Work platforms / tables for cutting sheets with track saw?

[Keith Pleas]

There are lots of threads about the various track saws, blades, et cetera - but I couldn't find anything about work platforms for cutting 4x8 sheets. Other than the obvious dual Festool MFT/3s, which cost minimum $1000.

I'm probably going to build a Ron Paulk Work Bench II when I start building a cabin next year, but in the meantime I was looking for any portable / collapsible solutions that others might have. While I do have a 4x8 workbench top in my garage shop that I had originally thought would be perfect, I always have stuff on there - plus I have a bench vise in the corner that I'd forgotten about.

So...is there something more elegant than a couple of sawhorses?

[Fidel Fernandez]

I think this is one of the best that I have found. He also sells the plans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5YzIwK-g0E

[Keith Pleas]

I think this is one of the best that I have found. He also sells the plans.
That IS nice! And plans are under $10. My only hesitation is that it's pretty Systainer-oriented and I have, so far, managed to resist that Kool-aid. :)

[Tom Ewell]

I made up one similar to the video using the available DIY parts.

Mounted the parts on a 3/4x2x4 ply sheet and sit it on top of a pair of horses at job sites.

http://www.eurekazone.com/product_p/ezt2200.htm



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVek9wMdD9o

[Tom Ewell]

I think this is one of the best that I have found. He also sells the plans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5YzIwK-g0E

Yep, very cool workstation

[Keith Pleas]

I made up one similar to the video using the available DIY parts.

Mounted the parts on a 3/4x2x4 ply sheet and sit it on top of a pair of horses at job sites.
I like the looks of that - how do the plastic rails feel in practice?

In general, I think I prefer several single function pieces to one multi-function. Like on my boat, I have separate depth / chartplotter / radar / video displays. Takes up more space but allows me to buy best of breed pieces and upgrade / replace with more flexibility.

So this EZSMART system is just for cutting up panels. Not for storing tools, mounting a table saw, use as a scaffold, et cetera. It was interesting to watch the video - they didn't describe the table, but it sure seemed like it used folding conference table legs which are very cost effective.

[Tom Ewell]

The 'track' set.... the plastic parts that hold the sacrificial 1x can be mounted on pretty much any surface you choose. Any stuff you put under that surface is up to you.
I just use the top as a cutting surface primarily because it can handle sheets and is convenient for a track saw.

If you want a do it all system your probably looking at something like Fedel posted and modified for your own use.

As far as how the plastic rails feel, they work. They just slide to accommodate what surface size you need. I've ripped two full sheets of 3/4 stacked on top of it with no problem. I don't pull the rails apart to store, it'll all compact down to the 2x4 and I have two hinged sides that swing up to keep the rails from sliding apart during transport.

[Keith Pleas]

I don't pull the rails apart to store, it'll all compact down to the 2x4 and I have two hinged sides that swing up to keep the rails from sliding apart during transport.
I wondered how they stopped from sliding! I think I'd use a nylon web strap to cinch. I have a folding plastic conference table that this could then strap to.

[Sam Murdoch]

Portable and fast is a 3' x 6' 8" solid core door panel set on a couple of portable saw horses. Big enough to hold a 4x8 plywood sheet , cheap enough to be sacrificial, and importantly flat enough to ensure accurate cuts with the track saw. The "systems" are really nice but as you intend to build a Paulk Table soon I would jeep the temporary set up simple.

[Cliff Polubinsky]

+1 on the EZ smart table. Have used it for a few years on sawhorses with no complaints. Handles an 8 x 4 sheet and stores in little space.

Cliff



I made up one similar to the video using the available DIY parts.

Mounted the parts on a 3/4x2x4 ply sheet and sit it on top of a pair of horses at job sites.

http://www.eurekazone.com/product_p/ezt2200.htm



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVek9wMdD9o

[John Schweikert]

Festool Owners Group forum has several good threads on DIY sheet good cutting tables. One will come up when you search for "Cutting/work table" at the FOG.

[Jamie Buxton]

Sawhorses are the elegant solution. My sawhorses (shopmade) fold along the spine, so they're very easy to store, or to throw in the truck. For each sawhorse, I made a scrap-wood U-channel. The U-channel just drops over the top of the horse. The plywood to be cut sits on the U-channels on top of the sawhorses. Each cut on the plywood cuts a bit into the U-channels. Every few years I make a new set of U-channels. The U-channels are small, so you can easily find someplace to store them. In my shop, compact storage is a very good thing.
And, of course, this approach is inexpensive. Presuming you have sawhorses, the entire cost is a few scrap-wood U-channels. Heck, even if you buy wood to make them, you're out $20, max.

