Handling Big Sheets of MDF and Plywood

[Ben Roman]

Hello All,

I have a question for the old salties out there. When I handle 4x8 sheet goods i get nervious and even delay starting projects because of the initial task of ripping the sheet down to manageable pieces. Not to mention they are heavy and awkward to manuver around. One it is ripped down I am fine. Any suggestions and or ideas about removing this fear or Ideas on how I should handle this, so I can get more projects finished. Or will this feeling pass and this is just my imagination?

Ben

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Ben..........I use a circular saw and a guide to get them within 1/2" or less of finished size. Then I go to the table saw with them. Some of circular saw systems can be used to cut to finished size.

[Dave Falkenstein]

Use a guided circular saw system (GCSS). I'm 67 and have a weak back. Using a horizontal cutting platform and a GCSS I can cut 4X8 sheets of 3/4 MDF or plywood to final size by myself. Two of the better systems available are from EZ Smart and Festool:

http://www.eurekazone.com/

http://www.festoolusa.com/

Just today I cut and installed 15 or 20 sheets of 1/2" plywood in a shop/office I am helping a friend build. I did that work by myself, and cut every piece to final size on the first cuts.

[Vaughn McMillan]

...Any suggestions and or ideas about removing this fear or Ideas on how I should handle this, so I can get more projects finished. Or will this feeling pass and this is just my imagination?
What you're feeling is a self-defense mechanism...trust that feeling and find another way to do the initial cuts. ;) The suggestion for a guided circular saw system would handle the fear factor. Even an old Skil saw and a 2x4 can get the pieces relatively close, and as others have said, the good guided systems can cut to finished size accurately. Of course, a European format sliding table saw is another approach, but I gather you're looking for something a little less expensive. :)

- Vaughn

[Dave Fifield]

I use a sacrificial 8' x 4' "table" - a grid of 2x4's screwed together - with fold-out legs. I got the design from an old WW magazine - not sure which one now. With the 8' x 4' ply lying flat on the sacrificial table, using a guided circular saw (set to cut about 1/8" deeper than the ply thickness and with the cut line about 1/4" oversize) is easy and safe. Cut to final size safely and cleanly on TS.

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

I'm lucky, or unlucky, depending on how you want to look at it, most sheet goods here are 3' x 6', but it is still an issue, for me, as I have limited space to put things through my TS, so I bought a GCSS, I got the Festool flavour, as I needed a good saw as well, but either system mentioned will do you right.

I used to use a piece of "Sacrificial" plywood, but now I have a piece of plywood with a 1 1/4" thick piece of rigid foam insulation on the plywood, this is easier on everything, including my back, as it is lighter than the thicker piece of plywood I was using, and the foam is easier on the saw blade than the plywood.

It works very well, and it easy to do.

One thing I would also say, is it you have a pickup and you bring the sheet-goods home, make up a set of sawhorses with a sacrificial top that is just lower than the bed of your truck. If you can set up the sawhorses and back the truck up, slide the sheets on the the table and cut away.

Cheers!

[John Hebert]

simply due to working with it on a regular basis.......but I'll tell ya, there's nothing to prove to anyone whn handling sheet goods. Why bust your back when you don't have to. Its so much easier to slide the sheets on to waiting horse, and rip em down the middle when they first arrive at the shop. Easier to handle. store, and work with

http://www.cjohnhebert.com/1.jpg

[Frank Pellow]

As others of said, use a good set of sawhorses placed close to the sourse of the panels and cut them with a guided circular saw. My setup for this can been seen in the thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=8083. Since I wrote that thread, I also created a "cutting board" that sits on top of the horses . It consists of a sheet of plywood with rigid foam insulation glued to it.

[Mike Cutler]

Ben. I typically do one of two things.
I have the sheetgoods cut to dimensions that are close to what I need at the store, Or I have a table to cut them on.

A good table to cut sheet goods on is very easy to make. Take two sawhorses, space them about 6' apart. Lay a couple of two by fours across the sawhorses, and a sheet of plywood on top of the two by fours. On top of this put some of that hard foam insulation that Home Depot has.
Lay your sheetgoods to be cut on top of this and it should be completley supported by the foam.
Set your circular saw to cut about a 1/4" deeper than the material.The foam acts as a kind of "zero clearance material", and the foam supports it completly so that you don't have panels of sheetgoods that you need to support while cutting.Everything stays flat on the table.
I use a very "low tech" edge guide system. A Scrap piece of aluminium "L" stock and a piece of veneered particle board. I just clamp it in place. Not too fancy, but it works very well. Here are some pics.

