Universal Tool Stand

I was looking for a new tool stand recent. I used to buy Craftsman tool stands for my bench top tools but they aren't available anymore. This Powertec stand appears to be identical except the hardware is now metric hex bolts instead of SAE button head phillips bolts and they added metric measurement to the table top. If you look at the picture, even the warning markings are the same. The supplied wood - I've mounted a miter saw, router, band saw and a 100lb drill press to these MDF tops without issues. Mine look a little darker in the picture because I usually put a couple of coats of clear poly on them because MDF doesn't do well if they absorb liquids. If you’re mounting something in the middle of the board instead of near the edges you’d probably want to use plywood instead. Should they supply plywood instead? That's more cost passed on to the consumers plus plywood tends to have a lot of voids in the layers that show on the edging unless you add edging. The shelf is thin. I mainly use it to storage light weight attachments like router bits, saw fence attachments, etc. Yes the two piece shelf will bow in the middle under any kind of significant weight but it would make assembly much more challenging if it was a single piece of wood. The hardware – I didn’t have any issues with the count, breaking, etc. except one phillips screw for the table top had a bit of scrap metal suck in the cross. I was able to pry it out with a pick and the screw worked just fine. It’s easy to strip out the MDI with wood screws so I always tighten them by hand, no power tools unless they on the lowest torque settings. The bolts are marked as grade 4.8 so use them/torque them with that in mind. I don't see a strength issue for my application of supporting a bench belt sander. The metal legs and brackets – I measured the thickness to be about .051”. That’s with paint. It’s rigid enough as a stationary stand. 500lbs would really seem to be pushing it though. I’d be hesitant to add casters directly to the legs. The “feet” are only plastic which will eventually crack but adding casters will add more stress on the legs as they will want to spread out on their own due to the trapezoidal design of the legs. Think of standing with your feet apart wearing sneakers verses putting bunch of marbles under those sneakers. Get casters that either sit on a plate or are locked to each other if you go that route. This is a good tool stand at this price point. I couldn't find anything else available that is comparable except for the tool stand from the discount tool supplier. That one doesn't provide any kind of top or shelf. I'm satisfied with this stand for my usage (DIYer bench top power tools).

As an owner of several tool stands from different manufacturers, I can state that the POWERTEC Tool Stand is a high quality unit. Its assembly process is very similar to the other stands I've purchased previously. It is stable and provides sufficient rigidity to support the 200 lb. machine I've installed upon it. The width of the upper shelf is adjustable which I used advantageously to accommodate the mounting locations of that machine. The center shelf provided with the POWERTEC Tool Stand is an added bonus which I use to store equipment used on that machine. I can recommend this product.

I just assembled my tool stand. It appears to be quite sturdy and nice looking. Assembly was pretty simple but, I have a couple complaints. First, the bottom shelf was too large. I needed to make several cuts on the shelf in order to make it fit. Also, the 1/2 " MDF board provided was not the best material to use. The screws supplied were too long. There weren't any pilot holes drilled to use with the self-piercing screws resulting in a minor blow out on the shelf. I decided to replace the screws with 1" machine bolts and nuts. I needed to drill holes to do this, but it was well worth it. It is a terrific product but could better if these corrections were made.

I purchased this stand to hold a Skil benchtop drill press and it works as advertised. I also put it on a Harbor Freight-brand Central Machinery Mobile Base. For just over $100 I now have a rolling benchtop drill press. Great value and sturdy build. The assembly was a bit fiddly, though. You don't have to fully tighten any of the hardware until you have it nearly completely assembled so the loose supports made it a bit of a challenge. Overall, this is an excellent tool stand for the price and can be adapted for many uses.

