000 has to do with the
set-up procedure. It involves standing the unit on its wheels
and using your leg to control it. If you have fairly short
legs, as I do, this poses quite a challenge the first few times
you try it. The stand comes with a pair of table-type stock
supports, which include rollers mounted close to the saw itself
and extensions farther out. While the main tables are very
strong, I was a bit leery of the extensions, which are made
from 1/2-inch square tubing. Placing a heavy board on the
extension alone, without the added support of the main table,
could cause the extension to bend. Despite that minor quibble,
the large capacity and excellent mobility of this stand would
make it an excellent piece of equipment for both shop and field
use.
Contact: Trojan Manufacturing, Inc., Portland, Ore.;
800/745-2120, http://www.trojantools.com.
The MS2000 has an impressive 154-inch
capacity when set up but folds to wheelbarrow size. The
1/2-inch tubular stock on its extension tables seems
a little flimsy and might bend if subjected to a heavy
load.
Trojan Workcenter
At just 30 pounds, the Trojan Workcenter was the lightest
and least expensive stand tested. The design couldn't be much
simpler: A length of user-supplied 2x6 forms the backbone of
the stand, with two of Trojan's sturdy sawhorse legs forming
the base. The legs securely pinch the 2x6, and the saw platform
slips over the 2x6 with the saw mounted on top. (Rather than
bolting or screwing the saw to the MDF platform, I secured it
with a couple of C-clamps so I could also use the saw without
the stand.) The Workcenter includes two adjustable support
rollers that are secured to the lumber frame with thumbscrews.
The legs can be used to make a sturdy sawhorse when they're not
in use as part of the saw stand, and the support rollers can be
set up to provide outfeed support for ripping long stock with a
table saw. The Workcenter lacks a stop system, and because it
consists of a number of separate parts, everything has to be
carried separately when it's disassembled. Even so, I liked
this stand a lot. Its versatile components and low cost make it
an attractive option for builders who want a lot of bang for
the buck.
Contact: Trojan Manufacturing, Inc., Portland, Ore.;
800/745-2120, http://www.trojantools.com.
The Trojan Workcenter's no-frills design
relies on a 2x6 to support the saw base. It clamps securely and
allows the user to vary the length of the stand as needed,
depending on the length of the 2x6 selected.
Although the Workcenter breaks down into
a number of separate units, all the components (excluding the
saw) will fit neatly behind the seat of a pickup. When the saw
stand is not in use, the folding sawhorse legs and rollers can
be used for other tasks.