[Hank Keller]

Ben-
If your looking to make a jig, rather than buy one, workbench magazine had both a sheet cart for moving full sheets and a ripping jig that were easy to make. And I think each could be made for under $100. If you interested in something like this let me know and I'll look up the issue numbers.
Hank

[Jim Becker]

Even those of use that (hopefully) don't qualify as "old salties" yet need to give consideration when working with heavy sheet goods. Like Dave, I also now have a guided saw system and am learning to use it more and more. And if you use some software like CutList Plus to plan the cuts before acquiring your plywood/MDF, you can cut it down spot-on right off the back of the truck as John shows, which saves both your back AND time...and with minimal waste.

[Frank Fusco]

Saw horses, muscle and circular saw. Unfortunately, the 'muscle' part is less and less as the years pass. That mdf is very difficult stuff to handle alone. That could be a reason why I find myself sticking with smaller projects. Fact 'o life.
Frank

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I'm with the GCCS guys. I run my left blade saw down one of Dino's EZ rails without the shoe...works perfectly [redneck GCCS system]. Horses are my friends! Then we go to the TS with 'em for finaly sizing.

[Don Baer]

I bought a set of guide rails form the borg almost 30 years ago. I noticed the other day at the Blue borg they still sell em. $20 and your in business and it works with any Circ saw. after breaking them dow if need be I clean em up on the TS.

[Barry O'Mahony]

Just because you ask them to cut it at the store doesn't mean you're a shissy. Most places that sell sheet goods individually will do one or two cuts for free. I bought a sheet at 5'x5' russian birch yesterday and had them rip a 1' section off one side, because dealing with a 4' wide piece is sooo much easier (fits in the back of the truck, easier to pick up).

[Dick Brown]

Sound to me like I am all alone in this but I cut my sheet goods down on the table saw. I built a 9' long support with ball transfers and adjusable legs to take the most of the weight and with it I can rip or cross cut anywhere I wish on a 4x8 sheet. As I am 71 years old, I also cheated and mounted one of Harbor Frieght's 880 lb. hoists in the cieling to do the heavy lifting out of the pickup or onto the saw. At $74.00, it is the best $ I have ever spent.

[Jerry Olexa]

I go with sawhorses and a circular saw for the rough cut. Then I final cut/trim on the TS with crosscut sled or rip guide. Works for me...

[Kevin Jenness]

This may not apply to many small home shops, but at work we use a cart from Hafele that tilts from vertical to horizontal and has a jack to set the platform at saw height. It will carry 7 sheets of 3/4" material and is a great back saver. I think we paid about $400. It's not in the hardware catalog, but the reps will know if you inquire.

[Frank Pellow]

This may not apply to many small home shops, but at work we use a cart from Hafele that tilts from vertical to horizontal and has a jack to set the platform at saw height. It will carry 7 sheets of 3/4" material and is a great back saver. I think we paid about $400. It's not in the hardware catalog, but the reps will know if you inquire.
Kevin, I see that this is your first post here, so let me the first to welcome you to Saw Mill Creek.

Thanks for the tip about the cart. I think that I will look into it. Can you give us a part number for the cart?

[Frank Pellow]

Just because you ask them to cut it at the store doesn't mean you're a shissy. Most places that sell sheet goods individually will do one or two cuts for free. I bought a sheet at 5'x5' russian birch yesterday and had them rip a 1' section off one side, because dealing with a 4' wide piece is sooo much easier (fits in the back of the truck, easier to pick up).
One problem with getting sheets goods cut at the store, is that you are relying on the accuracy of both their equipment and thier operators. Back in the bad old days before I got a good set-up at home, I used to get material cut at various dealers and the results were seldom what I would have liked.

[Michael Fross]

I just did a shelving project where I had the exact same concerns. I used a straight edge and a circular saw. It came out crappy and I hated it.

My buddy then brought over a Circular Saw Trolley which is essentially an angle iron base and a saw attachment that rides it. It did a wonderful job. I'm going to pick one up next time I need it.

You can read more about it at this link (http://tooltrolley.com/).

The disclaimer is that I don't have this tool (yet) and only have experience with one project. But it seemed to do the job very well.

Michael

BTW, the router trolley did not seem as useful.

[Ben Roman]

Thanks for the Tips Fellas !! I think I am going to go the Circular Saw and Saw Horses Route.

