Table saws, full sheets & wide pieces

[el_Pedr0]

Calling all table saw fans - I need some teaching, please.

I got a 2nd hand table saw to:
* make cutting sheet material quicker
* get super clean cuts that don't need further finishing
* cut to final dimensions on first pass
* achieve dead-square (or precisely angled) components such as cabinet sides & doors with ease.

I mostly use 8x4 sheets of mdf, veneered mdf or ply.

I used to use a straight edge and ciruclar saw, then I upgraded to a plunge/track saw. But I'm tired of sorting out support under the workpiece, repeating measurements even for identical components, and moving the track half way through the cut particularly on the 8' dimension. I always ended up with teeth marks or burn because I found it difficult to keep a super-steady pace and pressure on long pieces.

But after doing my first test cut on the table saw yesterday, I quickly found 3 big questions:
1. Are full sheets just too unweildy for a table saw - so do you have to cut them down first e.g. with the circular saw?
2. How do you handle large pieces (e.g. 2000x700 for the side of a wardrobe) without the long edge wandering away from the fence even by a mm or two for a second?
3. My fence can be set a maximum of about 200mm from the blade - so what's the workflow for cutting that 2000x700 piece. Do I have to cut to rough dimensions with the track saw, say 2010x710, and then set the table saw fence 5mm from the blade and cut the piece to final size?

I want to end up with great cuts, but I want to do it as efficiently as possible. Advice much appreciated.

 

[Bojam]

What table saw do you have?

 

[el_Pedr0]

Sealy TS10CZ.

Its top is 470mm x 620mm (looks like cast alloy). Plus 250mm pressed steel extension tables to both sides and back. The fence can't (i.e. isn't designed to) be attached to the extension tables.

(Edit: typo)

 

[rogxwhit]

I'm afraid that you've gone and bought the wrong machine. Luckily it sounds cheap, but no way is it suitable for panel work. Research the field. You need (1) a large table with a large fence offset and (2) a sliding carriage with fence and stops. But you won't be taking it on site!

 

[Doug71]

For cutting sheets you will be better concentrating on making a decent set up for your tracksaw, for example a dedicated cutting table (could be a slot together type table that easily comes apart when space is needed) a 3m rail and some parallel guides would help

The table saw you have isn't suited to sheet goods.

 

[el_Pedr0]

yes - it was cheap and cheerful. But I don't have a workshop, so need something that i can put up and then take down and store at the end of a project. Hence needing a compact thing.

 

[el_Pedr0]

Please could you give me an example of a model that is suited for sheet material.

Are we talking reasonably compact at around £800: Axminster Workshop AW254TS 254mm Table Saw - 230V

Or huge and £2.5k: Axminster Professional AP254LTS Table Saw - 230V

 

[rogxwhit]

Oh dear, I think it would be best to stick with a track saw. I can't think of anything portable that would cut the mustard any better.

If you had the budget there's that Festool folding work support. And if you're bothered about the track moving, use the appropriate clamps. ;-)

 

[Doug71]

Unfortunately for sheets you need this kind of thing, your track saw can do the same though just slower.

https://jmjwood.co.uk/products/pane...WiwGmDC6xiVUzDgsyaCfbmXOmZmNt1CBoCUx4QAvD_BwE

 

[el_Pedr0]

Oh dear, I think it would be best to stick with a track saw.

Poopers. Here's a scrap of ply I tested on yesterday:

if you're bothered about the track moving, use the appropriate clamps. ;-)

It's not that I'm bothered about the track moving. It's the hassle of moving the track halfway through the cut. My track is only 1.5m and a longer track was more expensive than the table saw!

 

[Jacob]

Not portable so not much help - but in a workshop if you have suitable placed benching or similar, at the right height and distance from the saw, you may be able to manipulate full size sheets. Helps if surface is low friction e.g. wax polish on MDF, or better still strips of PTFE.

 

[el_Pedr0]

It is indeed helpful. Portability as such isn't the issue - I'm not trade and so don't travel to sites, I just do this at home for me. Space and storage is one of my limitations.

But I do occasionally do reasonably sized projects involving something like 10 sheets and hundreds of cuts.

So it may well be worth my while to knock up some benching which I can leave in place during the project and then take down (maybe even dispose of/turn back into timber) at the end.