I ordered a 9" bandsaw and needed a stand. After reviewing several here and from other sellers, I decided on the POWERTEC UT1002 Universal Tool Stand. As I was using it for a bandsaw, I ordered it with the WEN foot switch (glad I did as I love it too). The stand is relatively easy to assemble. As instructed I assembled the 2 longer sides first, leaving the hardware loose. Then attached the brackets for the shorter ends, thus adjoining the long sides. I did use wood glue to join the two top pieces together (hopefully strengthening them also). As I glued them, I used a pair of clamps to keep them together. I didn't have any problems with the included hardware. The two lower shelf pieces, I attached to the rails (there are holes already drilled) using some 10x32 hardware I had. I think that made the legs stiffer than with those pieces loose. After I had it together, I sprayed the top down with polyurethane. The next day I attached the bandsaw. As I wanted to be able to move it around the shop, I used the saw to cut out some scrap wood and attach some casters. I used a set of casters I already had (the kind similar to those on common desk chairs). I'm completely satisfied with the stand and would buy it again. No it might not be suitable for a really heavy tool, but for this bandsaw it's perfect. Great stand for the money; a real value!

Easy to assemble, sturdy enough for my bench top drill press.

So... busted box and no assembly instructions at all. Fortunately Amazon packed the broken box inside another box, along with some other items I'd ordered, so at least I didn't lose anything. Based on the product photo here and the one printed on the box, I made guesses as to how to put it together and in about what order. Seemed to work out okay, save for the fact I started out with the lower shelf brackets upside down, so of course the insert didn't fit. Once I straightened that out, it's all right -- definitely a light-duty tool stand, which I purchased for use with a Wen belt/disc sander. I've never trusted split piece fiberboard platforms though. I see why they did that, so that you could separate the halves. But I wanted solid and to my eye even when screwed down from underneath, the top didn't come together evenly being bowed slightly and the two pieces weren't even the same color (although printed to match with ruler measurements and a warning label, which no doubt will rub off pretty fast anyway), so I'm guessing they came from different lots. I reinforced both the top platform and bottom shelf with extra plywood cut to fit. Once I did that, the sturdiness level went way up. Big difference. They did give me enough bolts to do the job, but not nearly enough washers, like only about half as many as needed. Again, fortunately we have a full shop here, so we have extras, but still, it's shoddy not to include enough and also not to include ANY instructions. My advice on assembling this would be to just finger tighten the screws to start with, put on the feet, and then on flooring or concrete you know to be mostly level, finally tighten everything down. The only tools you'll really need are a wrench (socket or crescent, 10mm) and a Philips-head screwdriver. Plus maybe a power driver to screw down the shelves. They did include some kind of foot leveler which I suppose goes on one of the feet, but it turned out not to be necessary. As for what this tool stand is good for, well it is just about perfect for the tabletop 6-inch belt/disc sander. Other uses would be tools of similar size, like other tabletop sanders, a router table, scroll-saw, or a small drill press. I'm not sure it would do as a bench grinder platform unless you really do reinforce both the top and bottom shelves and possibly even do something to keep the legs from moving off position. It's rated for up to 500 lbs, but honestly I wouldn't trust it for more than half that, out of the box. Basically most light to medium duty bench-top power tools.

The stand itself is great. I tossed the MDF top immediately and installed a 24"x24" Birch Plywood top in its place. I left the shelf for now though it's cheap. The instructions are lacking. You're better off just tossing them in the trash and not using them.

The stand was easy to assemble and the parts seemed well made. I've been using it as a stand for a small drill press and a small belt sander - it's been very solid and hasn't caused any issues so far. You may want to put a clear coat on the MDF top / shelf pieces if you think there's any risk that they're going to get wet or get oil on them, though, as they're completely unfinished.

Práctica, fácil de armar, me gustaría que trajera otro nivelador de las patas, (solo trae 1)

Excelente

About 1/2 hour assembly time, with power driver, would take longer with standard wrenches, all parts were included. Once assembled it can handle even heavy bench tools

Overall, pretty decent and strudy. Easy to setup. I use it as a 3d printer stand and when I was setting it up I was concerned it would wobble but once you get all the bolts shored up it's pretty solid. The wood is particle board so a little fragile but you can easily cut new ones out of plywood. For me, works great.