[SML] Folding workbench/chop saw station....

[Dougherty, Jim]

Couple thoughts -

1. Message the guy through his webpage (www.jeremyfielding.com).  He's got a great design, in a really nice video about his design/engineering process.  Thanks for the link, now subscribed!  He may be willing to sell plans to his bench, or the design to the bench mechanism.  Even if you can just start a conversation you'll be better off.
2. The basic mechanism uses parallel arms to raise the lower table while keeping it level.  One really smart feature is that the upper arm is the triangular gusset for the upper table top; that changes the angle of the upper table as you raise the lower table. 
3. His advice regarding drawings and prototyping is great - even if you just use cardboard you can mock up mechanisms to see how the geometry works, and as a prototype you can modify and adjust as you need to in order to get what you want without using up all your good materials.

Good luck, it's a great project!

- Jim Dougherty
Middlebury College Theatre Department