http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw this kit.
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built one? Is
this company reliable?
Thanks

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:02:22 -0500, "BG250" wrote:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw this kit.
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built one? Is
this company reliable?
Thanks

I haven't built that one, but have made 2 panel saws in the past...
they can be as simple as a sheet of plywood with a frame and a couple
of pieces of pipe with a skill saw mounted on it.. and very accurate..

We used to build office "hot file" holders and could never get the
lumber yard to cut the shelves square, so we took a day and built our
own panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:02:22 -0500, "BG250" wrote:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw this
kit.
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built one?
Is
this company reliable?
Thanks

I haven't built that one, but have made 2 panel saws in the past...
they can be as simple as a sheet of plywood with a frame and a couple
of pieces of pipe with a skill saw mounted on it.. and very accurate..

We used to build office "hot file" holders and could never get the
lumber yard to cut the shelves square, so we took a day and built our
own panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I was considering building the whole thing myself as well. The pipe is a
good idea. I just have to figure a way to make a glide the saw can run on
smoothly down the rail (pipe). The acrylic blade may be the most expensive
part of the whole thing!
bg

I've been toying with building one when I set up my shop in the new house we are building. I looked closely at the one at my local home depot, and it looks like you can use u-bolts with a bunch of washers on it - these would ride over the pipe. I was considering turning the washers on a pen madred from that high density slick plastic (can't remember the initials for it), then cutting them to thickness on a bandsaw.

In article , "BG250"
wrote:

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:02:22 -0500, "BG250" wrote:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw this
kit.
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built one?
Is
this company reliable?
Thanks

I haven't built that one, but have made 2 panel saws in the past...
they can be as simple as a sheet of plywood with a frame and a couple
of pieces of pipe with a skill saw mounted on it.. and very accurate..

We used to build office "hot file" holders and could never get the
lumber yard to cut the shelves square, so we took a day and built our
own panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I was considering building the whole thing myself as well. The pipe is a
good idea. I just have to figure a way to make a glide the saw can run on
smoothly down the rail (pipe). The acrylic blade may be the most expensive
part of the whole thing!
bg
For the glides you could use some blocks of UHMW plastic with
appropriate diameter hole drilled to suit pipe. Commercial panel saws
use muffler clamps with loose fibre washers all around the U part. The
washers rotate on the U and act as a bearing.

--
meet me at: http://www.peterhyde.bravehost.com/

Yep, I made it. Here is my reply to the original post on 1/7/05:

I made this one:

http://store.yahoo.com/woodsmithstore/panelsawkit.html

It is a little cheaper and works well for me. The removable wings are
handy, and it folds back against the wall and only sticks out about 6". I
also have another friend who made the same one. Together, we problably made
about every mistake possible, so if you decide to go with the same plans, I
can probably tell you what not to do.

The main issue seems to be the track that the panel rests on and slides on
while being cut. My friend told me that his was a little tough to push
through, and even with the rabbets had a tendency to gather sawdust. So I
had the bright idea to mount skateboard wheels instead of the wood strip his
uses. I have yet to get them all perfectly aligned (for a number of
reasons) and am thinking of redoing it and going with a wood strip with
teflon on top. If you're interested, I'll look around and see if I can find
the plans.....

Jeff

"makesawdust" wrote in message
...

BG250 Wrote:
"mac davis" wrote in message
...-
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:02:22 -0500, "BG250" wrote:
-
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw
this--
kit.--
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built
one?--
Is--
this company reliable?
Thanks
-
I haven't built that one, but have made 2 panel saws in the past...
they can be as simple as a sheet of plywood with a frame and a couple
of pieces of pipe with a skill saw mounted on it.. and very
accurate..

We used to build office "hot file" holders and could never get the
lumber yard to cut the shelves square, so we took a day and built our
own panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing-

I was considering building the whole thing myself as well. The pipe is
a
good idea. I just have to figure a way to make a glide the saw can run
on
smoothly down the rail (pipe). The acrylic blade may be the most
expensive
part of the whole thing!
bg

I've been toying with building one when I set up my shop in the new
house we are building. I looked closely at the one at my local home
depot, and it looks like you can use u-bolts with a bunch of washers on
it - these would ride over the pipe. I was considering turning the
washers on a pen madred from that high density slick plastic (can't
remember the initials for it), then cutting them to thickness on a
bandsaw.


--
makesawdust

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 02:07:20 +0000, makesawdust
wrote:


BG250 Wrote:
"mac davis" wrote in message
...-
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:02:22 -0500, "BG250" wrote:
-
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw
this--
kit.--
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built
one?--
Is--
this company reliable?
Thanks
-
I haven't built that one, but have made 2 panel saws in the past...
they can be as simple as a sheet of plywood with a frame and a couple
of pieces of pipe with a skill saw mounted on it.. and very
accurate..

We used to build office "hot file" holders and could never get the
lumber yard to cut the shelves square, so we took a day and built our
own panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing-

I was considering building the whole thing myself as well. The pipe is
a
good idea. I just have to figure a way to make a glide the saw can run
on
smoothly down the rail (pipe). The acrylic blade may be the most
expensive
part of the whole thing!
bg

I've been toying with building one when I set up my shop in the new
house we are building. I looked closely at the one at my local home
depot, and it looks like you can use u-bolts with a bunch of washers on
it - these would ride over the pipe. I was considering turning the
washers on a pen madred from that high density slick plastic (can't
remember the initials for it), then cutting them to thickness on a
bandsaw.


I used that method of building a cheap linear bearing for a project
once. I used a heavy Ubolt and some kind of nylon spacers from the
little bin drawers at ace hardware. it worked fine.

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 14:50:05 -0500, "BG250" wrote:

"mac davis" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 08:02:22 -0500, "BG250" wrote:

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/woodsmit...nelsawkit.html

Earlier, I was looking for a panel saw to cut acrylic sheet. I saw this
kit.
Looks like it would be a much lower cost solution. Anyone ever built one?
Is
this company reliable?
Thanks

I haven't built that one, but have made 2 panel saws in the past...
they can be as simple as a sheet of plywood with a frame and a couple
of pieces of pipe with a skill saw mounted on it.. and very accurate..

We used to build office "hot file" holders and could never get the
lumber yard to cut the shelves square, so we took a day and built our
own panel saw..


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing

I was considering building the whole thing myself as well. The pipe is a
good idea. I just have to figure a way to make a glide the saw can run on
smoothly down the rail (pipe). The acrylic blade may be the most expensive
part of the whole thing!
bg

it was a LONG time ago, but I seem to remember using muffler type U
bolts with the nuts on the saw base side and slices of teflon tubing
covering the U bolt (saddle bracket?) where it slid on the pipes..

I don't think that the track of the blade was adjustable... I think we
had a fixed fence/slide on the bottom and sort of a miter fence to set
the width...


mac

Please remove splinters before emailing