[Dan Neuhaus]

http://www.toolnut.com/Centipede_K200_Sawhorse_Work_Bench_System_XL_p/k200.htm

[Bryan Lisowski]

If all you want to do is break down sheet goods with a track saw, keep it simple. I use 2 24" pieces of rigid foam board on saw horses, works great and the foam also aids dust extraction.

[Jamie Buxton]

Here's pics of my tracksaw platform, as outlined in my previous post.

Here's my folding sawhorses. These are 22" tall. Of course, you can use any horses you like for the tracksaw platform.

304567

Here's a close-up of the ablative U-channel on top of one horse. As you can see, over the years there's been lots of wood chewed off the top surface. In a couple more years I'll make new ones.

304568

And here's a pic of a long track on top of an 8'-long piece of plywood on top of three horses, each with a U-channel.

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[joseph f merz]

i put my vote for a door on saw horses .i have been using hollow core doors for years. toss them when to worn .light weight,easy to set-up and take down .recently I added shag carpet to my cutting table .no wear on the blade and by tossing carpet on any of my tables or work surfaces i can make cuts with out hurting the surface below ,i used a piece of carpet on the end of my mitersaw recently to cut steep angle with my track saw on the end of decking . I do alot of my work in the field ,i always have a hollow core door and horses ,it is my set up table cut table and work surface . depending on the project i have other work tables .

[Charles Li]

Far from elegant but I go the rigid insulation on the floor method http://m.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Corning-FOAMULAR-1-2-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-R-3-Squared-Edge-Insulating-Sheathing-36L/100320356/. I like how it's fully supported and you can be on top of the thing from any angle and not reach/stretch. Major downside is you're crawling on the floor but I have no back issues. Not having to stretch and feel out of control makes up for it for me.

[Keith Outten]

The modified Festool platform is the best I have ever seen, lots of work and planning went into that one.

I own a track saw but I rarely use it. There are times when its the best choice for a given job but I have another option for day to day sheet stock cutting, its a panel saw. My panel saw is not an expensive model but it does a nice job of breaking down sheets to more managable size. I'm not sure why more people don't own panel saws, they don't take up much floor space and the cost of some of the track saws these days are not much less then the lower cost panel saws.

[Robert Delhommer Sr]

Jamie, is the "U" channel one piece of wood or 3 pieces, I could not tell from the pictured? Also what kind of hinges did you use . I really like your set up, having a small work shop I have to cut my sheet goods outside and I have to go to the RV shed to get my saw horses then bring them back when finished. I have been putting off making a new set of horses so now would be the time to try yours especially since they take so little storage space. Also what size lumber did you use for the legs ect. :) Going back and looking at the pictures again it looks like you used plywood for the legs, but how wide & what kind & size of hinges?

[Jim Matthews]

I use a combination of Jamie Buxton's sawhorse and Charles Li's rigid insulation backing.

The Vika folding bench doubles as a scaffold, and has adjustable legs.
I'm overweight, but they're dead stable even when I move around.

If you're building something overhead - I highly recommend them.
My version has straps on the side that keep the legs from splaying.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31UUEjfCWxL.jpg

[ian maybury]

As already the two classic solutions for sheet cutting that seem to be widely used are an 'egg box' surface (strips on edge) or a sheet of rigid foam. There were pics on the web somewhere of a permanent egg box/grid bench installation somebody built with lots of floor space built as a very credible looking alternative to a panel saw - using a very long one piece track.

The issue that can quickly follow is how to realise something in a form that doesn't take up huge amounts of floor space. There's a lot to be said for setting up the surface so that it can be used on the floor and/or climbed on for some cuts too, as they can require a long reach into the middle of panel.

Either way one issue to watch out for when cutting sheet is full and stable support for the panel - both before and after cutting. It's very easy to overlook the fact that the weight of the cut away part of the sheet is often heavy enough to break and splinter the bit left carrying the load right at the end of the cut - which can be unsafe, and it messes up your work. Another consideration is to use something that's easily replaceable when the top surface gets too badly chopped up.

Shorter cross cut work is different. An MFT has the capability built in, and in properly engineered and adjustable form. It's very possible to build something similar DIY to properly mount the track so that it can be adjusted for angled cuts and clamped (the work also requires separate clamping) - but lots of care in design and use is needed given the ability of the blade to catch and kick itself or the work in whatever direction. Done right it can all function as a sort of less versatile but very effective poor man's cross cut saw that takes advantage of the particularly clean cutting delivered by the Festool saws. This isn't advice/a recommendation/head down this route at your own risk as unless built and used correctly the latter could be very unsafe….

[Keith Pleas]

Some very useful approaches in this thread. Sawhorses, perhaps with the rigid foam instead of plywood sacrificial surface? The carpet is also interesting but I like the known height of the foam.

