I also like the drum!

In fact it gives me an idea for remote locating my delta dust collector to the second floor and keeping a small drum beside the table saw and location for the future MM.... IF I move it to the second floor I can enclose it and cut down on some of the noise...

Thanks for the Idea :)

What part of the hardware are you unhappy with?

I was happy about the plates and design. I was unhappy with the local hardware store. I don't have a very good selection of fasteners near me. So I had to do a little brain storming to make things happen. I don't have a machine shop, so I take a different approach than others sometimes.

I used threaded rod couplers, smaller than the space between the plates (because that's all I could get) and a nut, so I could adjust the distance with my calipers to make the plates parrallel. Alot of extra messing around to get the job done.

I guess it's no different than building the Mechmate. Everyones has it's unique features to accomplish the same result.

Mike