 

[Spectric]

If only you had searched on this forum, there is such a wealth of information and asked before buying. The ultimate machine for cutting sheet goods is a sliding table saw that requires a lot of room and is best suited to the trade shops, the next best is the tracksaw which for full sheets might well mean you have to cut outdoors unless you have a lot of space. I use a table saw for ripping heavier timber and smaller pieces of sheet material and would never think of trying to get a full sheet on it, I use a makita tracksaw for sheet material but I am not a big user of sheet goods. You might want to look at some tressles

https://www.protrade.co.uk/product/toughbuilt-tb-c650-2-sawhorse-trestle-table-pair/
with these you use two lengths of 4 by 2 and you have a portable bench on which to cut your sheets, all you need now is a tracksaw and you are ready to go.

 

[recipio]

You are looking at an industrial saw with a sliding table to make perfect cuts from a sheet. For less money and a lot less space have a look at vertical panel saws. They often come up secondhand or you can even build your own.

 

[niall Y]

Please could you give me an example of a model that is suited for sheet material.

Are we talking reasonably compact at around £800: Axminster Workshop AW254TS 254mm Table Saw - 230V

Or huge and £2.5k: Axminster Professional AP254LTS Table Saw - 230V

The ideal saw for easily cutting 8x4 boards is a panel saw. These are too big to fit in anything but a very large workshop. They are, large, heavy staionary machines, and you need over 8ft of space to the front and back, as well as to the side. Plus, of course there is the footprint of the machine.

Having a bigger saw, with a sliding table, is obviously helpful, but even then most of us will still have to compromise, and place breaking cuts in the boards to make them more easy to handle.
A take-off table, or very sturdy rollers is useful as well, to support long pieces, This will also help give you a lot more control over them drifting away from the fence.

If you lack the space, then the best advice would be to get yourself a better track-saw set -up, and use your existing saw to trim to final size.

 

[el_Pedr0]

If you lack the space, then the best advice would be to get yourself a better track-saw set -up, and use your existing saw to trim to final size.

Yes - I think this is where I am headed now. The quality of the table saw cut still makes this desirable.

Is it feasible to use my Sealy table saw to trim to final size on pieces that are quite large (e.g. that hypothetical 2000x700 wardrobe side) if I have appropriate supports around the table? Or am I always going to struggle to keep the edge up against the fence for the full length of the cut?

And in this situation where I'm just trimming a few mm off, the off cut goes between the blade and the fence, whereas I guess 'normally' you'd have your component between the fence and the blade. Is that right?

 

[Jameshow]

I think you want to look at a good site saw.

With a large table.

If it needs to stay outside then a builders bag will cover it.

 

[Spectric]

If you are looking at clean precise cuts then ideally you do not want a situation where you have to hold your sheet against the fence, with a sliding panel saw you just put the wood on the frame against the stop and run it through the blade. So next best is stationary sheet with a guide, then run the saw across the sheet. For some time I used a length of angle iron and a Bosch circular saw which delivered great results but took time to set between cuts. Now with the track saw I just put the track in place and run the saw along it which gives great results. With a track square and parallel guides you would now have the ability for fast repetative cuts.

 

[rogxwhit]

Is it feasible to use my Sealy table saw to trim to final size on pieces that are quite large (e.g. that hypothetical 2000x700 wardrobe side) if I have appropriate supports around the table? Or am I always going to struggle to keep the edge up against the fence for the full length of the cut?

The trouble there is being able to have outboard support that is quick to place and take down, compact to store, and most importantly easy to make level across its whole dimensions. Because the work has to feed through flat without any wobbles.

There's this, for use with hand-held tools including track saws:
https://www.powertool-supplies.co.u...MI4er7vtag-gIVFIBQBh2ACAwKEAQYBCABEgJElfD_BwEbut it's a price! At least 4 folding sawhorses would do instead.

I'd go that route myself, and get a long track. The rest is down to refining your technique of handling the saw ...

 

[Doug71]

Don't think anyone has mentioned it but chuck a sacrificial sheet of Kingspan or similar on top of your cutting table and let your saw cut a few millimetres into it, it supports whatever you are cutting and improves dust collection