Jon Steffen
08-31-2020, 12:39 AM
I've been pondering this since joining SMC, and lots of your input has helped me, thanks!
I’ve always thought it inefficient that people use a track saw to rough cut up sheet goods then cut them on a table saw. I get why they do it, so that the pieces are manageable, but there should be a way to do this on a table and not need the table saw.
I started this project with some goals.
Create a Torsion box table without using a table saw, miter saw, jointer, planer, or router, just using my tracksaw, drill, parf mark 2, and kreg pocket hole machine.
Make a 50.5”x98.5” top that can make repeatable cuts on 4x8 sheetgoods.
leave about half of the table without dog holes to use as an assembly table.
be able to make 30,60,90,45 cuts accurately and quickly without some kind of miter gauge or expensive 18" triangle thing (like TSO).
I first used shims, sawhorses and hot glue to perfectly level the saw horses. Then I put down the straightest 2x4s I could find. Laid a 49x97 sheet of mdf ontop. Screwed 2-2x4x10' boards to the edges, then flushcut them to the mdf with a cheap Amazon japanese pull saw. MAN THAT THING WORKS WELL! Finished off the short ends with 2x4x10' cut in half, screwed to the mdf as well.
I then used a parf mark 2 to drill the first row of dog holes and all the perimeter holes.
No photos of all this….
Put the first sheet of Baltic Birch on the table and after cutting the width and length to make perpendicular sides I cut the lateral skeleton pieces.
440044
Cut the length boards
440046
All boards cut
440045
I then had to figure out the length and width pattern so the boards would miss the 20mm dog holes.
440047
Random photo of me trying to think through how to tackle this.
440048
I then leveled 2 new sawhorses and cut the straightest 2x6x8' parallel at about 5”, and layed a new sheet of mdf on this.
After screwing edge boards to the new piece of MDF with pocket holes
440050
I was able to cut the length of the boards the exact length I needed by cutting them slightly long and then using pieces of paper to dial in the right length. I did this with the long and short boards.
440049
I’ve always thought it inefficient that people use a track saw to rough cut up sheet goods then cut them on a table saw. I get why they do it, so that the pieces are manageable, but there should be a way to do this on a table and not need the table saw.
I started this project with some goals.
Create a Torsion box table without using a table saw, miter saw, jointer, planer, or router, just using my tracksaw, drill, parf mark 2, and kreg pocket hole machine.
Make a 50.5”x98.5” top that can make repeatable cuts on 4x8 sheetgoods.
leave about half of the table without dog holes to use as an assembly table.
be able to make 30,60,90,45 cuts accurately and quickly without some kind of miter gauge or expensive 18" triangle thing (like TSO).
I first used shims, sawhorses and hot glue to perfectly level the saw horses. Then I put down the straightest 2x4s I could find. Laid a 49x97 sheet of mdf ontop. Screwed 2-2x4x10' boards to the edges, then flushcut them to the mdf with a cheap Amazon japanese pull saw. MAN THAT THING WORKS WELL! Finished off the short ends with 2x4x10' cut in half, screwed to the mdf as well.
I then used a parf mark 2 to drill the first row of dog holes and all the perimeter holes.
No photos of all this….
Put the first sheet of Baltic Birch on the table and after cutting the width and length to make perpendicular sides I cut the lateral skeleton pieces.
440044
Cut the length boards
440046
All boards cut
440045
I then had to figure out the length and width pattern so the boards would miss the 20mm dog holes.
440047
Random photo of me trying to think through how to tackle this.
440048
I then leveled 2 new sawhorses and cut the straightest 2x6x8' parallel at about 5”, and layed a new sheet of mdf on this.
After screwing edge boards to the new piece of MDF with pocket holes
440050
I was able to cut the length of the boards the exact length I needed by cutting them slightly long and then using pieces of paper to dial in the right length. I did this with the long and short boards.
440049