That Centipede is also clever - I wish the inventor luck with that!

[Jamie Buxton]

Jamie, is the "U" channel one piece of wood or 3 pieces, I could not tell from the pictured? Also what kind of hinges did you use . I really like your set up, having a small work shop I have to cut my sheet goods outside and I have to go to the RV shed to get my saw horses then bring them back when finished. I have been putting off making a new set of horses so now would be the time to try yours especially since they take so little storage space. Also what size lumber did you use for the legs ect. :)

The U channel is three pieces, glued together.

The hinges on my sawhorses are piano hinges, but you could use other kinds if you want. The lumber in the horses is just 3/4" whatever -- plywood, solid lumber. The chain across the bottom of the legs is pretty light -- maybe it is called sash chain. It is good if your horses are all the same height. That way, you can put something down on three or four horses, and still have it supported by all the horses.

Here's a sketch of the horse near one end. The legs are glued and screwed to the rail. Then the hinges are screwed on. After that, the top pieces get screws down to the rail. The important issue here is that the hinge is buried 3/4" below the top of the horses, so if you accidentally saw or router into the top of the horse you don't immediately hit the hinge. It is also useful that the top is 3/4" thick. Sometimes I want to clamp something to the horse, and that lip gives a good spot for a clamp to grip. (The tracksaw u-channel is not shown in this diagram.)

304593

[Ken Kortge]

I made up one similar to the video using the available DIY parts.

Mounted the parts on a 3/4x2x4 ply sheet and sit it on top of a pair of horses at job sites.

http://www.eurekazone.com/product_p/ezt2200.htm



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVek9wMdD9o

I've had the EZ Smart table for a number of years. Its built up on a 2'x4' sheet of 3/4" plywood and I had found a set of banquet tables for it - I think on Amazon.com maybe. If I were to do it again I'd probably stick with cheap plastic sawhorses so that it would slide more cleanly into my truck bed (the banquet table legs poke out the bottom too much for my taste). That might require some way to keep the table from sliding across the saw horses though.

Its worked well for me. Simple - does what it needs to do.

Eurekazone now sells an updated version of the original for $125:

http://www.eurekazone.com/product_p/ezt2300.htm

The lower part of the slides are now aluminum and they don't seem to rotate at the corner. But its essentially the same as mine.

The sliding parts are held by friction. On my older form table I've no issues with them moving around. It provides lots of space under the wood being cut for clamps. The sacrificial 1x sliding boards are easy enough to replace when needed - though I have yet to need to. I especially like that I can keep it unextended (2'x4') for small cuts or open it up for bigger cuts, and folded it stores pretty small (relatively).

[Mike Schuch]

I have three Black n Decker workmates that do a great job as very sturdy saw horses as well as a million other functions. I will usually clamp a 2x4 in each one when I use them for cutting. The first was given to my by my parents when I bought my first house and the other two I collected used at give away prices over the years. I love those things!

[Mike Fusick]

Some great ideas in this thread!

[Bruce Wrenn]

Mine is shop made table, using folding legs from dumpster. The two side rails are 3/4" ply, about 3 1/2" high. The cross members are 2 X 4's laid flat ways. Screwed into side rails, with screws down one inch from top, to prevent cutting into a screw. Length 80" (fits into work trailer) by 30" wide. Top has been replaced several times since original build in 2000. Idea came from an article in FWW, Aug 2000 issue.

[Ole Anderson]

Dang, we just had a thread on this same topic, but I can't find it either.

[Tom Clark FL]

Since I usually work alone in the shop, sawhorses are out when it comes to getting a sheet of plywood out of the rack and up onto them. Usually the whole mess ends up on the floor. Years ago I made a simple 3x6' table so I could lift one end of the ply up, then slide it up the rest of the way by myself with out tipping everything over. I just cut 1/4" deep into the top 2x4s. Whole thing is super cheap to make. I'm sure you could figure out how to make the legs fold up if you need them to.

By the way, my 'track saw' cost a couple of bucks to make - and it works perfectly. Also have an 8' one…

[Harvey Miller]

Dang, we just had a thread on this same topic, but I can't find it either.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?224528-Track-Saws-silly-question-I-think

[Ole Anderson]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?224528-Track-Saws-silly-question-I-think

That is it. How can I search "track saw" in thread titles and not have that come up?

[Rich Engelhardt]

I made one exactly like this.

Just bear in mind it's light duty and can't take much "pounding" an/or "abuse" and it'll last for years.

I have to constant;y remind my contractor buddy not to toss sheet goods or drywall or other stuff on it.
He's used to staging stuff on saw horses and like to "body slam" sheet goods and drywall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykKrfjEx570