A brief review of the EZ Smart Repeaters (with pix)

[Craig Mitchell]

For anyone interested..... I started a closet organizer project today and needed to break down a sheet of pre-finished plywood.


I used the EZ Smart Rail and Repeaters from EurekaZone to make three identical 15 inch width panels. I measured out each end of the rail to the saw blade, locked the repeaters in place and they act a fence for the EZ rail while I made my cuts.


(Sorry, I didn't think to take pictures until the last cut)


After that, all I needed to do was make a cut and then slide the system over to make next cut without measuring. All three pieces came out identical and it was a fairly quick and easy process. I ended up with a thin left over scrap which is just under 3 inches wide. You'll notice in the pictures I had to put some scrap wood underneath the rail for support on the last cut since I was cutting so close to the edge of the plywood.


Anyway, I'm sure there are lot's of ways to do the same thing but this is the way I did it and I hope some might find this of interest..... and yes, my garage is very messy. :)

[Peter Quadarella]

Wow that's a pretty long rail :). I guess 9 feet or so to be big enough for the panels with some overhang?

[Dennis Peacock]

Looks really good. Thanks for the write up and the pics. :)

[Craig Mitchell]

It's two rails connected..... probably just a bit over 9ft, I forget the exact length.

Here are some pictures of me cutting them to size on the powerbench using the Bridge and fence.

[Craig Mitchell]

I had to break down another piece of pre-finished plywood today and took pictures of the whole process.

The repeaters were still set from yesterday and I did not remeasure today. The process was very fast and it came out well. The last picture you can see the three panels cut from today and the top panel was cut yesterday.

I've had the repeaters for awhile now, but did not think I would use them very much once I got my Bridge set up on my Powerbench..... but I am realizing it's far easier to break down a full sheet of plywood with the repeaters first, and then use the bridge system for smaller cuts. Now all I need is an easier way to get the plywood from my SUV to the table! hahaha

[Bruce Benjamin]

Good write up, Craig. From the pictures it doesn't look like you would've had an easy time fitting a tablesaw into your shop, let alone making long cuts on the tablesaw even if you could fit it in there. I do have a tablesaw in my garage/shop and certainly more room than many people have but I still find that the EZ is far more convenient when it comes to handling any size pieces of plywood. More accurate with the large pieces too. Nice job.

Bruce

[Burt Waddell]

Craig,

It sounds like you learned quicker in the game than I did. I started with the repeaters, went on to a 9' PBB, and then came back to a combo that seems to be the best setup for me. We have switched to do all of our ripping of full sheets on the smart table instead of the PBB.

The key here is that it is easier to lay a full sheet on the table and position the tool than it is to precisely place a full sheet of plywood.

Burt

[Craig Mitchell]

Craig,

The key here is that it is easier to lay a full sheet on the table and position the tool than it is to precisely place a full sheet of plywood.

Burt


Yep, I tried that the first time and it was very difficult. The repeaters seem to work much better for the full sheets of plywood..... especially for multiple cuts of the same size. I'm still trying to get everything perfected.... it's a learning process for sure.

[Dino Makropoulos]

It's two rails connected..... probably just a bit over 9ft, I forget the exact length.

Here are some pictures of me cutting them to size on the powerbench using the Bridge and fence.

Hi Craig.
Use the squaring stops and flip stop for cross cutting.
The fence is better for rip cuts and gang cross cutting.
Thanks for taking the time to post pictures.

[Randal Stevenson]

Craig,

It sounds like you learned quicker in the game than I did. I started with the repeaters, went on to a 9' PBB, and then came back to a combo that seems to be the best setup for me. We have switched to do all of our ripping of full sheets on the smart table instead of the PBB.

The key here is that it is easier to lay a full sheet on the table and position the tool than it is to precisely place a full sheet of plywood.

Burt


Burt, don't you realize your our guinea pig? LOL