On Wed, 26 Dec 2007 08:18:53 -0500, "J. Clarke"
wrote:

There are at least three shop made panel saw designs out there, one
from Rockler (which I believe was originally published in Woodworkers'
Journal) and two from Shop Notes, that if labor is free might be
significantly cheaper than the Milwaukee or Trax. I've not used any
of them so have no idea how well they work, but might be worth a look.
I believe the Rockler and the one from Shop Notes #4 require that one
move the panel for horizontal cuts while the one from Shop Notes #88
has a moving carriage.

IIRC, the OP indicated that budget wasn't a problem (wish I were in
that position) so a purchased panel saw is probably where he wants to
go. But I built the SN#4 panel saw and have been extremely pleased
with the results.

It is correct that horizontal cuts require rotating the saw 90 degrees
in the carriage and sliding the panel. As a result, I find myself
using the straight edge/circular saw technique for cuts longer than
4'. I'll have to take a look at the SN#88 version with an idea toward
replacing the SN#4 version.

Tom Veatch
Wichita, KS
USA