Shop Project - Make a Simple Stand for Your Thickness Planer from 2 x 4's and Plywood

I have a new thickness planer. I was going to just put it on the workbench when needed. However at 80 pounds, it just too heavy to move around much. I decided to make a simple and cheap stand from
2 x 4's and plywood.

I cut two 8 foot 2 x 4 fours in half for the legs.

I set the miter saw to 5 degrees and cut one end.

I set a stop at just over 35 inches and, making sure to keep the cuts parallel, cut the other end of the four legs.

After setting the saw back to zero, I set the stop to cut the four 22 inch long sides.

Then I cut the two 18 inch lower short sides, and the two 15 inch upper short sides.

Using some 90 degree corner guides, I make the upper box using two 22 inch sides and the two 15 inch sides. I drill pilot holes and use two 2 ½ inch screws in each corner.

I clamped a board on the top of the upper box to assist in lining up the legs. I butt them against the board and line them up with the edge of the box. I use three 2 ½ inch screws in each leg.

With the stand flipped upside down, I temporarily screwed a scrap block to hold the bottom box at 16 inches from the top. I fastened the box to that leg, and used a level to keep it aligned as a fastened the other legs. I used 3 screws in each leg, and drove more screws from the inside on the top and bottom box into the legs.

Since my garage floor is uneven, I installed some leveling sliders to the feet. I used a square to help drill straight, hammered the nuts, and screwed in the sliders.

I cut the bottom shelf out of some ½ inch OSB I had, and cut two layers of ½ inch plywood for the top.

I used the brad nailer to attach the bottom shelf.

 I also used it to attached each layer of the top shelf and then used screws to attach the top more securely.

I placed the planer on the stand, lined it up, and marked and drilled the four hole locations.

I used 4 inch hex bolts with a washer on top of the planer, another on the bottom of the shelf, and a lock nut.

It's ain't much to look at, but it'll get the job done.

Free and overpriced plans are available in Sketch Up and PDF format.