Miter saw bench: working surface dimension

[yeldogt]

For various reasons I'm not moving everything from other places to my new studio/garage. Going to be building a new miter station -- there are endless ideas and possibilities on the web.

I'm trying to decide about the actual working surface. See everything from 6" to 12" deep in front of the fence. Now, the typical knock down portable cart/unit is often 4" -- think that's what the DeWALT stand is. My current stationary is around 8" ... and I'm not seeing any need for more.

My plan is 8' to the left of the saw (but I may reduce) and 4 or 5' to the right. I also prefer no real fence -- just a stop. I may end up with 5' each side.

What do people have?

I also have a small 8.5" Hitachi with wings .. that under 5". I'm going to buy a new miter saw and give my DeWALT to the kid next door. I may keep the small 8.5 .. for reasons unknown at the moment.

 

[Toolfool]

I hated every saw stand I've ever worked with. Material falling off the rollers as I slid it along. So I built a portable saw stand that would also give me table space to rout, sand, cope, whatever. Built out of 1/2" plywood (this one is 10' goods), it gets clamped on top of a single steel folding sawhorse. I added a Rockler fence for stops. I have 5' of support left and right from the blade and about 10.5" from the fence to the front edge of the table. The angles and cutouts are to reduce weight and create handholds. This will probably be my mitre station in my new shop.

 

[yeldogt]

That ... is a smart mobil work stand .. may build one of those for the 8.5". To be clear the saw sits on the stand so the saw's fence lines up with the back edge?

What I am going to build is a new station -- what you have in the background. But -- I don't want or need a big contraption. I curently have the ability to create stops out to 8' .. not sure I have ever needed this inside the shop. Most times the stops are used for drawer and cabinet parts and they tend to all be way under 4'. Cutting an 8' board or even 10' board on 5' is not going anyplace -- that's why I was thinking only 5' on each side.

It's the working space in front of the tool fence that I'm trying to figure out --

 

[Toolfool]

Give yourself as much space in front of the fence as you can, then you have a working table that's the full length. Mine gives me a 10.5" x 10' table for sanding, routing long boards. I finish whole houses without any other table set-up.
On my portable station there's a 1/2" plywood deck that sits in the recess and bolts into T-nuts. Then the saw bolts on top into T-nuts. There are holes for my 12" compound and holes for my 12" slider so both fences line up about 1.5" in from the back edge. Then the line up with the rails for the stops. I'll put it together and take some pictures. This current station is about the fourth or fifth version.