Panel Saw Ideas

[Paul Steiner]

I am a carpentry teacher in a High School and a guy gave the school an old dewalt panel saw. The it is probably 50 years old and in bad shape, rusty, rotted wood, and I do not think I will ever get it to cut straight. The good news is that the BD saw itself is in great shape, and it is a dedicated panel saw circular saw.
Looking at this thing I am thinking I can do it better and maybe reduce the size of the unit. I can probably built a new one in less time than it would take me to refurb the old one. I know that alot of people have fashioned their own panel saws. In doing some research I found this kit:http://www.versatool.com/PanelSawKit.htm
But when I look at that I am thinking that just looks like some extruded aluminum with a piece of polyethylene riding in between as a saw carrier.

Here are my questions: Have you built your own panel saw? How did it turn out? How straight does it cut and how hard was it to calibrate? Have you used the versatool kit?

[Ben Franz]

Paul-

I don't have any answers to your specific questions but I wanted to let you know that Woodworker's Journal has published plans for what looks like a nice panel saw.
The plans and the hardware kit are available at Rockler.com (search for panel saw) - the rail kit is $300+ so it"s more than versatool. Maybe someone else here has tried this setup and can offer better advise. Good luck.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I built a panel saw in a similar fashion to the kit but I built the rails out of wood . I then made some plastic runners that slip over the plate of my circular saw that run along the rails. It will only do crosscutting of a plywood sheet but could be made to rip with some modifications. I leave it outside in a pole barn so it doesn't break down for storage. But the point I'm trying to make is that you don't need fancy metal rails to make a useable panel saw for very little money.

[Dave Verstraete]

I'm trying to remember if Shopnotes did a panel saw with the carriage rails from electrical conduit

[Tom Veatch]

...
Here are my questions: Have you built your own panel saw?
Yes. I built the one described in Shop Notes Issue #4.
I bought and used the plans and hardware kit available here: http://www.woodsmithstore.com/panelsawkit.html.
The conduit rails mentioned by Dave are not included in the kit.


How did it turn out?
I'm quite pleased with it with two exceptions. Built strictly according to the plan, it's limited to a 4' wide panel. That's fine except Baltic Birch standard size is 5'. My use of full sized BB sheets is rather small so it's just an inconvenience rather than a show-stopper. The other thing I don't like is to make a rip cut the length of the panel you rotate and lock the saw carriage and push the panel past the saw - sort of like a table saw turned up on edge. I'd rather leave the sheet static and move the saw like is done with crosscuts.

How straight does it cut and how hard was it to calibrate?
It cuts straighter and more accurately than I expected. But, I'm not quite satisfied that it's accurate enough for cutting parts to final size. I usually cut 1/16" to 1/8" oversize and trim to final size with the table saw. It was fairly easy to setup and square the carriage. It's been a couple of years since I built it so it probably needs to be recheck and adjusted for squareness.

Have you used the versatool kit?
No, but I'm considering replacing mine with this one from Shop Notes #88 simply due to my dislike of the method of ripping.
http://www.shopnotes.com/plans/sliding-carriage-panel-saw/

I have the plans and most of the hardware collected, just haven't gotten around to the construction.

[Jeffrey Makiel]

ShopNotes magazine has two home made versions. I made the older version (circa early 1990s) and it works OK. I do not know if the kit is still available from them. The second pic shows the carriage assembly with the circular saw removed.

The new version in ShopNotes is pretty slick. The sheet remains stationary even for rip cuts.

I would say that these contraptions still take up a lot of space. The version below has detachable wing supports and collapses tight up against a wall. A very clever design.

If you are an infrequent user of sheet goods, a homemade track saw (circular saw and straight edge) may be more efficient. The panel saw is only good for rip and crosscuts. If there is an angle cut, out comes the track saw. However, panel saws are more easier on the back because sheet goods are manipulated on edge.

Dust collection can be an issue though...I use mine outside in the driveway for reducing sheet goods to get them into my basement shop. The quality of cut is only as good as what a common circular saw can provide, which is nothing great. I only use it for rough cuts.

-Jeff :)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Beff2/panel-saw-kit-6804p400.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Beff2/DSCF1051.jpg

[Mike Goetzke]

This is what I use - very versatile and a lot less work/space than building a dedicated panel saw.

I set it up like this to size down the large panels:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/EZ%20Smart/PBB%20STK/th_IMG_2352.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/EZ%20Smart/PBB%20STK/?action=view&current=IMG_2352.jpg)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/EZ%20Smart/PBB%20STK/th_IMG_2360.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/EZ%20Smart/PBB%20STK/?action=view&current=IMG_2360.jpg)

Then I use what is called a power bench with bridge assembly to complete the cuts:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/EZ%20Smart/PBB%20STK/th_IMG_2363.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v212/mbg/EZ%20Smart/PBB%20STK/?action=view&current=IMG_2363.jpg)


(Inexpensive circular saw and no spinning blade above the workpiece)

Good Luck,

Mike