When trimming a reno site, I needed a quick, cheap, temporary base to support my mitre-saw so I could tame baseboard, quarter round and other stock mouldings, some 16′ long and often at the extreme ends. My solution was to use three 8′ long 2 × 4s to make a super-simple workstation I could clamp to some on-hand work stands.

The 8′ rails were fine, but I would have used 10′ or even 12′ rails for extra support if I had had them. The length of the spacer blocking to fit between the rails was determined by the depth of the mitre-saw base and the screw-hole locations for fas­tening the saw down. The center of the holes was equal to the center-to-center distance of the long 2 × 4s. Just like assembling a stud wall, the rails were screwed to the blocks with 3″ con­struction screws.

Once assembled, clamped to stands and the saw fastened cen­trally, I measured the height of the saw’s working surface above the top surface of my support assembly (3″ for me), added the width of my support stock (3-1/2″), and cut blocks from scrap wide enough to support the trim I was preparing to cut. Two or three on each side of the saw supported even floppy quarter round. Short +2″ × 2′ long auxiliary fences suited my needs, but could have been longer or taller as required to offer adequate sup­port for the stock to be safely and accurately cut.

Once the job was over, the parts were unclamped and disassembled, the screws went back in the tub and the 2 × 4 lumber was set aside for the next build.

A few 2 × 4s are all you need to make this quick and temporary mitre saw stand for your next trim project. Your back will thank you.