Contributor
The vertical saws are popular in Europe. The panel products there are on the large size and would be difficult to break down on a slider. Usually they have a hoist positioned close to the saw and vertical panel storage. Panels are grabbed in the vertical position and swung into the saw. At my cousin’s shop in northern Italy he stocked 3 and 5 layer solid panels that were roughly 6’X 14’. Most of the smaller shops will have both a vertical and slider and the big shop’s usually a beam saw also.
Contributor
A lot of shops use various tools for various jobs. It's a hobby forum and it really comes down to room. I use sliders, panel saws, cnc's,etc to break down parts and choose the best tool on each product.
A slider vs a panel saw....funny
Contributor
I considered getting a panel saw six years ago when I was gearing up to build our new kitchen ( I did build it and it consumed nearly 40 sheets of prefinished maple plywood) for the ease in breaking down the sheet goods. As it was to go into my already overcrowded garage, I strongly considered hinging it to the ceiling for storage (there are nearly 10' ceilings in there) but ultimately bought a Festool track saw which worked very well.
Folding it up to near the ceiling would have required adding some additional steel to stiffen the entire thing as well as designing and installing a set of pivots up there. This did not appear, at the time, to be that difficult but I opted for the track saw when I realized (as several others have pointed out) I rarely use more than a handful of sheets of any type of plywood/MDF/etc. in the course of any given year.
Guest
If I processed a lot of sheet goods, I would prefer a beam saw. Yes they take up floor space, but stacking and cutting multiple sheets makes up for that.
Contributor
what is this? is it missing a saw?
Bill D.
https://goldcountry.craigslist.org/t...023524135.html
Contributor
I assume that the cost of a track saw and track would be less than a panel saw (although I suppose you could make one for less). Years ago, I wanted a panel saw badly and researched plans and ready-made and decided that, because I was not a full-time woodworker, I couldn't justify the cost or the time to make one for less. Now, I own a track saw. The track saw is much more versatile for my use than a panel saw would be and takes up less space. Regardless of cost, the track saw and track can be used for much more of my work than a panel saw.
Member
I agree with you Keith.Originally Posted by Keith Outten
I rarely see anyone here discuss panel saws. I own one and have found it to be a great way to break down sheet goods, especially 12 foot long Corian sheets. It's also the reason that I have stopped using my table saw since the panel saw and band saw have been doing all of the work in my sign shop for the last few years. A panel saw does take up a lot of wall space but almost no floor space which seems to be the most valuable in most work shops. My only complaint is that I wish my panel saw was computer controlled
I had a Safety Speed Panel Saw in my pro shop from 1970 to 2005 and loved it! It spoiled me so much I had to have one in my hobby wood shop. Now I use a vertical panel saw that I made. I get cutting accuracy of 1/64" straight and square just like my old Safety Speed Cut. The cuts are ready for edge banding.
The vertical saws are the way to go for 1 person. You can store your sheets on edge and flip thru sheets to select one. I can slide sheets from storage,on edge, thru the saw. No heavy lifting or scratching veneer faces.
I designed my shop with wall space for the panel saw and clearance to rip 4x8 sheets. The wall behind the saw is accessible for hanging storage, so it doesn't really "take up wall space".
The whole layout for panel storage, handling and sawing takes up little space. A slider and it's clearance would take up more space.
"Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t - you’re right."
- Henry Ford
Contributor
It seems like an obvious solution to the wall space concern, as thin as a panel saw is, would be to hinge it to tilt up against the ceiling when not in use; yet I never hear it suggested. Is there something I'm missing?
I have the aluminum extrusions for a quality DIY panel saw, and that is my plan.
Contributor
For the $1000 or so I have wrapped up in my cordless Makita track saw & all the stuff that goes with it - - I'm 10's of 1000's of dollars ahead in one crucial department....
I can pack up my cutting table & track saw & take it to the core & cut my sheet goods to finished/exact size - right in the parking lot & transport it all in the back of my Sportage and/or Kona.
I'd need a small truck & generator to run the panel saw to be able to do that.
Seriously though - now that I have the cordless Makita - I no longer have to "feed" a van or pickup truck.
This was a huge deciding factor for me just a couple months ago.
I looked at a 4x4 F150 crew cab ($52k) and a AWD Hyundai Kona($23K) - to say nothing of the gas economy....and insurance and,,etc,etc...
An alternative would of course be - rent a truck to transport or have it delivered.