Ben

[Jerry Costa]

Hello All,

I have a question for the old salties out there. When I handle 4x8 sheet goods i get nervious and even delay starting projects because of the initial task of ripping the sheet down to manageable pieces. Not to mention they are heavy and awkward to manuver around. One it is ripped down I am fine. Any suggestions and or ideas about removing this fear or Ideas on how I should handle this, so I can get more projects finished. Or will this feeling pass and this is just my imagination?

Ben

Ben
I understand the problem. When I have a project that requires sheet goods I usually know how I want the panel cut. I have the lumber yard make one cut on there panel saw at the demension that will work for my project. They normally do not charge you for the cut and you have two smaller pieces to take home.
Jerry

[Chris Padilla]

Jerry,

I see this is your first post to SMC so I welcome you! :)

Next, note the date on the thread you posted to. Just an FYI...nothing wrong with it but something to be kept in mind. :D

[Jerry Costa]

Hello All,

I have a question for the old salties out there. When I handle 4x8 sheet goods i get nervious and even delay starting projects because of the initial task of ripping the sheet down to manageable pieces. Not to mention they are heavy and awkward to manuver around. One it is ripped down I am fine. Any suggestions and or ideas about removing this fear or Ideas on how I should handle this, so I can get more projects finished. Or will this feeling pass and this is just my imagination?

Ben

Ben
Sorry for the duplication. This is my first intro to the page and I wasn't paying attention.
Jerry

[David DeCristoforo]

Instead of reiterating all of the ways to hack up sheets of MDF, may I offer a slightly different idea? Don't use MDF! Plywood weighs a lot less! Or if you simply must use it, look at all of the money you will save on weight lifting equipment. Of course, this might be offset by what you end up paying out to chiropractors....

[Peter Quinn]

Yup. MDF is heavy. My shop is in a basement, top step is a 14" rise on the old bilco. It takes all i have to drag a full sheet of 3/4" MDF down those steps with any semblance of a factory edge left. Of course gravity is in my favor. I have to have a real good reason to use MDF or melamine to get me to touch the stuff. Thank god my local lumber supplier stocks Tuppan ultra light in 1/2" and 3/4"!

[Bruce Gray]

The days are long gone when I could pick up and carry a sheet of plywood. My strategy now: I have dolly made from from a roller skate with a small board mounted atop. I balance the sheet on the skate and wheel it around. When that doesn't work (a step or something), I use a Gorrilla Gripper ...that's a great tool.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31R3QSfMCRL._SS400_.jpg

[Christof Grohs]

Hello All,

I have a question for the old salties out there. When I handle 4x8 sheet goods i get nervious and even delay starting projects because of the initial task of ripping the sheet down to manageable pieces. Not to mention they are heavy and awkward to manuver around. One it is ripped down I am fine. Any suggestions and or ideas about removing this fear or Ideas on how I should handle this, so I can get more projects finished. Or will this feeling pass and this is just my imagination?

Ben

I'm not an old salty but here is a suggestion. To make moving sheet goods a bit easier I keep one of my old skateboards around the shop. Moving sheets is a breeze once you get them on the skateboard. I can get a sheet of 1.5" mdf from my vac bag to my saw, through a maze, with one hand. Lean the sheet left and the skateboard takes it left......

[Per Swenson]

We use all of the above, love that gripper. A gcss is precise,

the time and money saved offsets the cost.

Saw horses. I forgot to mention, we do this for a living,
this way is fast easy and profitable.

It also helps to have one of these.
Room, board and education :D

[Joe Scharle]

I use a JointAblilty and it doubles as big work holder.

[Craig Mitchell]

I use a guided rail saw system as well and have pretty much retired my table saw. I use the EZ Smart system.

[glenn bradley]

I store my sheet goods right near where I break them down. I just pull them out of the vertical stack and lay them down. Guided systems come in a variety of styles and prices. I lay my sheet goods on two 2' x 4' x 2" thick Styrofoam insulation panels (about $5 at the BORG), clamp a piece of table saw ripped particle board (or whatever) to it and saw away.

You only need to penetrate the sheet goods, and therefor cut into the Styrofoam, about 1/4". I have to pieces of insulation I've been cutting on for a year and a half and one of them is almost ready for a replacement. The key to this system is having the sheet goods near where you break them down so you only need to move them once or twice full size.

[Pete Stack]

I used to use a Skil 7-1/4" worm drive to break down sheet goods. It's a great framing saw, but once I got into furniture making it seemed like the tool weighed a ton and was cumbersome to use.

I bought a Porter-Cable trim saw for $150. A great investment! Much lighter and more manageable. A couple sawhorses and some sacrificial 2x4's make breaking down sheet goods a piece of cake.