Safety Saw Panel saw 6800 series

[andrew whicker]

Hi,

As I've mentioned before, I don't have a sliding euro style saw yet. I recently spent a few hundred to build out a simple 'parf' table to help me make accurate crosscuts. However, a used panel saw (6800 series Safety Saw) seems to be available. Sounds like it could be pretty accurate and much better solution for me.

Does anyone have experience with this machine? Good results? Easy to use? etc

Thanks much and cheers,

[andrew whicker]

Nm. Same seller has an old Rockwell 24" 3 HP radial arm saw... Seems like the way to go instead : )

[Brian Tymchak]

We use an earlier version of that panel saw at the furniture bank I volunteer at. I would not recommend it if accuracy is a primary requirement. And quite honestly, the cut quality is poor compared to a table saw. We use it to break full sheets of melamine down allowing an extra inch that gets trimmed at the TS to give us clean edges.

[Mark Gibney]

Andrew, I've often wondered about panel saws, so I'm interested in hearing the feedback you get on this.
Regarding the RAS, bear in mind that you lose cut width because the blade itself takes up a certain amount of the travel distance of the cut.

[andrew whicker]

Agreed. I'm going to get a measurement of his cut line to see what the actual cross cut width is

[andrew whicker]

We use an earlier version of that panel saw at the furniture bank I volunteer at. I would not recommend it if accuracy is a primary requirement. And quite honestly, the cut quality is poor compared to a table saw. We use it to break full sheets of melamine down allowing an extra inch that gets trimmed at the TS to give us clean edges.

Perfect. Thanks much for the info.

Have you ever used it to rip? Seems also like a poor cut quality method. And what happens to the top piece when you do rip? It just falls / pinches the blade?

[Bill Dufour]

Three hp is way to low for 24". My 16" RAR is 5hp with option up to 7.5.
Bill D

[andrew whicker]

Three hp is way to low for 24". My 16" RAR is 5hp with option up to 7.5.
Bill D

I think the 24 inch means crosscut in this convo?

503623

[Brian Tymchak]

Perfect. Thanks much for the info.

Have you ever used it to rip? Seems also like a poor cut quality method. And what happens to the top piece when you do rip? It just falls / pinches the blade?

I have never cut like that on a panel saw. I've heard that it can be done with safe guards, like a riving knife, etc. But I would not be comfortable doing that.

[Kevin Jenness]

Vertical panel saws are quite efficient at making sheet goods into rectangular parts, but I doubt that a unit with a worm drive saw at its core is going to give the needed accuracy and cut quality for clean cabinetwork. Streibig makes vertical saws that do just that, but they are built and priced similar to a high quality sliding table saw. The t-sguare cutting arm can make a long rip riding on the top rail to give a reference edge and subsequent long parallel cuts, or it can be locked in place for vertical cuts, and there is typically a mid shelf for small parts. Long rips can be supported by slipping shims into the kerf as the cut progresses to prevent binding. Some models score with an initial shallow climb cut, some have a separate scoring saw. They can be set up against a wall and easily loaded from a stack, and take up less floor space than a slider. What they won't do is bevel cuts or angle cuts (w/o a special fixture).

With a vertical saw gravity holds the panel in place as opposed to a slider where it has to be positioned and held against a fence. On a SSC style saw though, long rips are referenced from the imperfect factory edge running on the bottom frame rollers. For smaller parts best results will come from initial vertical cuts to establish a straight reference edge. In any case, the bottom rollers need to be well aligned and the vertical guides set square to them.

A solid radial arm saw set up well can make reliable crosscuts but may struggle with tearout on the bottom face. You still have to deal with accurate ripping somehow, and wide crosscuts (as for carcass backs) beyond the radial arm's capacity. For efficient cabinetmaking panel handling is the name of the game- a single machine that will make all your cuts accurately without struggle is what you want. That might be a cnc router, a vertical saw or a slider depending on your volume, shop space, available capital and mix of work.

[Ron Selzer]

Have you ever used it to rip? Seems also like a poor cut quality method. And what happens to the top piece when you do rip? It just falls / pinches the blade?
Used a Saftey Speed Cut H-5 in the garage since late 80's, also have a 4' cut one made for Milwaukee, in the basement. Very safe to rip on, espically when you start to breakdown 5'x12' MDF, also works great on 4'x8'. the edge is not perfect, however not that bad IF saw is set up right and has a sharp blade
Ron

[Bradley Gray]

Worked at a lumber yard in high school. Routinely ripped ply on a panel saw. Worked great. Fast and easy. Better cut quality than crosscuts.

[rick sizemore]

I have a Safety Speed 7400.
To date, this has been a work horse.
Much easier to manage, position, load and cut panels in a vertical orientation.
Accuracy is fantastic (although the 7400 is a little more accurate than the 6800).
Motor is designed for 8 hr/day usage.
Repeatable cuts are easy to fixture and execute.
Rips are easy and there is an adjustable kerf support to minimize the pressure on the blade during the rips.

I do have an Inca tablesaw configured with a sliding table which I use for smaller pieces.
I would highly recommend a used 6800, if the saw has not been damaged.

[Richard Coers]

Cut quality is based on what kind of blade you have on the saw and how well you have the machine tuned. On melamine you can score the cut with a 1/16" depth setting on the saw, then drop it to full depth. Only takes seconds to do that. I'd much prefer a cheap vertical panel saw over a radial arm saw.