If you read the outfeed table
article, you already know that the main reason I built it was to have a way to
work with large sheet goods. It works great, but I still like to cut
full sheets down a little before I start putting them on the table saw.
So, I started looking for options. Read on to get some more info.
My first thought was of a panel saw. You know, the ones like at the the Borg. GEES! Ever priced one of those things? They cost a small fortune; anywhere from about $1,400.00 up to over $10k... way too much for a hobbiest. I would have never dreamed that a metal grid with a couple of guide rails and a $200.00 circular saw could cost so much. Earlier this year (2006), there were plans in ShopNotes magazine (I think) for a "home made" panel cutter. Nice plans and it looked great in the photos. But, if I remember right, even that thing was about $500.00 to build, and that didn't include the saw.
Next stop, the open grid tables. These can be anything from a few 2x4 sticks on a couple of saw horses, as in this Popular Woodworking article, to a fully assembled 2x4 criss-cross grid. Heads up if you want to build one of these as they show up in the woodworking magazines on occasion. Anyway, the idea is that you lay out a sheet of plywood, cut it, and let the sawdust fall below. Cut the sheet, sweep the dust, store the table, all done. Great idea... so, I built one. I guilt one large enough to lay up a full 4'x8' sheet of ply. I HATED IT. I discovered that even if I had the money, I wouldn't have a panel saw. It couldn't be any smaller than that grid cutting table I made, and I hated that pig so much, I cut it up and threw it away to get it out of my shop.
I don't cut full size sheet goods that often, but when I do, I want to be able to do it
efficiently. I wanted something smaller and more storable, but large
enough to do the job when I need to do it, and I didn't want to spend a fortune
to do it. Here's a few of the qualities I set out to achieve...
Simple to build; very quick assembly (about 45 minutes to an hour).
Inexpensive to build; under $100.00.
Minimal storage space required (photo left).
Quice and easy set up time.
Adjustability to support any size sheet good for rips or crosscuts.
Here's what I came up with... Four supports that completely support the plywood being cut. It uses my outfeed table as a platform, and they slide on to it. When I get them in the position I want, I "clamp" them down by snugging up the wing nuts so they don't shift. It takes about 10 minutes to build each support (less than an hour total). I can set them up in about 3 minutes. They cost me about $20.00 to build, and when I'm done using them, they store away in less than one square foot of corner or up out of the way on the lumber rack.
| Item | Qty | Component | L | W | D | Material | Notes |
| A | 4 | Cutting boards | 5' | 2" | 4" | Pine | |
| B | 8 | Carraige bolts | 5" | " | 18 threads/inch | ||
| C | 8 | Lag bolts | 4" | " | |||
| D | 8 | Fender washers | " | ||||
| E | 8 | Wing nuts | " |
** Notes **
1. You'll need a few wood screws. Deck screws will work fine for this also.
These boards are just 2" x 4" dimensional stick lumber from the Borg.
Mark the center of a line at 4" from either end of each board (A). Chuck a Forstner bit large enough for the head of the carraige and drill a shallow recess for it.I Now, clamp a 10" board to the underside of each board, flush with the end and drill a whole all the way through for the carraige bolts. Remove the clamps and put the 10" boards away for a few minutes.
Turn all of the boards over, and flush up the 3" spacers. Drill some pilot holes and screw them to the underside of the end of each board. Don't screw them directly in the center.
Turn all of the boards back over and install the carraige bolts. Line up the 10" boards and feed the carraige bolts through them. Add a fender washer (D) and wing nut (E) to each carraige bolt. You can use a little piece of the cut-off to temporarily hold it as you snug it up. Pre-drill a hole from the bottom (through the 10" board) into what will be the center of the 3" spacers for the lag bolts. Now, chuck a bit a little bigger than the lag bolts and re-drill the hole through the 10" board only. Finally, Install the lag bolt. It's only going to act as keeper for the 10" board, so you'll want a tad bit of "slop" in it.
Whenever you have some large sheet goods to cut into more manageable size, just
slip these on your adjustable outfeed table (left) and tighten up the wing nuts.
Adjust them as needed for crosscuts (right) or to support the full sheet.
When you're done, loosen the wing nuts, slip them off, and store them.
Of course, you don't need one of these outfeed tables to use it. You could just as easily use a piece of plywood or MDF as a base. The only critical element here is the width of the spacer... it needs to be the same width as the base you're using, whatever that is.
This is a working solution for me. And, it works great! Skip the grid board and the panel saw unless you have a butt load of room to work with in your shop, and in the case of the panel saw, a butt load of money too. It's amazing what you can do with a few 2x4s and some hardware.
Hope this idea helps you as much as it did me.