Table Saw Extensions

[tim walker]

What are the advantages to a 50" vs 30" extension? Seems I could cut plywood cross ways if I need to but I can do that with a straight edge and circ saw.

Thanks all,

Tim in Houston

[Jerome Hanby]

It's handy if you are cutting dadoes across a long piece of material, the side of a book shelf, for example. Or if you are making repeated non-through cuts on a long pieces of material. Or, if you have a very accurate fence system (like an Incra) and want to be able to dial in cuts on long material. Also give you more room if you put in a router extension (also a good use for the Incra TS joinery system).

[Cliff Holmes]

+1 on using the Incra for measuring cross-cuts. I do this all the time, way more accurate than measuring/marking/cutting.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I would personally be very nervous about cross-cutting a 4x8 sheet of ply with a fence. The kickback would be pretty impressive on that piece of flying ply. Agree with fence system comments, but I can't mount a 4' section with mine - is there such a thing? I will use a skil saw or jig saw to rough-cut, then I'm comfortable once the aspect ratio is back within my "pucker factor" envelope.

[glenn bradley]

If I cut sheet goods a lot like many cabinet makers do I would not want to clamp a straight edge to a board and hunch over it for every cut. A sort-of relative of mine does this type of work and his tablesaw is hidden in a sea of infeed/outfeed surface allowing him to easily move large panels around. I rarely use sheet goods but did find 30" of rip a bother. I now have 40" of rip and have never thought about it again. YMMV.

[Jerome Hanby]

I guess it is a pain, but I break down full pieces of sheet goods with a circular saw based guide system (PSI portable panel saw). After being in the I'll never pay those prices camp, I'm about to come around on the Festool system. It's steadily moving up my wish list.

[Cliff Holmes]

Agree with fence system comments, but I can't mount a 4' section with mine - is there such a thing?

Not sure exactly what you mean by this, but my Incra will slide out to 62" from the blade.

[Bill Arnold]

I have a 52" fence system along with tables surrounding my saw. I use a couple of roller stands on the operator side of the saw to support a sheet while starting a cut. I have no issue crosscutting or ripping with this arrangement. The Incra fence base bolts to the table for easy removal.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=128842&d=1254140039

[Thomas Canfield]

When I had the standard 18" / 30" split on my contractor saw, I attached a board on the outside of the 18" side that I shimmed parallel to the slot/blade. I could then clamp a straight edge under a large panel set for the distance from the desired cut to the edge of the panel. A long straight edge provided good guidance for even full sheets of 3/4" plywood with some assistance and outfeed support. I now have a beisemeyer fence with 52" , but still use that trick sometimes.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Tim, if you crosscut plywood by using the rip fence, you won't always have a square cut.

That's because a rip fence makes a parallel cut, so if the sheet is out of square you get a parallelogram, not a rectangle.

A sliding saw, or a saw with a good sled will cut square.

regards, Rod.