The truck rental still means a lot of screwing around getting and returning the truck, plus the expense. The delivery means humping the sheets from the street to the garage & the delivery charge & having to settle for whatever junk they pull and try to give me.
It's all what ever suits a person best &/or what they can afford.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." - John Lennon
Member
I have one that I will use to rough cut large sheets. It is the Powermatic one.
I permanently mounted it to the wall and filled in the gabs of the frame with built-in wall storage cabinets so get plenty of storage space and the benefit of the vertical panelsaw. I am not giving up useable wall space.
Rob
Contributor
Of all the shops in my area, I can count the vertical panel saws on one hand. Most of those are Safety Speedcuts. FYI that a good vertical costs about the same (or more) than a sliding panel saw.
Erik
Ex-SCM and Felder rep
Contributor
Good idea Rich. It sounds like I missed a good reason to buy cordless. (Sigh). I have the yard or store where I buy the plywood cut the sheet to rough dimensiona to let it fit in my vehicles. (Most BORGs and yards have a panel saw.) I lose a bit of material but it works for me.For the $1000 or so I have wrapped up in my cordless Makita track saw & all the stuff that goes with it - - I'm 10's of 1000's of dollars ahead in one crucial department....
I can pack up my cutting table & track saw & take it to the core & cut my sheet goods to finished/exact size - right in the parking lot & transport it all in the back of my Sportage and/or Kona.
I'd need a small truck & generator to run the panel saw to be able to do that
Seriously though - now that I have the cordless Makita - I no longer have to "feed" a van or pickup truck.
This was a huge deciding factor for me just a couple months ago.
I looked at a 4x4 F150 crew cab ($52k) and a AWD Hyundai Kona($23K) - to say nothing of the gas economy....and insurance and,,etc,etc...
An alternative would of course be - rent a truck to transport or have it delivered.
The truck rental still means a lot of screwing around getting and returning the truck, plus the expense. The delivery means humping the sheets from the street to the garage & the delivery charge & having to settle for whatever junk they pull and try to give me.
It's all what ever suits a person best &/or what they can afford.
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Contributor
Rob,
Any chance you could post a picture of that sometime? That's a clever idea!
Thanks.
Fred
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
Contributor
I bought a Saftety Speed Cut H5 in 1989 for a side job I was doing to survive after a divorce. Hauled it from the store there on a trailer behind a motorcycle. Paid for before that job building commercial display cabinets was half done. Cut 1 inch nominal stock on it up to plywood, laminate, etc. Ripped and crosscut with it. Moved it out of there and down to an old barn I had for a shop behind the motorcycle once again. I was young and strong then. Now it is attached to the head wall of the garage with cars parked against it. back the cars out and slide sheet goods out of the pickup, carry over to the saw, cut them to size and then move down to shop in basement. Bought a Milwaukee Panel Saw with stand and wheels a few weeks ago because it will fit down in the basement where I will use it to crosscut glued up panels, doors, etc that are too wide for the radial arm saw. Not enough room for a slider down there as it lays out now. Have a SawStop ICS 36" fence on mobile base that has to move to use the 12" planer. Panel saw will sit in another room with lumber. Bought the Milwaukee off of ebay very cheap, looks like it had made one cut of thin material at the most. Have more money in accessories than I paid for it. Still have about half the cost of a track saw in it. The panel saw will always cut 90 degrees dead on, track saw can't without a lot of set up. IF I still was doing a lot of side work that involved setup and tear down every time then I would look harder at a track saw. For a stationary shop as I am now a panel saw hands down. If I had a big shop (impossible where I live) then I would look a lot harder at a big slider, still would have my panel saws.
Contributor
I had a Safety Speed Cut panel saw at school. We had the wall space for it, and there was no way I was going to invest in a high dollar track setup in a high school shop environment. The SSC was fine for what we needed, not too expensive, but not terribly durable. The custodians destroyed it one summer (knocked it over on it's face) and eventually I was able to get the facilities management people to buy me a new one as there was no way I could get the old one squared up and working properly again. They are good saws for a one man shop where the owner/operator is going to take care of it, but I feel they're a little (ok a lot) light for a big production shop.
In my own shop I don't have the wall space for a panel saw, don't break down enough panel stock to need one, and use my 8.5' slider for all that stuff. If I need to break a sheet in half for handling purposes I have a home made track saw that works fine.
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