I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

In article ,
Tom Gardner mars@tacks wrote:

I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

The "strait-line" clamps with saw-sled work and don't take up much
space. If you find that too slow and want to waste more space, you just
need to set up some sort of linear bearing and sled - the cheap method
used on the original shop-bot CNC router was uni-strut and patio door
bearings, and could be adjusted adequately for CNC routing, or much
better than is needed for the average panel saw.

Turn that vertical or nearly so and provide a pulley & counterweight and
you are most of the way there. If you want to spend more on it use some
sort of precision material and the fact that you do own machine tools -
ie, two chunks of 6-foot 1" drill rod at $60/each (or hardened bearing
shafting at $72/each - McMaster prices) and bore holes in guide/bearing
blocks rather than using unistrut and patio door bearings, which were
designed for folks without machine tools to speak of. Or spend even more
money for proper linear bearings to slide on the shafts...

The saw sled itself can be a board or hunk of plywood the saw bolts to.
Bit of a ledge and some supports for the sheet goods and Robert is your
mother's brother. Make the ledge level and the linear shafting plumb,
and it cuts square... Walk into the big-box lumber store near you if you
want to study one in person, rather than in pictures, but realize that
commercial ones will not be designed in a way for easy home-brew copying
- they will have complexities you can avoid and save money on.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by
Please don't feed the trolls. Killfile and ignore them so they will go away.

On Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:36:55 -0400, Tom Gardner mars@tacks wrote:

I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

Several Wreckers have posted plans over the years. DAGS, while Google
still indexes the Wreck.

http://www.google.com/search?q=build+panel+saw 4.18 million hits.

Think you can find something, Tawm?

'Course, Leon, et al. will be along any time to sell ya the Dr. Fester
equivalent. Methinks they're onto something, too.

BUT, iffen yer as cheap^H^H^H^H^Hfrugal as I think you are, here are
plans for an 8' circ saw guide:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/4283497

--
That's the thing about needs. Sometimes, when you get them met,
you don't need them anymore. -- Michael Patrick King

On Tuesday, September 6, 2011 7:36:55 PM UTC-7, Tom Gardner wrote:
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans?

One appealing design used steel fencepost tubing (large
section, a lot of bending moment at a low price per foot)
for rails, and a U-bolt with a dozen or more plastic washers was
the linear bearing (you use several of those). You just
need the U-bolt inner diameter and tubing OD to mismatch
in size by the washers' standoff distance.

On Sep 6, 9:36*pm, Tom Gardner mars@tacks wrote:
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? *I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. *The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. *The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

Usually I use a skilsaw with a guide on the floor to do my cutting,
but here's one from ShopNotes that seems nice:
http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/l...anel-saw-6126/
Maybe add a laser doodad for bonus points.

"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message
...
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly. Has
anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s of ply
and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some projects that
will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is cabinets along the long
wall in the garage.


I get good results from a Porter Cable 314 and clamped-on guide strips:
http://www.portercable.com/products/...roductID=11002
A pass or two with a block plane removes any hiccups and edge splinters. For
furniture-grade work I clamp the panel upright between two B&D Workmates and
hit it with a longer two-hand plane. The high school wood shop teacher was
an old Swedish cabinet maker who taught us how to do good work with manual
tools instead of relying completely on expensive machinery. I can still cut
smooth flats and press-fit mortices on oak logs for pole sheds without
electricity.
https://picasaweb.google.com/KB1DAL/...97252388872754

It's made well enough that the sole plate edges are truly parallel to the
blade, unlike my Makita 9.6V panel saw. Both were second hand and used a
lot, the PC314 held up better. If it could cut through 2" lumber I'd use it
for everything.

jsw

On Sep 6, 10:36*pm, Tom Gardner mars@tacks wrote:
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? *I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. *The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. *The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

I have one of these: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PPS-2.html you
clamp on the guide and then you could, quite literally, make an
accurate cut with your eyes closed (though I wouldn't recommend it).

On Wed, 7 Sep 2011 08:53:10 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:


"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message
m...
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly. Has
anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s of ply
and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some projects that
will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is cabinets along the long
wall in the garage.


I get good results from a Porter Cable 314 and clamped-on guide strips:
http://www.portercable.com/products/...roductID=11002

Cuuute! I think I'll opt for a 6-1/2" next time (maybe a Makita
SP6000K), once Dad's old Craftsman dies. It's not even getting
-noisy- after 40+ years. shrug I use my crosscut saw and ryoba more
than it, though. I haven't tried the Ryobi 4-1/2" 18v saw yet, but
the old 14.4v didn't have a battery life worth mentioning...unless you
were cursing.


A pass or two with a block plane removes any hiccups and edge splinters. For
furniture-grade work I clamp the panel upright between two B&D Workmates and
hit it with a longer two-hand plane. The high school wood shop teacher was
an old Swedish cabinet maker who taught us how to do good work with manual
tools instead of relying completely on expensive machinery. I can still cut
smooth flats and press-fit mortices on oak logs for pole sheds without
electricity.
https://picasaweb.google.com/KB1DAL/...97252388872754

You were a lucky schoolboy, Jim. Handy training.


It's made well enough that the sole plate edges are truly parallel to the
blade, unlike my Makita 9.6V panel saw. Both were second hand and used a
lot, the PC314 held up better. If it could cut through 2" lumber I'd use it
for everything.

Yeah, 4-1/2" is just too small to cut tubas.

--
That's the thing about needs. Sometimes, when you get them met,
you don't need them anymore. -- Michael Patrick King

Tom Gardner wrote:

I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

A few sawhorses, a straightedge, and a Skil saw? ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

On 9/6/2011 11:59 PM, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:36:55 -0400, Tom Gardnermars@tacks wrote:

I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

Several Wreckers have posted plans over the years. DAGS, while Google
still indexes the Wreck.

http://www.google.com/search?q=build+panel+saw 4.18 million hits.

Think you can find something, Tawm?

'Course, Leon, et al. will be along any time to sell ya the Dr. Fester
equivalent. Methinks they're onto something, too.

BUT, iffen yer as cheap^H^H^H^H^Hfrugal as I think you are, here are
plans for an 8' circ saw guide:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/reviews/4283497

--
That's the thing about needs. Sometimes, when you get them met,
you don't need them anymore. -- Michael Patrick King

I saw "Information Overload" from Google. I'm sure someone has already
weeded out non-contenders. Two schools of thought: Follow the path or
start from an unpolluted mind. Or, buy a used saw that falls into my
lap from Craig's List or such. (I guess that's three schools of thought...)

On 9/7/2011 9:44 AM, rangerssuck wrote:
On Sep 6, 10:36 pm, Tom Gardnermars@tacks wrote:
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

I have one of these: http://www.pennstateind.com/store/PPS-2.html you
clamp on the guide and then you could, quite literally, make an
accurate cut with your eyes closed (though I wouldn't recommend it).

Hmm, that just might fill the need and I can always upgrade if the
demand is there. Thanks!

On Sep 6, 8:36*pm, Tom Gardner mars@tacks wrote:
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly.
Has anybody seen plans? *I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s
of ply and such. *The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some
projects that will use a lot of ply pieces. *The first project is
cabinets along the long wall in the garage.

I had plans at one time, think it was in a library book. Used a heavy-
duty window support unit, like a big clock spring in a box, to support
and counterbalance the skilsaw. Elementary guides were made out of
electrical conduit and HDPE, the rails and braces were 2x stock. I
didn't build one because I don't have the wall space and alignment
would have been a bugger.

What I DO have is a couple of fancy clamps, they span the 4' and 8'
directions, I just use them as guides. Same outfit now sells the same
clamping mechanism with a square J-hook on one edge and a baseplate
for the saw hooks onto that. Have a baseplate for routers, too.
Haven't felt the need, myself. A Workmate and a saw horse complete
the rig, it all takes down and stores in a corner. The clamps can be
had from the various woodworker's supply outfits, locally I've seen
them at both Rockler Hardware and Woodworker's Supply. I've built a
bunch of stuff using them, last project was the floor for my storage
hut, used a bunch of 3/4" pressure treated plywood on that. Bozos
didn't use any even fractions of a sheet, either, when they designed
the floor plans. Lots of cuts needed with lots of oddball scrap.

I've used my DeWalt contractor saw for ripping 4x8 sheets, you can get
extensions for side and back to do this single handed. It comes with
a rack and pinion adjusted fence that makes ripping to specific widths
dead easy. A roller or two helps, also. Get a good plywood blade
when you do this, the $6 cheapies are NOT the way.

One of the local big boxes will rip sheets, gratis, on their panel
saw, I've used this service to make small ones from big ones and make
it easier to cut to size later. You do have to do your layout work
before you go shopping. They don't guarantee exact size, either.

Stan

"Tom Gardner" mars@tacks wrote in message
...
I would really like to have a panel saw at home but they are costly. Has
anybody seen plans? I don't need fancy, just to straight cut 4x8s of ply
and such. The table saw method is unwieldy and I have some projects that
will use a lot of ply pieces. The first project is cabinets along the
long wall in the garage.


I got several expandable roller conveyers that will hook together. I just
put them in front and behind my table saw. They don't stash totally out of
the way, but they still take up less room than a panel saw. Another neat
idea I have seen done on cabinet saws is to put fold down tables on the
front and back.

"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
...
I got several expandable roller conveyers that will hook together.

I clamp a piece of scrap upright in the Workmate and align it with the saw
table by eye. I can never get roller stands aligned well enough that they
don't tug the sheet sideways. I've used inverted furniture dollys for floppy
sheets that didn't need precise height.

jsw